Healthy Homes Standards
The healthy homes standards will make significant changes to the quality of New Zealand rental accommodation and bring with them long-term positive impacts for both tenants and landlords alike . Tenants will experience the benefits that come from living in a warmer , drier home and landlords can expect lower long-term maintenance costs , by raising the quality of their property .
The standards create specific and minimum requirements for all rental properties in respect of heating , insulation , ventilation , draught stopping , moisture ingress and drainage .
There is significant detail to each standard and they lay out clearly what is required of all landlords both in respect of the rental property itself , and reporting of this detail within any tenancy agreement .
General overview of the standards
Heating
There must be one or more fixed heater ( s ) that can directly heat the main living room to at least 18 ° C . Certain heating devices that are inefficient , unaffordable or unhealthy will not meet the requirements of this standard .
Insulation
Some existing insulation will need to be topped up or replaced . Depending on location , ceiling insulation needs to meet minimum R-values , or existing ceiling insulation needs to be at least 120mm thick . Underfloor insulation needs a minimum R-value of 1.3 .
Ventilation
There must be windows , skylights or doors that open to the outside in the living room , dining room , kitchen and bedrooms . These must be able to be fixed in the open position and comprise at least five per cent of the room ’ s floor area . There must be extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms that vent to the outside .
Moisture and drainage
There must be adequate drainage , guttering and downpipes . Rental properties that have an enclosed subfloor must have a ground moisture barrier ( if it ’ s possible to install one ).
Draught stopping
Landlords must block any unreasonable gaps and holes in walls , ceilings , windows , floors and doors that cause draughts . Open fireplaces must be blocked unless the tenant and landlord agree otherwise .
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