Healthy homes compliance is a continuing responsibility for an Invercargill or Southland landlord. Start with the condition and records of the particular home, rather than assuming its age, renovation or installed heat pump proves compliance. This guide helps you organise the questions, evidence and follow-up work to discuss with the property management team and suitable specialists.
All private rentals must meet the healthy homes standards from 1 July 2025, unless a relevant exemption applies. Tenancy Services sets out the current compliance requirements. The five standards cover heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping. Check the detailed requirements for the home; a general checklist is not a compliance assessment.
Review the main living-room heater and its required capacity; insulation coverage and condition; opening windows and extractor fans; drainage and any required ground moisture barrier; and unreasonable draughts. Collect supporting assessments and installation information. Ask a suitably qualified provider to resolve measurements, access limitations or technical uncertainty.
Put existing assessments, invoices, product details, warranties and photographs together. Label each item with the property address, date and work completed. Separate confirmed facts from information still missing. For example, an invoice for a heater identifies a purchase, but it may not explain whether the heater meets the capacity required for that living room.
Give the manager a clear list of unresolved items, who is responsible for each, and the evidence expected after work is finished. Ask how completion will be recorded and how documents will be available to you. A rental appraisal estimates rent; it does not certify healthy homes compliance or replace a technical assessment.
New or renewed tenancy agreements need details of the property’s current healthy homes compliance. Tenancy Services also explains the required insurance, insulation and healthy homes statements. Insurance information includes whether the home is insured and the relevant excess, with additional considerations for body corporate property. Insulation information needs to describe what is present and its condition, rather than simply saying the home is insulated.
Read the completed statements against the supporting property file before signing. If information cannot be found, follow the official requirements for recording the missing information and reasonable efforts to obtain it. Keep statements current when circumstances change and ask for advice if the agreement or evidence is unclear.
Do not infer an exemption from a difficult roof space, a planned renovation or shared ownership. Official exemption guidance distinguishes whole-property situations from exemptions to particular standards. Applicable exemptions must be included in the tenancy agreement. Check the exact criteria, supporting evidence and what happens when the circumstances change. A proposed rebuild does not by itself establish an exemption.
Working smoke alarms are compulsory in rental homes. They must be in every sleeping room or within three metres of each bedroom door, and on each level of a multi-level home. New alarms must be qualifying photoelectric units with a battery life of at least eight years, or hard-wired, installed to the manufacturer’s instructions. Check the current smoke alarm requirements, including expiry dates and maintenance responsibilities.
Landlords must ensure alarms work at the start of a tenancy and remain working. Tenants must report faults, leave alarms connected, and replace dead batteries in older units with replaceable batteries. Record the checks and any replacement work. Ask the manager how faults will be escalated and which trade will attend where needed.
Review new leaks, damaged insulation, heater or extractor faults and drainage problems when reported. Agree a written process for maintenance approvals, urgent work and completion evidence. Do not treat a past assessment as proof that later damage has been resolved. Keep dated communication and work records so the next inspection or tenancy starts with the current position.
Tenants can use our mould, dampness and ventilation guide and repairs and maintenance information. If a problem creates immediate danger, call 111. Do not wait for a general website enquiry to be read.
Contact rentals.invercargill.nz@raywhite.com or call 03 218 6117. Bring the address, occupancy, available records and your unresolved questions. Our office is at 33 Arena Avenue, Invercargill. Ask for the agreed management scope, fees and responsibilities in writing, including any specialist assessment or work that is separate from management.
Explore property management, request a rental appraisal, or meet the local team. Do not put tenant identity documents or other sensitive tenancy information into the general contact form.