Key takeaways
- Every private rental in New Zealand has had to meet the healthy homes standards since 1 July 2025. If yours does not, the landlord is in breach right now.
- There are five standards, heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and drainage, and draught stopping.
- The heating standard means a fixed heater that can warm the main living room to at least 18 degrees. Plug-in heaters do not count.
- Your tenancy agreement must include a healthy homes compliance statement telling you exactly how the property measures up.
- If the property does not comply, you can give the landlord a 14-day notice to fix it, then take it to the Tenancy Tribunal.
- Failing to meet the standards is an unlawful act, and the Tribunal can award exemplary damages of up to $7,200.
- The standards are about your health. Cold, damp homes cause real illness, and these rules exist to stop that.
In this guide
New Zealand has some of the coldest, dampest rental housing in the developed world, and for years tenants simply had to put up with it. The healthy homes standards changed that. They set a legal minimum for warmth, dryness and ventilation that every rental must now meet. This guide explains the five standards, what your landlord has to provide, and what to do if your rental falls short. Everything here ties back to the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 and guidance from Tenancy Services.
What the healthy homes standards are
The healthy homes standards are a set of minimum requirements for the warmth, insulation, ventilation, dryness and draught proofing of rental homes. They apply to almost all private residential tenancies, and they are not optional. A landlord cannot contract out of them, and they cannot be waived by agreement.
The point of the standards is health. Cold, damp housing is linked to asthma, respiratory infections and other illness, particularly in children and older people. The standards are the law’s way of making sure a rental is fit to live in, not just a roof over your head.
The standards are the landlord’s responsibility, but you have a part too. The home has to be capable of being kept warm and dry, and you still need to heat and ventilate it reasonably, by opening windows and using the extractor fans rather than blocking them, or a claim about damp may not succeed.
The five standards
Heating
The landlord must provide one or more fixed heaters that can heat the main living room to at least 18 degrees Celsius. The heater has to be the right size for the room, worked out using an official heating calculator, and it must be a proper fixed heater such as a heat pump, wood burner, pellet burner or flued gas heater. Portable plug-in electric heaters, open fires and unflued gas heaters do not count as the main heater, although a fixed electric heater with a thermostat can. You can check the size of heater your living room needs using the free heating assessment tool on the Tenancy Services website.
One thing to understand is that the standard is about the heater being able to reach 18 degrees, not the temperature your room actually sits at. The landlord does not have to pay your power bill, so a cold room on its own is not a breach if a big enough fixed heater is installed.
Insulation
Ceiling and underfloor insulation are compulsory where it is reasonably practicable to install them. Existing insulation must meet the required level for the home’s climate zone, and the country is split into three zones with different requirements. Older or thin insulation often has to be topped up to comply.
Ventilation
Every habitable room must have windows or doors that open to the outside. Kitchens and bathrooms, the rooms that produce the most moisture, must have an extractor fan that vents outside. This is what stops steam and cooking moisture turning into mould.
Moisture ingress and drainage
The property must have efficient drainage and guttering, downpipes and drains to remove storm and surface water. Where there is an enclosed subfloor, the landlord must install a ground moisture barrier to stop damp rising from the ground into the home.
Draught stopping
The landlord must block any unnecessary gaps or holes that cause noticeable draughts, around windows, doors, walls, floors and ceilings. Open fireplaces and chimneys must be blocked off unless you and the landlord agree to keep them open.
The deadlines, every rental now covered
The deadlines have now all passed, which means there is no more grace period. All private rentals have had to comply with every one of the five standards since 1 July 2025. Kāinga Ora homes and registered Community Housing Provider homes had an earlier deadline of 1 July 2024.
In practice this means that if you are renting privately today and the home does not meet one of the standards, your landlord is already in breach, not running late. You do not have to wait for any future date.
The compliance statement and ongoing compliance
Landlords have to be upfront about how a property measures up. Every new or renewed tenancy agreement must include a healthy homes compliance statement, which sets out the current level of compliance with each of the five standards, and, if the property does not yet comply, what will be done and by when.
There used to be a grace period of several months after a new tenancy to get a property up to standard. That is gone. Since 1 July 2025 every private rental must comply with all five standards at all times, and stay compliant, so there is no waiting period for a landlord to hide behind. Read the compliance statement in your agreement carefully, because it is your landlord’s own written record of whether the home is up to standard.
What to do if your rental does not comply
If your rental is missing a fixed heater, has no extractor fans, or is clearly cold and damp because the insulation or draught stopping is not there, you have a clear path.
