Living in poor quality housing shouldn't be part of Dunedin student life, the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team says.
The team - part of the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment - visited 14 rentals in the city last month and found some were still not up to healthy homes standards.
The issues identified included blocked gutters, gaps around external doors, broken windows or latches, mould, and smoke alarms not installed correctly.
Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team national manager Brett Wilson said most of the issues were minor.
"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," he said.
"Ongoing maintenance ensures that tenants live in properties that are warm, dry and safe. This is especially important for more vulnerable tenants, such as rangatahi who can be new to renting."
It followed the inspection of 53 rentals in Dunedin last year, where two-thirds of properties breached the law.
Enforcement action after those inspections had led to significant improvements being made, including gutter replacements, bathroom renovations, new heat pumps and a waste unit installation, Wilson said.
The rentals visited last month were not visited last year.
"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 1 July 2025."
Otago University Students' Association president Daniel Leamy said it was encouraging to see the work being done to ensure rental properties were up to standard.
"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," Leamy said.
"The ongoing checks will help ensure landlords are meeting their responsibilities to their tenants."
Landlords and property managers were present for some of last month's visits, and the Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team will work with them to ensure outstanding issues are addressed, and properties meet the required standard.
SHARE ME