Healthy Homes Assessment NZ: Do You Need One, What It Costs, and How to Do It Yourself (2026)

Updated September 2026. General information for NZ landlords, not legal advice. The rules are set by the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 and administered by Tenancy Services.

Since 1 July 2025 every private rental in New Zealand must meet the Healthy Homes Standards — no more phase-in dates, no more "within 120 days of a new tenancy". If you own a rental, you are either compliant now or you are exposed to a penalty of up to $7,200. A "Healthy Homes assessment" is simply the process of checking the property against the five standards and producing the evidence. This guide explains what an assessment involves, whether you need to pay someone to do it, what affects the cost, and how to do a credible one yourself.

What is a Healthy Homes assessment?

An assessment is an inspection of the property against the five standards — heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping — followed by a written record of what was found. The output is usually a report that says, standard by standard, whether the property complies, and if not, what needs fixing.

The law does not require you to hire an assessor. What it requires is that the property actually complies, that every new or renewed tenancy agreement includes a signed compliance statement describing the property's current level of compliance, and that you keep records showing how you know. You must give those records to a tenant within 21 days if asked. An assessment — paid or DIY — is how you get those records.

Do I need a paid assessor?

No. Plenty of landlords assess their own properties, and a careful DIY assessment with photos and measurements is perfectly valid evidence. A paid assessor makes sense when:

• you are not confident measuring heating capacity or identifying insulation types and thickness;
• the property is older, has an enclosed sub-floor, or has had partial insulation work over the years;
• you want an independent report to show a tenant, a property manager or (if it ever came to it) the Tenancy Tribunal;
• you manage several properties and would rather buy the time back.

Prices for independent Healthy Homes assessments vary by provider, region and how much measuring is involved, so get two or three written quotes and compare what each includes. Some insulation and heat-pump installers offer a free or discounted assessment because they hope to sell the remediation — that's fine, but treat the recommendations as a quote, not an independent finding.

The five standards: what an assessor checks

1. Heating

There must be one or more fixed heaters that can directly heat the main living room, sized so the room can reach at least 18°C. The required capacity depends on the room's size, the climate zone and how well the room is insulated — Tenancy Services publishes a free heating assessment tool that does the calculation from your inputs. A fixed heater must have a capacity of at least 1.5 kW to count, and portable heaters, open fires and unflued gas heaters do not qualify. If the tool says your living room needs 6 kW and you have a 4.5 kW heat pump, you do not comply.

2. Insulation

Ceiling and underfloor insulation has been compulsory in rentals since 1 July 2019. Under the Healthy Homes Standards, insulation must meet the minimum R-values for your climate zone (ceiling R 2.9 or R 3.3, underfloor R 1.3). Ceiling insulation installed before 1 July 2016 must be at least 120 mm thick unless you can show it met the minimum R-value when installed and has not thinned by more than 30%, and all insulation must be in reasonable condition, with no mould, dampness, damage or gaps. An assessor will get into the ceiling space (and under the floor if it's accessible) to measure thickness, check for gaps and compression, and confirm there is no dampness or damage.

3. Ventilation

Every liveable space needs at least one window, door or skylight that opens to the outside and can be fixed open, with an openable area of at least 5% of the floor area. Kitchens and bathrooms need an extractor fan that vents outdoors. Fans installed after 1 July 2019 must meet minimum size or airflow requirements (larger for kitchens than bathrooms). A recirculating rangehood does not count.

4. Moisture ingress and drainage

The property must have efficient drainage for stormwater, surface water and groundwater, including working gutters, downpipes and drains. If there is an enclosed sub-floor space, a ground moisture barrier (polythene sheeting on the ground) is required where it is reasonably practicable to install one.

5. Draught stopping

Unreasonable gaps or holes in walls, ceilings, windows, skylights, floors and doors that let in noticeable draughts must be blocked. Open fireplaces must be closed off or their chimneys blocked, unless the tenant asks in writing to use one and you agree.

