Healthy Homes: the outdoor items landlords keep missing
Drainage is a standard, not a nice-to-have
The healthy homes standards get discussed almost entirely in terms of insulation and heat pumps, but one of the five standards is moisture ingress and drainage, and that is the one with outdoor jobs attached. It requires efficient drainage for the removal of storm water, surface water and ground water, including an appropriate outfall, and that drainage system must include gutters, downpipes and drains that remove water from the roof. All private rentals have been required to comply since 1 July 2025.
The outdoor checklist
- Gutters present, intact and actually flowing. Blocked or sagging gutters are not doing the job the standard describes.
- Downpipes connected and discharging properly, not into a puddle against the pile line.
- Drains clear, with a proper outfall, meaning the water genuinely goes somewhere rather than pooling under the house.
- Ground moisture barrier where the subfloor is enclosed and installation is reasonably practicable.
- Surface water managed, so the section is not channelling rain toward the foundations.
Where the ground moisture barrier sits
Where a rental has an enclosed subfloor, a ground moisture barrier must be installed where it is possible to do so. The standard specifies polythene installed to section 8 of NZS 4246:2016, or an alternative material with a vapour flow resistance of at least 50MNs/g fitted by a professional installer. There are exemptions where access is genuinely impractical, for instance where it would need substantial building work, cause substantial damage, or create unacceptable health and safety risks. That barrier itself is specialist work rather than a maintenance job.
Compliance is ongoing, not one-off
This is the part that catches people. A property that complied at the start of a tenancy still has to keep complying, and gutters do not stay clear on their own. A gutter that was fine in March can be packed by June. Scheduled clearing is what keeps that standard met year-round rather than only on the day someone inspected it. Andy runs exactly that kind of round: gutter cleaning and rental property maintenance, with photos for the property file. Note this covers the maintenance side only and is not legal or compliance advice. For the full standards and your obligations, go to Tenancy Services.
Keeping rentals maintained across Christchurch: gutter cleaning, drainage clearing and scheduled rental rounds with photo reports. Call or text 027 787 3246.
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