About healthy homes compliance

All rental properties must comply with the healthy homes standards. New, renewed or varied tenancy agreements must include a signed statement with details of the property’s current level of compliance with the standards. Landlords who do not meet their obligations under the healthy homes standards are in breach of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 – and may face consequences, like financial penalties of up to $7200.

Landlords who are not sure where to start, read our healthy homes toolkit for landlords.

Healthy homes toolkit for landlords

Landlords that don't include the compliance statement when required could face a financial penalty of up to $500 for each tenancy, and it could result in an infringement offence.

Compliance statement template [PDF, 591 KB]

The compliance statement has also been included in our residential tenancy agreement and boarding house tenancy agreement templates.

Residential tenancy agreement template [PDF, 1.2 MB]

Boarding house tenancy agreement template [PDF, 686 KB]

About the compliance statement template

The compliance statement template covers all healthy homes standards and exemptions.  This is to ensure landlords meet their requirements.

The compliance statement also includes the ‘intent to comply’ statement which has been required in new, renewed or varied tenancy agreements from 1 July 2019.

The template combines the requirements of the insulation statement and healthy homes insulation information requirements into one statement.

Examples and helpful text are also included so landlords and tenants understand what information should be included in the statement.

The level of detail in the statement provides landlords with an accurate picture of the current state of their rental properties.

Making changes to a tenancy agreement

What needs to be included in the statement

The purpose of the statement is to show the property’s current level of compliance with the standards.

The heating standard

Landlords are to include the following information for the heating standard.

• The required heating capacity for the main living room to reach at least 18°C. This needs to be included if using any of the following options to calculate heating capacity:
  • The online heating assessment tool.
  • The heating formulas in the regulations.
  • A qualified heating specialist to assess the required heating capacity.
• If applicable, confirming the new heating formula for modern dwellings (homes) or relevant apartments is being used to calculate the required heating capacity. This should include a brief description as to why the property meets the criteria to use the new heating formula.
• If the property is meeting the standard by using a qualified specialist to assess what heating capacity is acceptable the landlord must:
  • Provide a statement explaining that they are relying on regulation 10A and include a description of why regulation 10A applies.
  • State the name and relevant qualifications of the specialist.
  • Hold in their records details of how the heating complies with regulation 10A and how the qualified specialist calculated the required heating capacity.
  • Hold documentation to record compliance when the required heating has been installed.
• If the property is meeting the standard with geothermal heating, the landlord must provide a statement explaining they are relying on regulation 10B and provide a description of why this regulation applies.
• The type of acceptable heater in the main living room and its heating capacity (in kilowatts). If the property is meeting the standard by using geothermal heating the landlord will need to state this.
• If a landlord relies on the tolerance or ‘top-up’ allowance for existing heaters, they will need to state this, with a brief description of why it applies.

Heating standard

The insulation standard

If any of the below information is already provided as part of a separate insulation statement in the tenancy agreement, it does not need to be included again in the compliance statement.

• For each ceiling insulated, either:
  • the R-value of the insulation and, if known, the date it was installed and when it was last inspected, or
  • the thickness of the insulation and, if known, the date when it was last inspected.
• For each underfloor space, the R-value of the insulation and, if known, the date it was installed and when it was last inspected.
• For each ceiling and suspended floor that isn’t insulated, the reason why not.

Statements issued by certified installers

Landlords are required by law to provide a signed insulation statement that includes all information required as part of the Residential Tenancies (Smoke Alarms and Insulation) Regulations 2016, as well as information required under the healthy homes standards (e.g. R-values).

The healthy homes compliance statement template is designed to meet the information requirements of both of these. It is a combined statement that only needs to be signed once.

To meet the requirements, the statements must be ‘made and signed’ by the landlord or an agent acting as the landlord (such as a property manager).

Landlords can use a professional to assess the insulation in their property and include that information in their compliance statement, but the landlord must sign the statement not the professional.

Information about wall insulation

The compliance statement template includes a page for wall insulation. This example statement is designed to incorporate all the information requirements for insulation under both the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 as well as the information required as part of the Residential Tenancies (Smoke Alarms and Insulation) Regulations 2016.

Landlords must make a reasonable effort to find out whether their rental property has wall insulation, but wall insulation is not required by the Residential Tenancies Act. If you are not able to get this information
Landlords must specify what they are unable to find out in relation to the location, type and condition of ceiling, underfloor or wall insulation. They must also provide the reasons why they are unable to, and that they have made a reasonable effort to find out.

This does not include making holes in walls to check wall insulation.

Insulation standard

The ventilation standard

Landlords must include the following information for the ventilation standard:

• A statement that each habitable space in the premises has one or more openable windows or doors (that meet the requirements detailed in the ventilation section):
  • Details of how the home complies with the ventilation requirement. All kitchens and bathrooms must have an extractor fan vented to the outside or the home must have a qualifying ventilation system that continuously extracts to the outdoors from the kitchen(s) or bathroom(s).
  • If complying by extractor fans this must include the diameter or exhaust capacity of each extractor fan installed in any kitchen or bathroom.
  • If complying by using a qualifying ventilation system the statement must include a brief description of how the ventilation meets the definition of qualifying ventilation system to meet the standard. The description must also include it’s exhaust capacity. For example, the date consent was given and how it extracts air to the outside.

Ventilation standard

Information required for moisture and drainage standard

Landlords must include the following information for the moisture and drainage standard:

• A statement that the rental property has an efficient drainage system.
• Either:
  • that the property does not have any enclosed subfloor spaces, or
  • that each enclosed subfloor space has a ground moisture barrier.

Moisture and drainage standard

The draught stopping standard

Landlords must include the following information for the draught stopping standard:

A statement that any open fireplace is either closed off and the chimney is blocked, or the chimney is not blocked due to a written request from the tenant.

A statement that the property is free from unreasonable gaps that allow draughts into or out of the premises.

Draught stopping standard

Exemptions

If an exemption applies, the landlord must make a statement explaining the exemption and briefly describe the circumstances that led to the exemption.

Exemptions to the healthy homes standards