Hon Dr Nick Smith
Minister for Building and Housing
19 April 2016 Media Statement
New insulation and smoke alarm requirements finalised
Regulations detailing new insulation and smoke alarm requirements to implement changes to the Residential Tenancies Act
were approved by Cabinet yesterday, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith has announced.
“These new tenancy regulations will make 180,000 homes warmer and drier by requiring insulation and 120,000 safer by
requiring smoke alarms. We are releasing the details of these new requirements now so as to give landlords and tenants
as well as insulation and smoke alarm providers as much notice as possible to prepare for the new requirements,” Dr
Smith says.
The Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill was reported back to Parliament by the Select Committee on 8 April 2016. The
Bill requires rental homes to have smoke alarms by 1 July 2016 and insulation installed progressively by 1 July 2019.
The insulation and smoke alarm requirements opened for submissions and comment on 3 December last year.
“The most significant change to the draft insulation regulations is not allowing retrofitting of conductive foil
insulation. The risk with retrofitting this form of insulation occurs when the foil becomes live from accidental
stapling into wiring and has resulted in deaths in New Zealand and Australia. Other changes include expressing the
required insulation levels in “R” values rather than thickness and requiring insulation to be installed in accordance
with NZS 4246: 2006.
“The most contentious issue was whether homes that had insulation but not up to today’s standard have to be upgraded.
These regulations are not going to require an upgrade because the costs exceed the benefits and inevitably, the costs
are passed on to the tenant. The benefits of insulation hugely exceed the costs where there is no insulation present but
the benefits are marginal for upgrading insulation to the latest standard. This is well illustrated by the data on
ceiling heat loss that shows the 1978 standard reducing heat loss by 83 per cent, the 2001 Building Code by 87 per cent
and the 2008 Building Code by 92 per cent.
“We are requiring that for older homes with insulation, it needs to be in reasonable condition. We are also requiring
that where insulation work is done where there is no insulation or the insulation is no longer in reasonable condition,
that it is done to the higher 2008 Building Code. We are also going to require tenancy agreements to disclose the level
of insulation in the ceiling, underfloor and in the walls as an incentive for landlords to improve insulation over time.
“The smoke alarm requirements will save lives as 75 per cent of fatalities occur in properties where there is no working
alarm. We are requiring new installations and replacements to be the long life photoelectric alarms and are also
requiring that they be installed consistent with relevant manufacturer and Australian Standard requirements.
“The new insulation requirements builds on our work of insulating 30,000 Housing New Zealand Corporation properties, and
the Warm-Up New Zealand subsidy programme that has seen more than 290,000 homes insulated. Together with these
regulatory measures this government will have ensured 500,000 older homes are warmer, drier, and safer for 1.2 million
residents.”
More information on the Residential Tenancies Act and details of what the new regulations mean for landlords, tenants
and building industry professionals are available at www.tenancy.govt.nz/warmdrysafer.
ends