Healthy Homes: From Compliance to Culture Shift
There has been much discussion recently around the ongoing challenges of compliance with the Healthy Homes standards. Some landlords continue to cut corners, exploit loopholes, or delay improvements—seemingly unconcerned about enforcement mechanisms due to take effect from 1 July 2025.
But from where I sit, this behaviour is the exception, not the rule.
The reality is that the standard of rental housing in New Zealand has improved markedly over the past five years—and that is, without question, thanks to Healthy Homes.
Raising the quality of our rental stock was always going to be a long and difficult journey. For decades, standards were low. We had normalised the experience of living in damp, draughty, often mould-ridden housing. For many, it was a rite of passage. But for one-third of New Zealanders, it was not temporary—it was their everyday reality.
Working in the property sector, I’ve seen firsthand the impact that poor-quality housing has on people’s health and wellbeing. While there were some important steps along the way—insulation subsidies, increased awareness around meth contamination—these were band-aids, not systemic solutions.
Healthy Homes changed that. And now, five years on, the heavy lifting has largely been done. We should feel encouraged by what’s been achieved.
Today, tenants can reasonably expect a rental property to be warm, dry, and free from mould. That simply wasn’t the case five, let alone twenty, years ago. And importantly, landlords are now—almost without exception—making decisions with tenant wellbeing in mind. That represents a significant cultural shift.
For many ‘mum and dad’ investors, the requirements went far beyond a heat pump and fluff in the ceiling. The financial burden has been real, and in the current economic climate, their efforts deserve a huge thank you.
The story around rental standards is evolving. While enforcement is important, it’s the cultural shift that will create lasting change—and we are well on our way.