How to do a Healthy Homes assessment yourself

1. Measure the living room (length, width, ceiling height) and note the windows. Run the numbers through the Tenancy Services heating assessment tool and keep a screenshot of the result next to a photo of the heater's rating plate.
2. Get into the ceiling. Photograph the insulation with a ruler or tape in frame so the thickness is visible. Note the product type if it's printed on the batts. Check underfloor the same way if there is access.
3. Test every opening. Open each window and door in each liveable room and confirm it stays open. Photograph the kitchen and bathroom extractor fans, including where they vent to outside.
4. Walk the outside. Photograph gutters, downpipes and the ground around the house after rain if you can. Look under the floor for a moisture barrier.
5. Feel for draughts on a windy day — around windows, doors, floorboards, and any old fireplace.
6. Write it up. One line per standard: complies / does not comply, and the evidence. Date it and sign it.

Before you book an assessor or start your own walk-through, print our free Healthy Homes Standards checklist. It has tick items for each standard, the evidence to keep, and the most common reasons rentals fail.

What gets measured and recorded on the day

Whoever does the assessment, these are the measurements that end up in your compliance statement. If a report doesn't record them, it hasn't finished the job.

Standard	Measured or checked	Record it produces
Heating	Main living room details entered into the heating assessment tool (or the formula in Schedule 2 of the regulations); heater type and kW rating	Tool report showing the minimum required capacity, plus the heater's rated capacity
Insulation	R-value from the product label (sometimes stapled to a beam) or measured thickness, for each ceiling and underfloor space; condition	R-value or thickness per area, install and inspection dates if known, and the reason for any area not insulated
Ventilation	Openable window, door or skylight area in each habitable room (at least 5% of floor area); kitchen and bathroom fan diameter or exhaust capacity, and where it vents	Fan diameter or exhaust capacity for each kitchen and bathroom
Moisture & drainage	Gutters, downpipes, drains and outfall; whether the subfloor is enclosed and has a ground moisture barrier	Drainage confirmed efficient; barrier present, or no enclosed subfloor
Draught stopping	Gaps or holes in walls, ceilings, windows, skylights, floors and doors that cause noticeable draughts; open fireplaces	Fireplace closed off or chimney blocked; no unreasonable gaps

Sources: options for calculating heating capacity, insulation standard, ventilation standard, compliance statement (Tenancy Services).

How to choose an assessor

Tenancy Services' healthy homes pages set out what must be measured rather than who must measure it, so ask these questions before you book:

• How will you calculate heating capacity? The answer you want is the Tenancy Services heating assessment tool or the Schedule 2 formula. Tenancy Services warns that an alternative tool or formula may underestimate the required capacity and may not achieve compliance.
• Are you relying on the specialist pathway? A qualified specialist can instead assess what heating capacity is acceptable (regulation 10A). That means a chartered professional engineer, an IntPE registered with Engineering New Zealand, or someone with a Level 7+ engineering, physics or building science qualification and at least 5 years in heating system design. If you use this route, you must keep their name, qualifications and how they calculated the capacity.
• Will you get into the ceiling and under the floor? R-values and thickness can't be confirmed from the hallway.
• Will you give me fan details in writing? Tenancy Services suggests getting fan diameter, ducting and flow rate from installers in writing.
• Who does the remedial work? Fixed wiring, sanitary plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying must be done by licensed practitioners, and landlords are not allowed to do fixed wiring on a property they rent out. Ask to see a tradesperson's professional ID card.

Sources: options for calculating heating capacity; using licensed practitioners (Tenancy Services).

What a good assessment report includes

A useful report gives you, standard by standard, every figure the compliance statement asks for:

• the required heating capacity for the main living room, how it was calculated, and the type and kW capacity of the heater(s);
• the R-value or thickness of each ceiling and underfloor space, with dates where known, and the reason any area is not insulated;
• confirmation that each habitable room has openable windows or doors, and the diameter or exhaust capacity of each kitchen and bathroom fan;
• whether drainage is efficient and whether each enclosed subfloor has a ground moisture barrier;
• whether open fireplaces are closed off and whether there are unreasonable gaps;
• any exemption relied on, with the circumstances, plus dated photos for each item.

