Published 29 August 2025 | Effective from 25 September 2025
The Government has just announced two changes to the Healthy Homes Standards . No need to reach for the oxygen mask. These are not big compliance shocks but small technical adjustments designed to clear up old confusion.
Ceiling insulation: limited roof space exemption returns
If the roof cavity is too tight to fit the required insulation, you can comply by providing compensating insulation elsewhere in the home. This applies to “modern” dwellings only. A dwelling is modern if its first building consent was granted after the Building Code insulation step-ups for its climate zone: Zone 1 on 30 September 2008, Zone 2 on 30 June 2008, Zone 3 on 31 October 2007. Keep evidence that the roof space is genuinely constrained and document the alternative insulation work.
Healthy Homes overrides the 1947 rules for rentals
The update confirms that the Healthy Homes Standards override the Housing Improvement Regulations 1947 for rental compliance. Apply Healthy Homes for these items:
- Heating: meet Healthy Homes regulation 8 with one or more qualifying fixed heaters or geothermal heating sized to the living room, rather than relying on a fireplace or “approved heater”.
- Bathroom ventilation: extractor fans are required in bathrooms with a bath or shower under regulation 23, with an exemption where installation is not reasonably practicable under regulation 24.
- Habitable room ventilation: use regulations 21 and 22 on openable windows or doors and limited exemptions, instead of the 1947 window sizing rule.
- Drainage: regulation 27 sets the drainage performance standard for rentals, with supporting requirements such as ground moisture barriers where applicable.
What landlords should do now
If your property already meets the Healthy Homes Standards, nothing further is required. Only a small number of properties are affected. Update any internal checklists or templates that still reference the 1947 rules for heating, ventilation, or drainage, and keep your compliance records tidy.
Why this matters: iteration and advocacy
These changes are a reminder that the Healthy Homes Standards are a living set of rules. “Healthy Homes isn’t a finished product,” says APIA General Manager, Sarina Gibbon. “It will keep evolving as the sector feeds back on what works and what does not. That is why being connected to advocacy groups like APIA matters. The more landlords help shape the conversation, the more likely we are to end up with rules that are pragmatic, user friendly, and actually deliver healthier homes without needless red tape.”
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