Since 1 July 2025, every private rental in New Zealand must comply with all five Healthy Homes Standards continuously — not just at the start of a new or renewed tenancy. For investors selling in East Auckland, that changes the conversation: non-compliance is no longer a future deadline to negotiate around, it is a current breach of the Residential Tenancies Act carrying penalties of up to $7,200.
The Five Standards
- Heating. A fixed heater capable of warming the main living area to 18°C. Portable plug-in heaters do not count.
- Insulation. Ceiling and underfloor insulation meeting the required standard, where reasonably practicable.
- Ventilation. Extraction in kitchens and bathrooms, venting outside, meeting duct and capacity requirements for fans installed after July 2019.
- Moisture ingress and drainage. Efficient drainage, and a ground moisture barrier where there is an enclosed subfloor.
- Draught stopping. Unnecessary gaps and holes blocked.
Why Buyers Price This
An investor buying your property inherits the obligation from day one — they cannot place a tenant in a non-compliant home. So a missing heat pump or an absent ground moisture barrier is not merely a repair item; it is a legal blocker on their income starting. Expect the deduction to exceed the actual cost of the work, because they are also pricing the delay and the hassle.
The ground moisture barrier is the one most commonly overlooked. It sits out of sight, building inspectors look for it specifically, and its absence stalls negotiations at exactly the wrong moment.
Selling a Turn-Key Asset
A current compliance assessment, with documentation, converts your property from a project into an asset the buyer can tenant immediately. That is a materially different proposition, and it is worth arranging before the campaign rather than defending during it.
Worth noting: compliance is not permanent. Properties drift out of it as heaters fail and ventilation degrades, so a certificate from 2023 is not evidence of compliance today.
Team Eric Wu at Ray White Botany can coordinate an assessment before your campaign launches — 82 East Auckland transactions since January 2025 at a median of $1,301,000. Request a free appraisal to plan the timing.