Winter Rental Maintenance Checklist for NZ Landlords

Most rental maintenance is reactive: something breaks, somebody calls. Winter is the exception, because the failures are predictable, seasonal and now largely codified in the healthy homes standards. A gutter you clear in autumn is a job. The same gutter in August is a moisture ingress problem, a mould report and possibly a Tribunal file.

Heating

The heating standard requires one or more fixed heaters capable of heating the main living room to at least 18 degrees Celsius. Portable heaters do not count. The obligation is a landlord duty under s45(1)(bb) of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

• Test the fixed heater before the cold arrives, not after the first complaint
• Have heat pumps serviced and filters cleaned; a clogged filter is the most common cause of "it isn't heating properly"
• Check the heater still matches the required capacity if the room has been altered or extended
• Keep the compliance calculation on file, because "it feels warm enough" is not evidence

If the fixed heater fails mid-winter, treat it as urgent. It is both a repair obligation and a live compliance failure, and it is the kind of fault that supports a tenant arranging their own remedy under s45(1)(d) if they cannot reach you.

Ventilation

The ventilation standard requires openable windows in living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms, plus extractor fans venting outdoors from rooms with a cooktop, shower or bath.

• Run every extractor fan and confirm it actually moves air
• Trace the duct: fans venting into a ceiling space instead of outside are common in older retrofits and are non-compliant
• Check window catches and stays still work, because painted-shut windows fail the standard

Moisture and drainage

The moisture ingress and drainage standard requires efficient drainage for surface water and storm water, and a ground moisture barrier where there is an enclosed subfloor.

• Clear gutters and downpipes, and watch where they discharge in heavy rain
• Check the subfloor for pooling and that the moisture barrier is intact and not displaced
• Look for water staining at ceiling and window junctions, which is where a roof leak first shows
• Check exterior ground levels have not built up above the cladding line

Insulation and smoke alarms

Ceiling and underfloor insulation must meet the standard where it is reasonably practicable to install. Winter is when insulation gaps show up as cold spots and condensation on the walls behind furniture.

Smoke alarms are a separate duty under s45(1)(ba) and the smoke alarm regulations. Heater use rises in winter, and so do house fires. Check expiry dates as well as batteries: photoelectric alarms expire, typically ten years from manufacture.

Doing the work lawfully

Entry for this work is 24 hours' notice with the reason stated, between 8am and 7pm, whether it is repairs and maintenance (s48(2)(d)), healthy homes work (s48(2)(cb)) or smoke alarms (s48(2)(ca)). A routine inspection is different again at 48 hours to 14 days, once every four weeks. The full grid is in entering a rental for repairs.

For tenants

Report heating, fan and damp problems in writing as soon as you notice them, because s40(1)(d) turns on discovery, and a report made in May is worth far more than the same report made in August. Use the extractor fans and open windows when you can. If a fixed heater has failed, say so explicitly rather than describing the house as cold: it changes how urgent the request is.

Making winter a schedule, not a scramble

Everything above is predictable, which means it should be calendared rather than remembered. RentManager tracks each healthy homes standard per property with its own deadlines and reminders, so ventilation, insulation, heating and drainage are recorded facts with dates attached.

Inspections carry reusable checklists with photos, so the state of a subfloor or a fan in autumn is on file when a mould report arrives in August. Tenants raise problems from their portal, timestamped on arrival, and you approve the spend and dispatch a tradie from the same queue. Need one? The tradie directory lists trades by region.

Related: responding to a mould report, who pays for repairs, and the Landlord Hub.

Common questions

What temperature must a NZ rental be heated to?

The healthy homes heating standard requires one or more fixed heaters that can heat the main living room to at least 18 degrees Celsius. It applies to the main living room only, and the heater must be fixed rather than portable.

Is a landlord required to replace a broken heat pump in winter?

If the heat pump is the fixed heating that makes the property meet the heating standard, then yes, and promptly. A failure leaves the property non-compliant as well as engaging the general duty to maintain it in a reasonable state of repair, so it should be treated as urgent in cold weather.

Who is responsible for condensation and mould in winter?

It depends on cause. Building faults such as failed drainage, inadequate ventilation or missing insulation are the landlord's. Living patterns such as unvented indoor drying with closed windows can be the tenant's. Investigating the cause is the landlord's job.

General information about the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 and the healthy homes standards, current as at August 2026. Not legal advice.