The report is evidence, not the legal document. A professional can supply the information, but the landlord (or an agent acting as landlord) must sign the compliance statement (Tenancy Services: compliance statement).

After the assessment

1. Write or update the compliance statement from the report and put it in every new, renewed or varied tenancy agreement. If you later change how you calculate heating capacity (for example, switching to the newer formula for modern homes), give tenants the updated information.
2. File the evidence. Tenancy Services lists the kinds of records that count, including heating tool printouts, receipts and invoices from tradespeople, product manuals, photos, code compliance certificates and LIM or building reports. Keep documents about the rental during the tenancy and for 12 months after it ends (receipts and accurate records).
3. Keep it compliant. Anything installed to meet a standard must be kept in good working order or replaced. When you learn something needs repair, fix it within a reasonable timeframe, keep the tenant updated, and record the process (keeping your property up to standard).

The compliance statement

Every new, renewed or varied tenancy agreement must include a signed statement of the property's current level of compliance with each standard. Leaving it out carries a penalty of up to $500 per tenancy — separate from the up-to-$7,200 penalty for the property not actually complying. The statement should record, for each of the five standards, what is installed and how you know it meets the requirement. Your assessment is the source for every line of it.

What if the property doesn't comply?

Fix it. Since 1 July 2025 there is no grace period for private rentals. Prioritise heating and insulation (the expensive, slow items), then extractor fans and the moisture barrier, then draughts. Keep every invoice and installer certificate — they become part of your compliance records. If a tenancy is already running, tell the tenant in writing what is being done and when.

A practical order of work, based on lead times rather than any official ranking:

• Book licensed trades first. A new heat pump or hard-wired extractor fan involves fixed wiring, which landlords can't do themselves, and drainage fixes may need a licensed drainlayer, so get those bookings in first.
• Do the owner-friendly jobs while you wait. A polythene ground moisture barrier can be installed by the owner if it follows section 8 of NZS 4246:2016, and many draught gaps can be sealed without a builder. Tenancy Services reminds landlords to manage asbestos risks whenever work is done at the property (draught stopping standard).
• Investigate damp that keeps coming back. If a house stays damp and mouldy even when it is well aired, Tenancy Services notes a qualified building surveyor may need to check for a hidden cause (mould and dampness).

Frequently asked questions

Is a Healthy Homes assessment compulsory in NZ?

No. Compliance is compulsory, the compliance statement in the tenancy agreement is compulsory, and keeping records is compulsory. An assessment (paid or self-done) is how you produce the evidence for all three.

How long does an assessment take?

It depends on the size of the house and how easy the ceiling and subfloor are to reach, so ask the assessor when you get a quote. A careful DIY assessment takes longer the first time because you'll be learning what to look for.

How long do I keep the records?

Keep them for the life of the tenancy and at least 12 months after it ends. Give them to a tenant within 21 days if asked, and to the Tenancy Tribunal or the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations team within 10 working days of a request. In practice, keep them for the life of the property — they roll forward into every future compliance statement.

Does a heat pump in the hallway count?

Only if it can directly heat the main living room to the required capacity. Heaters in other rooms don't count towards the living-room requirement.

What is the penalty for not meeting the Healthy Homes Standards?

Landlords who do not meet the standards are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act and can face financial penalties of up to $7,200, plus up to $500 per tenancy for a missing compliance statement.

Store the evidence where you can find it

Whatever system you use, file the evidence per property and per standard: the heating tool printout, insulation labels or measurements, fan details, photos, and every invoice. If you want a ready-made layout, the Compliance Kit described at the top of this guide has an evidence column for invoice numbers, install dates, installer names and where each file lives. The lighter NZ Landlord Pack (NZ$39 ex GST) covers the rental tracker, IR3R categories and a Healthy Homes checklist.

Related: rental property inspection checklist · setting up a new tenancy: first-week checklist · rental income tax calculator.