NZ Healthy Homes Standards 2026: Insulation, Heating, Ventilation

The Healthy Homes Standards are five mandatory physical-condition standards that every private rental property in New Zealand must meet on the first day of any new or renewed tenancy. The Standards are prescribed by the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. From 1 July 2025, the transitional period ended — full compliance is required at the start of every new or renewed tenancy. This guide walks through each Standard with the regulation reference, the practical requirement, and the 2026 compliance position.

Statutory Framework

The Healthy Homes Standards sit under section 13A(1B) of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 — every new or renewed tenancy agreement signed on or after 1 December 2020 must include a separately signed Healthy Homes Compliance Statement identifying the property’s compliance with the five Standards.

Primary sources:

• Residential Tenancies Act 1986: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/DLM94278.html
• Tenancy Services — Healthy Homes hub: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/
• Heating standard tool: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/heating-standard/
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Development — Healthy Homes: https://www.hud.govt.nz/our-work/healthy-homes-standards

Compliance from 1 July 2025: full compliance required at the start of every new or renewed tenancy. Exemplary damages up to NZ$7,200 per breach under Schedule 1A of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. Each separate Standard not met is a separate breach — a property failing on heating and insulation faces NZ$14,400 in exemplary damages.

Standard 1. Heating

A fixed heater must be installed in the main living room, capable of heating the room to 18°C at all times.

Capacity calculation

The heater must meet a minimum heating capacity calculated by:

• Floor area of the main living room;
• Ceiling height;
• Climate zone (NZ is divided into climate zones 1, 2, 3 — roughly North, Mid, South).

Tenancy Services publishes a free Heating Assessment Tool at https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/heating-standard/. Enter floor area, ceiling height, and address; the tool returns the minimum capacity in kilowatts.

Acceptable heater types

• Heat pumps (most common);
• Gas (flued — unflued gas is not compliant);
• Wood burner (with consent);
• Pellet burner.

Not compliant: portable electric heaters, unflued LPG heaters, open fires (without doors), electric panel heaters as the primary heating in living areas larger than the wattage permits.

Rooms covered

Only the main living room must have a fixed heater of compliant capacity. Bedrooms and other rooms are not directly required to have heaters under the Standard (although ventilation and insulation must still be met).

Source: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, regs 5–9.

Standard 2. Insulation

Insulation in the ceiling and underfloor spaces of the rental property must meet minimum thicknesses and R-values.

Ceiling insulation

Underfloor insulation

R1.3 where the sub-floor space is accessible.

When insulation is not required

If the existing ceiling/underfloor cannot be safely accessed (e.g. a concrete slab on grade has no underfloor; a flat-roof apartment has no accessible roof space), the requirement is waived for that surface — but the landlord must obtain documentation of the inaccessibility. The waiver does not mean “do nothing” — it means the physical impossibility of compliance is recognised.

Source: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, regs 12–17.

Standard 3. Ventilation

The property must have:

Openable windows

Each habitable space (living room, dining room, kitchen, bedrooms) must have one or more openable windows with a total openable area of at least 5% of the floor area of the room.

Extractor fans

• Kitchen: an extractor fan venting to the outside (not just a recirculating range hood).
• Bathroom and laundry (if any): an extractor fan venting to the outside.

The extractor fan must be ducted to the exterior of the building. Internal venting (e.g. into the roof space) is not compliant.

Source: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, regs 18–21.

Standard 4. Moisture Ingress and Drainage

Two requirements:

Adequate drainage

Stormwater, surface water, and groundwater must drain away from the property efficiently. Gutters, downpipes, and drains must be in good working order.

Ground moisture barrier

Where there is a sub-floor with bare earth, a ground moisture barrier (a polythene sheet or equivalent) must be installed across the sub-floor. The barrier prevents ground moisture from rising through the sub-floor and into the living spaces.

If the sub-floor has a concrete slab or is otherwise free of bare earth, no moisture barrier is required.

Source: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, regs 22–25.

Standard 5. Draught Stopping

The property must be free of unreasonable draughts caused by gaps and holes in walls, ceiling, floor, doors and windows. Specifically:

• Block unreasonable gaps in walls (e.g. cracks in plasterboard);
• Block unreasonable gaps around doors and windows;
• Close any unused open fireplaces or chimneys (unless the landlord and tenant agree in writing that the fireplace will be used).

The Standard does not require triple-glazed windows or hermetic sealing — just elimination of large, unreasonable air leakage paths.

Source: Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019, reg 26.

The Healthy Homes Compliance Statement

Under Residential Tenancies Act 1986, s.13A(1B), every new or renewed tenancy agreement must include a separately signed Healthy Homes Compliance Statement identifying:

• The current level of compliance with each of the five Standards;
• Any work required to achieve compliance and the date by which it will be done.

From 1 July 2025, full compliance is required on day one of every new or renewed tenancy — there is no longer a transitional period during which a partially compliant property may be let with a “remediation date” plan.

The Compliance Statement is signed in addition to the main tenancy agreement and is typically attached as a schedule.

How to Get an Audit

There is no statutory licensing scheme for Healthy Homes assessors. Landlords typically engage:

• A licensed building practitioner (LBP);
• A registered insulation installer (for the insulation Standard specifically);
• A specialist Healthy Homes assessor.

Cost: NZ$250–500 for a residential audit (market rate; not statutory). The audit produces a written report identifying compliance with each Standard and recommended remediation work.

Tenancy Services does not certify or maintain a list of authorised assessors. The landlord is responsible for choosing a competent provider and verifying the work.

Penalty Regime

Breach is an unlawful act under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. The Tenancy Tribunal may order:

• Exemplary damages up to NZ$7,200 per breach (Schedule 1A of the RTA 1986);
• Work orders under s.78 requiring the landlord to bring the property into compliance;
• Compensation to the tenant for the period of non-compliance.

Each Standard is a separate breach. Five concurrent breaches expose the landlord to NZ$36,000 in exemplary damages at maximum, plus work orders and compensation.

Common Errors

Sequence for a New Listing in 2026

1. Audit the property against all 5 Standards (NZ$250–500).
2. Remediate any non-compliance — insulation top-up, fixed heater, moisture barrier, extractor fans, draught stopping.
3. Document compliance with photographs and an audit report.
4. Prepare the Healthy Homes Compliance Statement for signing.
5. List the property — with a “Healthy Homes compliant” statement in advertising.
6. Sign the tenancy agreement and the Compliance Statement before tenancy starts (s.13A).
7. Maintain compliance throughout the tenancy — particularly for ventilation (extractor fans), moisture (gutters/drains), and heating (heat pump servicing).

Conclusion

The Healthy Homes Standards are five concrete physical requirements — fixed heater, insulation R-values, openable windows + extractor fans, drainage + moisture barrier, draught stopping — codified in the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 and enforceable through the Tenancy Tribunal with exemplary damages up to NZ$7,200 per breach. Since 1 July 2025, full compliance on day one of every new or renewed tenancy is the only acceptable position. The most common audit failures are unflued gas heaters, sub-R-value insulation, and recirculating range hoods. The Tenancy Services portal at https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/ is the central reference, and a written Healthy Homes Compliance Statement signed at agreement signing closes the documentation loop.

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Sources

• Residential Tenancies Act 1986: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/DLM94278.html
• Tenancy Services — Healthy Homes: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/
• Tenancy Services — Heating standard tool: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/healthy-homes/heating-standard/
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Development — Healthy Homes: https://www.hud.govt.nz/our-work/healthy-homes-standards
• Tenancy Services — Tenancy agreements: https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/starting-a-tenancy/before-the-tenancy-starts/tenancy-agreements/