Not sure whether your rental would pass a healthy homes assessment? This checklist goes through the five Healthy Homes Standards one at a time and shows what passes and what fails, so you can spot problems before an assessor does. It is based on the official Tenancy Services checklist and written for Auckland landlords.

If you would rather have a professional do the checking, our healthy homes assessment in Auckland covers all five standards and gives you a written report for $150 including GST.

Heating checklist

The heating standard is about the main living room. That is the largest living room, plus any connected space that can’t be closed off from it, such as an open-plan kitchen or dining area, a hallway or a staircase.

What passes

• A fixed heater in the main living room, or one that heats it directly through a duct or vent. That can be a heat pump, wood burner, pellet burner, flued gas heater or, in some situations, an electric heater with a thermostat.
• A heater with a capacity of at least 1.5kW that is big enough for the room.
• A thermostat on any heat pump or electric heater.

What fails

• Only plug-in heaters, an open fire or an unflued combustion heater such as an LPG bottle heater.
• An electric heater (that isn’t a heat pump) where the room needs 2.4kW or more.
• A heater that is too small for the room.

Read the official heating standard, use the Tenancy Services heating tool to work out the capacity you need, or ask us about heat pumps and heating options.

Insulation checklist

Auckland is in Zone 1, so new insulation needs to meet a minimum R-value of R2.9 in the ceiling and R1.3 under the floor. The R-value measures how well insulation resists heat flow: the higher the number, the better.

What passes

• Insulation in the ceiling, and under the floor where there is a space under it.
• Insulation in reasonable condition, with no dampness, mould, water damage, rips, gaps, vermin or bird nests.
• Insulation installed after 1 July 2016 that meets the minimum R-values for Auckland. Ceiling insulation installed before that date is likely to be fine if it is thicker than 120mm and in reasonable condition.

What fails

• No ceiling or underfloor insulation.
• Insulation that is compacted, damp, torn or has gaps in its coverage.
• Newer insulation that is below the minimum R-value.

Read the insulation standard or see our insulation services.

Ventilation checklist

Ventilation covers openable windows in the rooms people live in, plus extractor fans where moisture is made. Bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens count as liveable rooms. Any room with an indoor cooktop is a kitchen, and any room with a bath or shower is a bathroom.

What passes

• An openable window, door or skylight in every liveable room, with a combined openable area of at least 5% of that room’s floor area, that can be fixed in the open position.
• A kitchen extractor fan or rangehood that vents to the outside. If it was installed after 1 July 2019, it needs a diameter of at least 150mm or an exhaust capacity of at least 50 litres per second.
• A bathroom extractor fan that vents to the outside. If it was installed after 1 July 2019, it needs a diameter of at least 120mm (including ducting) or an exhaust capacity of at least 25 litres per second.
• Fans in good working order that move air effectively to the outdoors.

What fails

• Windows that can only be propped open and won’t stay fixed.
• A kitchen or bathroom with no fan, or a fan that doesn’t vent outside.
• Fans that are too small, or that don’t work.

Details are in the ventilation standard, and we can help with ventilation upgrades.

Moisture ingress and drainage checklist

This standard does two jobs: it gets rainwater and ground water away from the house, and it stops moisture rising from the ground under the floor. A subfloor counts as enclosed when more than half the airflow in and out is blocked, for example by foundations, cement board cladding or earth.

What passes

• Gutters that drain every part of the roof into downpipes, and that are big enough not to overflow, intact, securely fixed and free of blockages and standing water.
• Downpipes, surface water and ground water directed to an appropriate outfall, such as a stormwater drain, soak hole or channel.
• Where the subfloor is enclosed, a polythene ground moisture barrier (or an acceptable alternative) that is undamaged and secured.

What fails

• Blocked, leaking, sagging or overflowing gutters and downpipes.
• Downpipes or surface water with nowhere appropriate to go.
• An enclosed subfloor with no ground moisture barrier, or one that is torn or loose.

If installing a barrier is not reasonably practicable, the standard is met until it can be installed. See the moisture ingress and drainage standard and our ground moisture barrier installation.

Draught stopping checklist

As a rule of thumb, a gap wider than 3mm that lets air in or out will usually need blocking. If the edge of a New Zealand $2 coin fits in the gap, seal it.

What passes

• No unreasonable gaps or holes that cause noticeable draughts in walls, ceilings, windows, skylights, floors or doors.
• Doors and windows that close tightly, with working hinges, catches and latches.
• Any unused open fireplace blocked off, unless the tenant has asked in writing for it to stay open.

What fails

• Gaps where the wall meets the ceiling or floor, or holes in walls, ceilings or around ceiling hatches.
• Large gaps under doors, or draughts through windows and floorboards.
• Gaps around electrical and plumbing passages or unused ventilation devices.

Read the draught stopping standard.

Some properties are exempt from some or all of the standards in specific situations. Check the exemptions before assuming one applies to you.

What to do with your results

• Mostly passes? Book a healthy homes assessment in Auckland to get a written report. It gives you proof of compliance to keep with your tenancy records.
• Some fails? Most are fixable. We install insulation, heat pumps and ground moisture barriers, and can help with ventilation.
• Not sure about an answer? That is what an assessor is for. You can also read our landlord’s guide to healthy homes assessments in Auckland.

Healthy homes checklist: frequently asked questions