Healthy Homes Deadline 1st July 2025: Ignore Them at Your Peril

There is no gentle way to say this. If you are a landlord still ignoring the Healthy Homes Standards, you are asking for trouble.

By law, every rental in New Zealand must meet specific heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and draught-stopping requirements. The goal is simple: warmer, drier, healthier homes and fewer tenants needing a doctor every winter.

Most landlords know the basics: a heat pump in the main living area, ceiling and underfloor insulation up to standard, extractor fans where they belong, and no unwanted draughts. Straightforward enough, yet plenty are dragging their feet, hoping it will blow over. It will not.

The fine for non-compliance is up to $7,200 per breach, per tenancy. That means if your property falls short, your tenants can take you straight to the Tenancy Tribunal and the tribunal does not mess around.

There is an upside to this. Well-maintained, compliant properties attract better tenants and higher rents. It also keeps you off the government’s radar and your name out of the Tenancy Tribunal orders list.

If you are one of the smart few with a property that ticks all the boxes, or better yet, one with planning approval for future development, then you are sitting on an asset plenty of buyers want right now.

Thinking of selling rather than facing the cost of compliance? Call me today. I may already have the buyer ready to go.

Craig Watkins Mint Real Estate 021 308 021