Where did the Healthy Homes Standards come from?
The Ministry of Urban Housing and Development identified that one-third of New Zealand households (nearly 600,000) rent, and that the rental homes tend to be older and of poorer quality dwellings. As renters have less autonomy to make improvements to their homes, maintaining and improving the quality of the dwelling is the responsibility of the owner. While many landlords maintain and upgrade their properties, there are some who don’t, leaving tenants living in cold, damp homes. As a result of their research, they developed the Healthy Homes standards.
What are the Healthy Homes Standards?
The Healthy Homes standards create specific and minimum standards for heating, insulation, ventilation, draught stopping, moisture ingress and drainage in rental properties.
What will the Healthy Homes Standards achieve?
They will make it easier for renters to achieve warmer, drier homes and help to improve health conditions that are often associated with mould and damp issues. They also provide a clear set of minimum standards all landlords will need to provide their tenants.
Compliance Timeline
We recommend visiting the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development if you need more information.