Healthy Homes Standards: How do you know if your rental property complies?
August 27, 2026
“Insulation. Heating. Ventilation. Moisture. Draught stopping. How am I supposed to know if it complies?”
Healthy Homes compliance can feel like one of those landlord responsibilities where every answer leads to another question.
Does the heat pump have enough capacity? Is the insulation still up to standard? Does that extractor fan qualify? Do we need a moisture barrier? What records are we supposed to keep?
What does Healthy Homes compliance actually involve?
The Healthy Homes Standards set minimum requirements intended to make rental properties warmer and drier.
The requirements cover heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping. But compliance goes further than simply checking whether each of those things exists at the property.
Depending on the requirement and the property, you may need to consider things such as:
- The type, location and capacity of heating
- The condition, type and installation of insulation
- Appropriate ventilation in habitable rooms
- Extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms
- Drainage, guttering and downpipes
- Ground moisture barriers for applicable properties
- Gaps and holes that create unreasonable draughts
- Whether an exemption applies
- The information recorded in the tenancy agreement
- Evidence and records demonstrating compliance
- Ongoing maintenance to ensure the property continues to meet the requirements
This is why looking around a property and thinking “heat pump, insulation, extractor fan, done” isn’t always enough.
How do you know if your rental complies?
As of 1 July 2025, all private rentals are required to comply with the Healthy Homes Standards, unless an exemption applies.
The first step is knowing what the standards require for your particular property.
Some requirements are relatively easy to identify. Others involve measurements, calculations or technical specifications.
Heating is a good example. It’s not enough to simply have a heater in the living room. The qualifying heater or heaters need to have sufficient capacity for that particular space. Tenancy Services has a heating assessment tool that can help determine the required heating capacity.
Rather than guessing, landlords can use the detailed Healthy Homes guidance from Tenancy Services to work through what applies.
For properties where compliance isn’t clear, a professional assessment can also help identify what meets the requirements and what may need attention.
What about exemptions?
There are circumstances where an exemption from part of the Healthy Homes Standards may apply.
This is an area where it pays to be careful with assumptions.
An exemption relating to one requirement doesn’t necessarily mean the property is exempt from all Healthy Homes obligations. The conditions of the particular exemption need to be met.
Don’t forget the compliance statement
Healthy Homes isn’t only about the physical condition of the property.
Most new or renewed tenancy agreements need to include a Healthy Homes compliance statement, containing the required information about the property’s compliance.
Landlords also need to keep records that demonstrate compliance with the standards.
Depending on the property, that could include:
- Photographs
- Invoices and receipts
- Product specifications
- Insulation information
- Heating calculations
- Certificates or reports
- Documentation from tradespeople
Good records are particularly useful when something was installed or assessed several years ago and nobody can quite remember the details.
Healthy Homes is an ongoing responsibility
Compliance isn’t necessarily a “check it once and forget about it” job. Things change. A heater can stop working. An extractor fan can fail. Insulation can become damaged.
Renovations or other changes to the property may also affect its compliance.
Maintenance and inspections are therefore an important part of keeping a compliant rental property compliant.
If something changes at the property, it’s worth considering whether it has an impact on Healthy Homes rather than waiting until the next tenancy to find out.
Where should landlords go if they’re unsure?
You don’t need to keep every measurement, exemption and technical specification in your head.
The Tenancy Services Healthy Homes hub should be your starting point. It provides current information on the standards, individual requirements, exemptions, compliance statements and tools for landlords.
If you’re still uncertain about how a requirement applies to your property, get appropriate professional advice or an assessment rather than making an assumption.
The important thing is being able to confidently answer two questions:
Does my rental property comply?
And:
Can I demonstrate that it complies?
If you’re not sure about either, it’s worth taking another look.
Need help keeping on top of the details?
At Comprendé Property Management, we understand the Healthy Homes requirements and help keep on top of compliance across the rental properties we manage.
From knowing what requirements apply to keeping records and staying on top of maintenance, we help take the guesswork out of managing a compliant rental property.
Not sure where your rental property stands?
Get in touch with the Comprendé team today on 04 384 2141 or email hello@comprende.co.nz.
