Peter Lewis upgraded his Auckland rentals to meet the standards. Photo / Michael Craig
Peter Lewis upgraded his Auckland rentals to meet the standards. Photo / Michael Craig
For the past three years, multi-millionaire Auckland landlord Peter Lewis has been upgrading his rentals to meet next month’s Healthy Homes standards deadline.
Lewis, in his late 70s, has 12 Auckland rentals, which he bought because he did not want a life of teabags and gingernuts on the pension.
“Ihave just one kitchen extractor fan to get done before the end of this month, then the tasks are complete,” Lewis said of upgrades to meet the law change which affects all of approximately 500,000 rental properties from July 1.
Tenancy Services says all New Zealand rental properties must meet five standards:
The service has issued a Healthy Homes checklist that explains the law so people know how rented homes must comply. The Tenancy Tribunal rules in cases where homes are found not to comply.
Census 2023 found New Zealand has 2.04 million private homes.
Owner-occupied homes, motels and retirement villages are exempt, which Lewis questions.
Landlord Peter Lewis questions the new Healthy Homes standards.
Lewis wrote an opinion piece for the Healthy Homes in 2017, telling of a day in the life of a landlord owning South Auckland and Pukekohe properties. He recalled then buying homes in Randwick Park and Manurewa.
Lewis says landlords must live with the new regulations, but he questions them.
“To me, they are rather irrational in that they only apply to those properties that are rented so an owner can live in a non-compliant property quite happily.
“That property apparently only becomes a health hazard if tenants then later occupy that same building.”
Retirement village operators don’t need to comply, “even when the occupants pay a seven-figure sum to buy occupation rights”, Lewis complained.
Landlord Peter Lewis working at one of his rental properties.
Nor do motel rooms need to meet minimum standards.
“One of my hobbies as I move around New Zealand and stay in motels or hotels is to look around the unit that I stay in and almost always find that they would be non-compliant with the Healthy Homes legislation,” he said.
Tenants who find their homes non-compliant can bring a case in the Tenancy Tribunal, he noted.
“I have already heard some stories about tenants trying to get compensation for non-compliance. However, the onus is, as always, on the person bringing the case to prove their point,” Lewis said.
By November 1, 2023, bonds were lodged on 410,904 residential rental properties: townhouses, apartments, flats, units and standalone homes. That’s up 38% from 2010 when 297,624 bonds were lodged.
The 2018 Census showed more than 1.4 million people live in rental housing.
Tenancy Services says having a warm, dry home means tenants are likely to be healthier, happier and stay longer.
“From July 1, 2025, all rental properties must comply with the Healthy Homes standards. They will help you to keep your home warm, dry and healthy,” Tenancy Services says.
Landlords are responsible for ensuring their properties meet the Healthy Homes standards and continue to do so over time, it says.
Landlords who breach the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 for Healthy Homes non-compliance can be fined up to $7200, the service says.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald‘s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
