Healthy Homes Compliance Statement NZ: What It Must Include (Free Template, 2026)

A healthy homes compliance statement is a written statement, included in the tenancy agreement, setting out your current level of compliance with each of the five healthy homes standards. It must be in every new, renewed or varied residential and boarding house tenancy agreement. Leaving it out risks a penalty of up to $500 per tenancy.

It is the single most commonly botched piece of paperwork in New Zealand tenancy law — not because landlords ignore it, but because most people tick “compliant” and move on, when the statement actually has to contain specific numbers.

What is a healthy homes compliance statement?

It is a statement of fact about the property, signed as part of the tenancy agreement, describing how the property measures up against the heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture and drainage, and draught stopping standards. It is not a pass mark and it is not issued by anyone — you write it, and you are responsible for its accuracy.

Since 1 July 2025, all private rentals must comply with the healthy homes standards, so in practice the statement now records compliance rather than a plan to get there.

When do I need to provide one?

The statement must be included in all new or renewed tenancy agreements, and it applies when an existing agreement is varied. It covers both residential tenancy agreements and boarding house tenancy agreements.

In plain terms: every time paperwork is signed, the statement goes with it. A tenancy that simply rolls on periodically without a new agreement does not trigger a fresh statement, but the underlying compliance obligation still applies.

What must the statement actually include?

This is where most statements fall short. “The property complies” is not a compliance statement. Each standard needs specifics.

Heating

The required heating capacity for the main living room — the capacity needed to reach 18°C — the method used to calculate it, the type of heater installed, and its heating capacity in kilowatts. If you used the Tenancy Services heating assessment tool, say so; that is your calculation method.

Insulation

The R-values (or, where R-value is unknown, the thickness) of the ceiling and underfloor insulation, the installation dates if you know them, and — importantly — the reason for any area that is not insulated. “Inaccessible ceiling cavity above the bathroom” is a reason. A blank is not.

Ventilation

Confirmation that every habitable space has openable windows or doors, plus the detail on kitchen and bathroom ventilation: the diameter or extraction capacity of each extractor fan, or a description of the qualifying continuous ventilation system if you have one instead.

Moisture ingress and drainage

Confirmation that the property has efficient drainage, and whether a ground moisture barrier is installed where there is an enclosed subfloor space.

Draught stopping

Whether any open fireplaces have been blocked or permanently closed, and confirmation that the property is free from unreasonable gaps and holes that cause draughts.

Exemptions

If you are relying on an exemption for any standard, the statement must explain the circumstances. Naming the exemption is not enough — set out why it applies to this property.

Is there an official healthy homes compliance certificate?

No. There is no government-issued healthy homes certificate in New Zealand. Plenty of companies sell assessments and issue their own branded certificates, and those reports can be genuinely useful — a good assessor will measure your ceiling R-values and size your heater properly. But the legal instrument is the statement you sign in the tenancy agreement, and the legal responsibility for it is yours, not the assessor's.

If you pay for an assessment, use it as the source data for your own statement. Do not file the certificate and skip the statement.

What happens if I leave it out?

Two separate penalties, and landlords often conflate them.

Failing to include a compliance statement in the tenancy agreement carries a penalty of up to $500 for each tenancy. Failing to actually meet the healthy homes standards is a different and much larger exposure: up to $7,200.

The Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team can also issue formal warnings, improvement notices, infringement notices and enforceable undertakings, or take a landlord to the Tenancy Tribunal.

Free compliance statement template

Copy this into your tenancy agreement and replace the bracketed fields with your property's real figures. It is structured in the order Tenancy Services expects.

Healthy homes compliance statement — [property address]
Statement date: [date]

Heating: The required heating capacity for the main living room is [X] kW, calculated using [the Tenancy Services heating assessment tool / other method]. The main living room has a [heater type] with a heating capacity of [X] kW.

Insulation: Ceiling insulation: [R-value or thickness in mm], installed [date if known]. Underfloor insulation: [R-value or thickness, or “not applicable — concrete slab”]. Uninsulated areas: [area and reason, or “none”].

Ventilation: All habitable rooms have openable windows or doors of the required size. Kitchen extractor fan: [diameter in mm / extraction capacity]. Bathroom extractor fan: [diameter in mm / extraction capacity]. [Or: continuous mechanical ventilation system — describe.]

Moisture ingress and drainage: The property has efficient drainage for surface water, storm water and ground water. Enclosed subfloor: [ground moisture barrier installed on (date) / not applicable — no enclosed subfloor].

Draught stopping: The property is free from unreasonable gaps and holes in walls, ceilings, windows, floors and doors. Open fireplaces: [blocked / permanently closed / none present].

Exemptions claimed: [none / standard and the circumstances relied on].

Signed: [landlord name] — [date]

Keep the evidence behind each field — the heating calculation printout, the insulation invoice, a photo of the fan — somewhere you can find it in two years when a tenant or the Tribunal asks. That is the part landlords regret skipping.

Common questions

Does the statement need to go in every tenancy agreement?
Yes — every new or renewed agreement, and when an agreement is varied. It applies to residential and boarding house tenancies.

Can I just write “this property complies with the healthy homes standards”?
No. The statement must record the specific information for each standard — heating capacity in kilowatts and how it was calculated, insulation R-values, fan sizes, and so on.

Who issues a healthy homes compliance certificate?
Nobody official. There is no government certificate. Private assessors issue their own reports, which are useful evidence, but the statement in the tenancy agreement is the legal requirement and it is signed by you.

What if I don't know the R-value of my ceiling insulation?
You may state the thickness instead. If you know neither, you need someone to look — guessing puts an inaccurate statement over your signature.

How long do I have to provide the information?
The statement forms part of the agreement, so it should be complete when the agreement is signed rather than supplied later.

Do I need a new statement if the tenant stays on periodically?
Not for the rollover itself. You will need one whenever a new agreement is signed, renewed or varied — and the property must comply regardless.

Where this sits in the wider obligations

The compliance statement is the paperwork; the standards are the substance. If you have not yet worked through the five standards property by property, start at the Healthy Homes Standards checklist, and see what a Healthy Homes assessment costs and how to do it yourself if you are weighing up paying an assessor.

Once the statement is written, the job becomes keeping the evidence current across every property and every renewal date: R-values, fan sizes, install dates and statement dates, per property.

General information only — not legal or tax advice. Requirements change; confirm the current rules with Tenancy Services before you sign anything.