Tenants Still Battling Mould And Damp, Despite Healthy Homes Standards Compliance (2024)

KrystalGibbens, Reporter

Tenants say they arestill experiencing cold, damp and mouldy homes, despite thembeing compliant with healthyhomes standards.

The standards, which set minimumsfor rental insulation and ventilation, became law back in2019, but not everyone has yet been required tocomply.

Private rentals need to comply within 120 daysof any new or renewed tenancy on or after 1 July 2021, andmust comply by 1 July 2025.

In 2022 Em moved into arental that they were told met the standards.

"We gotthe paperwork that said it was healthy, we trustedit."

Em said despite that, they still had mould in thebathroom and the bedrooms did not hold their heat.

"Istarted having to go to the doctor more often and myflatmate, who has asthma, she had to leave after about sixmonths from living in that place because she just gotunwell."

Em said they had since moved to a buildingless than two years old and have noticed the difference intheir health.

But living in the newer building alsocame at a cost, with rent coming in at about 35 percent morethan their previous rental.

In 2023, Autumn also movedinto a rental they were told complied with the healthy homesstandards.

"All of my clothes in my wardrobe werecovered in mould almost within two weeks," theysaid.

"There was mould growing inside of my pillowsthat I did not have before I moved into thatflat."

Autumn had also since moved to a differentrental. Alongside the lack of mould, they were noticing adifference in the warmth.

"I used to have to wearabout six layers of clothes this time last year," theysaid.

"But in my new flat I've been wearing shorts anda singlet."

Checks are 'fairly good'

TonySands, the general manager of home ventilation company DVS,said there had been "a definite response from landlords inthe early days", with an uptake in extract fans and heatpumps. But that demand had since petered out.

NewZealand Property Investors' Federation president SueHarrison said there was no reason not to comply with therules and the federation's members had worked hard to ensuretheir properties complied.

"I think the checks arefairly good in terms of new tenancies you have to fill out aform that says they're up to standards and anyone who's notfollowing those rules or not complying can easily be takento the Tenancy Tribunal for a low cost."

However,Renters United spokesperson Luke Somervell said the tribunalwas not set up to "make things easy" forrenters.

"Even if you win, you're still stuck in thesame place you began and you'll need to enforce the rulingyourself. So it's really a rigged system that's leavingrenters out in the cold."

He said for many renters,the reality was that they had to choose between a colddraughty house or no house at all.

"They'll pick thedraughting cold house and they'll put up with it becausethey don't have much choice, unfortunately."

He saidwith more people becoming and staying renters, this was notan issue that was going away.

He wanted to see betterregulations for the rental market than what the healthyhomes standards offered.

Harrison also said there wereparts of the standards that did not work well.

Oneexample was new builds that were insulatedto a point they did not need the same heating facilitiesas required by the standards.

Government housingprovider complying

Meanwhile, for all houses rentedby Kāinga Ora and registered Community Housing Providers,the deadline to comply with healthy homes standards is 1July 2024.

Kāinga Ora said as of 30 April 2024, 99.8percent of Kāinga Ora homes required to meet Healthy HomesStandards either met them or had work in progress to meetthem.

"That equates to 67,208 homes already meetingthe Standards and another 257 homes that currently have workunderway to bring them up to standards," general manager ofnational services Nick Maling said.

Kāinga Ora wasworking towards bringing the last remaining homes up to thestandards required by 1 July, hesaid.

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