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NZ Building Code · Healthy HomesHealthy Homes Standard 5: Draught Stopping
Under Healthy Homes Standard 5, a landlord has to block the gaps and holes that cause noticeable draughts and close off any unused open fireplace or chimney.
Draught stopping is the fifth of the five Healthy Homes rental standards. The landlord must block any unreasonable gaps or holes — in walls, ceilings, windows, skylights, floors and doors — that cause noticeable draughts, and close off any unused open fireplace or chimney. The one exception: the fireplace or chimney can stay open if the tenant and landlord agree in writing to keep it that way.
What counts as an “unreasonable gap”
It’s about gaps big enough that you’d actually notice a draught. Common culprits include:
- Daylight showing under an exterior door
- Gaps around pipe and cable penetrations
- Missing window seals
- Holes left behind by removed fixtures
Normal trickle ventilation and the openable windows required by the ventilation standard are not draughts to be sealed. The two standards are designed to work together — ventilate on purpose, don’t leak by accident.
Typical fixes
The work splits neatly by where the leak is:
- Doors — fit door snakes or brush seals at the bottom, weatherstrip the jambs, and seal any letterbox slot in the door.
- Windows — replace perished perimeter seals and worn sash or foam seals, and make sure the sashes close fully.
- Walls, ceilings & floors — fill holes left by old fittings, and seal around pipe and cable penetrations and skirting gaps.
- Open fireplaces & chimneys — block the throat or fit a chimney balloon or cap so warm air isn’t sucked straight out (unless the fireplace is kept open by written agreement).
Why it pays off
Draught stopping is the cheapest of the five standards and it has an outsized effect. A draughty house can never hold the 18°C the heating standard is sized for, so the sensible order of work is:
- Seal the draughts first.
- Then the heater isn’t fighting a leak.
Plain-English guide, not advice. This page helps you understand and navigate the rules — it is general information, not design, engineering or consent advice, and it does not reproduce the copyrighted tables of NZS 3604 or any Standard. Always check the current Standard or Acceptable Solution and your BCA, and use a suitably qualified LBP, engineer or QS where it matters.
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Common questions
What does Healthy Homes Standard 5 require a landlord to do?
Block any unreasonable gaps or holes in walls, ceilings, windows, skylights, floors and doors that cause noticeable draughts, and close off any unused open fireplace or chimney — unless the tenant and landlord agree in writing to keep it open.
What counts as an unreasonable gap?
A gap big enough that you’d notice a draught — for example daylight under an exterior door, gaps around pipe or cable penetrations, missing window seals, or holes left by removed fixtures.
Do I have to seal up openable windows and trickle vents too?
No. Normal trickle ventilation and the openable windows required by the ventilation standard are not draughts to be sealed. The draught and ventilation standards work together: ventilate on purpose, don’t leak by accident.
Why is draught stopping worth doing before anything else?
It’s the cheapest of the five standards and has an outsized effect. A draughty house can never hold the 18°C the heating standard is sized for, so sealing draughts first means the heater isn’t fighting a leak.
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