New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters officially announced the Healthy Homes Standards on Monday. They will take effect on 1 July this year.
Proposed by New Zealand’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in February this year, the Healthy Homes Standards aim to improve living conditions in rental homes and protect tenants’ health.
Why the Healthy Homes Standards were introduced
High house prices mean around half of New Zealanders cannot afford to buy a home and live in rental accommodation. Research shows that rental homes in New Zealand tend to be of lower quality than owner-occupied homes.
Every year, thousands of children in New Zealand become ill and are hospitalised because of poor living conditions in cold, damp and even mouldy homes.
Against this backdrop, the Labour Government decided to raise health standards for rental homes: homes must provide both shelter and a healthy place to live.
Peters announces Cabinet approval of the Healthy Homes Standards
But this also means landlords will have to pay to upgrade their rental properties, or risk being taken to the Tenancy Tribunal and fined.
What standards must a healthy home meet?
The standards mainly cover insulation, heating, ventilation, moisture prevention and drainage in rental homes.
Insulation
Landlords must install insulation in ceiling and underfloor spaces.
The insulation must either meet the requirements of the Building Code issued in 2008 (the 2008 Building Code), or existing ceiling insulation must be at least 120 millimetres thick.
Newly installed insulation is generally more than 120 mm thick, so there is usually little need to worry about further costs. However, properties that complied with the previous standard of 70 mm may need their insulation topped up.
Heating
A fixed heating device must be installed to ensure the living room temperature stays at or above 18 degrees Celsius. This can be a heat pump, an electric heater or a fireplace.
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The Healthy Homes Standards also stipulate that heating must be affordable to run.
LJ Hooker property management manager Robin Yang said electricity is relatively expensive in New Zealand. If a heater uses too much power and pushes electricity bills too high, tenants will be unable to afford it. The simplest solution is actually to install a heat pump, which heats quickly and uses less electricity.
“It does mean higher costs for landlords, though. Including installation, a heat pump would cost around NZ$2000–3000.”
Robin Yang
Ventilation
Bathrooms must have extractor fans, and kitchens must have an extractor fan or rangehood.
Unlike those in China, rangehoods in many New Zealand homes have no exhaust ducting, instead trapping cooking fumes in paper filters. The new standards explicitly require ducting to discharge cooking fumes outdoors.
Robin Yang said many older homes have no exhaust ducting, making retrofits expensive. Adding exhaust ducting and bathroom extractor fans is also more difficult in plaster-clad homes than in brick or weatherboard homes.
Moisture ingress and drainage
Install a ground moisture barrier to prevent moisture rising into homes with enclosed subfloor spaces.
Landlords must ensure homes have effective drainage systems to prevent water entering indoors.
Draught stopping
Landlords must ensure there are no unnecessary gaps or holes in ceilings, windows, floors or doors that could let cold air into the home.
Healthy Homes Standards implementation timetable
1 July 2021
Private landlords and boarding house operators must ensure their rental properties comply with the Healthy Homes Standards within 90 days of any new tenancy starting.
1 July 2023
All Housing New Zealand homes and registered community housing providers’ homes must comply with the Healthy Homes Standards.
1 July 2024
1 July 2024: All rental homes must comply with the Healthy Homes Standards.
These health standards cover a wide range of matters and set out detailed requirements. If you are a landlord concerned about falling foul of them, seek professional advice.
The New Zealand Government will also launch a dedicated website on 1 July this year, allowing you to check whether a rental home meets the Healthy Homes Standards.