An investigation by the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team (TCIT) in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) last month has confirmed there were a further 14 properties which had issues.
These included blocked gutters and gaps around external doors, broken windows or latches, mould and smoke alarms not installed correctly.
The visits were part of a follow-up to wider-scale investigations last year.
‘‘While most of the issues identified were minor in nature it’s an important reminder that landlords are responsible for ensuring their properties meet the healthy homes standards and continue to do so over time,’’ TCIT national manager Brett Wilson said.
Last year TCIT inspected 53 private student rentals in Dunedin and identified breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (the Act) at two-thirds of the properties visited.
Enforcement action led to significant improvements being made, including multiple gutter replacements, bathroom renovations, new heat pumps and a waste unit installation.
“The latest inspections were at properties that were not visited last year.
‘‘It was pleasing to see the work TCIT undertook in Dunedin last year has been noticed, including information and education to tenants and landlords about their rights and responsibilities under the Act,” Mr Wilson said.
“We want to tackle the culture that living in poor-quality housing is an accepted part of life for university students.
‘‘The healthy homes standards are minimum requirements for rental properties and have been compulsory for all rental properties since July 2025.’’
Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) president Daniel Leamy said it was encouraging to see the work being done to support student renters in Dunedin.
“Students deserve to live in warm, dry and safe homes. It shouldn't be seen as a rite of passage to put up with unhealthy living conditions.
‘‘The ongoing checks will help ensure landlords are meeting their responsibilities to their tenants.”
OUSA residential representative Zoe Eckhoff hoped MBIE would continue to encourage ‘‘meaningful change’’ in the student quarter.
“It’s certainly representative of a wider issue of overlooked properties and lack of reinvestment and ongoing monitoring by both property managers and landlords.
‘‘These interventions are certainly effective and will serve tenants well, but without a change in behaviour by landlords and tenants alike, long-term change will be difficult to capture.’’
Tenants needed to speak up and ensure they were communicating effectively with landlords and vice-versa, she said.
‘‘Myself and future residential representatives will certainly continue to monitor things and provide ongoing services to educate and facilitate healthy relationships within student tenancies especially.”
An MBIE spokesman said some landlords and property managers were present for the visits and TCIT would work with them to ensure any outstanding non-compliance issues were addressed and the properties were brought up to the required standard.
MBIE’s Tenancy Services website also provided information and tools to assist tenants and landlords to understand their rights and responsibilities at every stage of their tenancy.
University of Otago vice-chancellor Grant Robertson welcomed MBIE’s approach.
‘‘We understand how important housing quality is to the health and wellbeing of students.
‘‘While we cannot control what happens in the private rental market, we have a strong expectation that landlords will ensure that their properties meet the Healthy Homes standards and, for the most part, this is happening.
‘‘The university fully supports any initiatives which raise the standard of housing for students, including the work by MBIE.’’
