Owners of rental properties have until 2024 to reach healthy home standards
New rental housing standards
Housing and Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced the changes in Wellington on Sunday which will require a minimum standard for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and drainage in residential rental properties.
Private landlords have until July 1, 2021 to ensure rental properties comply with the standards, while Housing NZ and other social housing providers have another two years.
Twyford said the average three-bedroom home which did not meet the standards would cost about $7000 to upgrade. He also said nearly 600,000 households were rental properties but were of poor quality, compared to owner-occupied homes.
“It’s estimated about 200,000 families live in rental homes that do not have ceiling or underfloor insulation.”
The Ministry of Health admitted 6000 children each year for “housing-sensitive hospitalisations”, he said. Children were nearly four times more likely to be re-hospitalised and 10 times more likely to die in the following 10 years.
“We cannot continue to accept this.”
The next step is for the standards to be drafted in regulations and approved by Cabinet. The regulations will become law by mid-2019.
All rental homes will be required to:
- Have a heater that can heat the main living area to 18 degrees Celsius.
- Have ceiling and underfloor insulation that either meets the 2008 Building Code insulation standard, or (for existing ceiling insulation) has a minimum thickness of 120 millimetres.
- Kitchens and bathrooms will be required to have extraction fans or rangehoods.
- Install a ground moisture barrier to stop moisture rising into the home where there is an enclosed subfloor space.
- Have adequate drainage and guttering to prevent water entering the home.
- Block draughts that make a home harder to heat.
Compliance timeline:
July 1, 2021 – Private landlords must ensure rental properties comply with the healthy home standards within 90 days of any new tenancy, and all boarding houses must comply with the healthy home standards.
July 1, 2023 – All Housing New Zealand houses and registered Community Housing Providers houses must comply with the healthy home standards.
July 1, 2024 – All rental homes must comply with the healthy home standards.