Whatever you do, do not stop paying rent in protest. Non-compliance does not give you the right to withhold rent, and doing so simply puts you in arrears and at risk of losing the tenancy. Instead, start by telling the landlord in writing which standard you think is not being met, and ask them to fix it. You can give a formal 14-day notice to remedy, which requires them to put it right within 14 days. Keep a copy, and take dated photos of the problem, a thermometer reading on a cold day, mould, or a missing fan.
If the landlord does not act, you can apply to the Tenancy Tribunal. Failing to comply with the healthy homes standards is an unlawful act, and the Tribunal can order the landlord to do the work and can award exemplary damages of up to $7,200. You cannot be punished for asking, a notice ending your tenancy because you enforced your healthy homes rights can be challenged as retaliatory.
Exemptions
There are a few limited exemptions. Some apply where the work is physically impossible or would require major structural change, and a partial exemption can apply where the building is to be demolished or substantially rebuilt within a set time. These are narrow, and the landlord has to be able to prove the exemption applies. A landlord cannot simply declare a property exempt to avoid the cost, and they must provide evidence of any exemption within 10 working days if you ask for it. If you doubt a claimed exemption, the Tribunal can decide it.
The practical playbook
One. Read your compliance statement. It is in your tenancy agreement and it is the landlord’s own record of where the property stands.
Two. Check it against the five standards. Fixed heater in the living room, ceiling and underfloor insulation, extractor fans, drainage and a ground moisture barrier, and draught stopping.
Three. Put any gap in writing. Tell the landlord which standard is not met and ask them to fix it, with a 14-day notice to remedy.
Four. Gather evidence. Photos, thermometer readings, the compliance statement, and your written requests.
Five. Apply to the Tenancy Tribunal if needed. Failing to comply is an unlawful act, with exemplary damages of up to $7,200.
Six. Do not accept retaliation. A termination notice given because you enforced your rights can be challenged.
If you are a landlord
If you are a landlord rather than a tenant, the same five standards are your legal obligation, and you must comply now. Include a healthy homes compliance statement in every new or renewed tenancy agreement, and keep records and receipts that prove compliance, because the burden is on you to show it. The full requirements, including the heating assessment tool and the insulation zone maps, are on the Tenancy Services healthy homes pages.
Free help when you need it
- Tenancy Services on 0800 836 262 for the standards, the heating calculator, and how to enforce them.
- Community Law Centres for free legal advice and a detailed tenancy manual.
- Citizens Advice Bureau on 0800 367 222 for free, confidential guidance.
- Renters United for tenant advocacy and plain-language guides.
Frequently asked questions
What are the five healthy homes standards
The five standards are heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping. Together they require a fixed heater that can warm the main living room to at least 18 degrees, ceiling and underfloor insulation, openable windows and extractor fans, good drainage and a ground moisture barrier, and the blocking of unnecessary draughts.
Does my rental have to meet the healthy homes standards
Yes. All private rentals have had to comply with every one of the five standards since 1 July 2025. If your home does not comply now, the landlord is in breach. Your tenancy agreement should include a healthy homes compliance statement setting out where the property stands.
What temperature does a rental have to heat to in New Zealand
The heating standard requires a fixed heater that can warm the main living room to at least 18 degrees Celsius. The heater must be the right size for the room and must be a proper fixed heater such as a heat pump, wood burner or flued gas heater. Plug-in electric heaters do not meet the standard.
What can I do if my rental is cold and damp
Tell the landlord in writing which standard you think is not being met, and give a 14-day notice to remedy. Take dated photos and thermometer readings. If the landlord does not fix it, apply to the Tenancy Tribunal, which can order the work done and award exemplary damages of up to $7,200 for failing to comply.
How much can a landlord be fined for breaching healthy homes
Failing to comply with the healthy homes standards is an unlawful act, and the Tenancy Tribunal can award exemplary damages of up to $7,200. The Tribunal can also order the landlord to carry out the work needed to bring the property up to standard.
When did healthy homes become compulsory in New Zealand
All private rentals have had to meet every one of the five standards since 1 July 2025, which was the final deadline. Kāinga Ora homes and registered Community Housing Provider homes had an earlier deadline of 1 July 2024. There is no longer any grace period, so a non-compliant private rental is in breach today.
Can I withhold rent if my rental is not healthy homes compliant
No. Non-compliance does not give you the right to stop paying rent, and withholding rent puts you in arrears and at risk of losing the tenancy. Keep paying, raise the breach in writing with a 14-day notice to remedy, and apply to the Tenancy Tribunal if the landlord does not fix it.
Is your rental cold, damp or missing one of the healthy homes basics? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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