Looking for property management services? Oxygen offer tailored solutions to landlords listing their property and people looking to rent a property.

Wellington Property Managers

July marks an important milestone for the residential rental sector in New Zealand – the final compliance deadline for the Healthy Homes Standards has officially arrived.

Introduced by the government to improve the quality of rental housing, the Healthy Homes Standards set minimum requirements for heating, insulation, ventilation, moisture ingress and drainage, and draught stopping. The goal is simple: to ensure that every rental home in Aotearoa is warm, dry, and healthy.

At Oxygen, we’ve been working proactively with our landlords over the past few years to prepare for this date. From arranging assessments and upgrades to managing tradies and compliance records, our property managers have gone above and beyond to ensure properties meet the required standards.

## Why This Deadline Matters

1st July 2025 marks the final deadline by which all private rental properties must comply – not just new tenancies or renewals. This means that regardless of when your tenancy began, your property is now expected to meet all Healthy Homes Standards.

Non-compliance can result in penalties from Tenancy Services, as well as potential tenant disputes. But more importantly, it means a missed opportunity to provide a warm, safe and comfortable living environment for your tenants – something we know most landlords take pride in.

## What If My Property Isn’t Compliant?

If you’re unsure about your property’s status or haven’t yet completed the required work, we urge you to act quickly. Oxygen can help coordinate assessments, manage upgrades, and file the necessary compliance documentation.

Even if you're not one of our landlords, our team is happy to offer advice or support to help you get on track.

## Thank You to Our Landlords

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our clients for your cooperation and commitment to improving your properties. Compliance is a joint effort, and we appreciate the way many of you have stepped up to meet the standards – often well ahead of schedule.

## Need Support?

If you have any questions about your property’s compliance or want help navigating the Healthy Homes requirements, get in touch with our team:

📧 **[hello@oxygen.co.nz](mailto:hello@oxygen.co.nz)**
📞 04 619 1000
🌐 [www.oxygen.co.nz](http://www.oxygen.co.nz)

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Healthy Homes Deadline Has Arrived – What It Means for You

Recent Trade Me data shows advertised rents in Wellington dropped 3.9 percent year on year, the largest fall of any region. Rental listings in Wellington are up 41 percent, while tenant demand is down 13 percent, reflecting softening market conditions.

## What Is Driving This Surge in Wellington?

Increased listings and falling rents stem from:

•	A record number of rental properties on the market, offering tenants more choices
•	Reduced tenant demand, particularly among younger renters.
•	Property investors and developers in Wellington shifting to the rental market as sales slow

## Oxygen Business Development Team Insight on Development Slowdown

Oxygen’s Business Development Team, working closely with developers in the Wellington region, report a sharp slowdown in new build activity:

•	Year to December 2024, Wellington recorded just 1,833 new home consents, down 24 percent year on year
•	The March 2025 quarter saw just 177 residential consents, versus 500 in December 2022, the peak of the market
•	This collapse in new development supply mirrors a national dip and signals a tightening pipeline

## What This Means in the Short Term

•	Rents are softening, with more choice and less competition
•	Landlords are adjusting by offering incentives, more flexible leases, and pet friendly options

## Oxygen’s Outlook Over 12–18 Months

•	Oversupply will be absorbed as fewer new rentals enter the market
•	Even modest net migration will intensify demand, especially in Wellington, a primary relocation city
•	Expect vacancy rates to fall and rents to begin climbing again by late 2026

## Why It Looks Positive for Landlords

•	The slowdown in new builds creates a multi year supply shortage
•	Wellington’s historical role as a migration hub ensures ongoing demand
•	Landlords investing now can benefit from rising rents and higher occupancy in the longer term

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Wellington Rental Supply Spikes as Rents Dip

Adding a secondary unit to your property has long been a smart way to create more flexibility at home, whether that’s space for family, extra income, or a long-term investment.

From early 2026, it will become significantly easier for property owners across New Zealand to build what’s commonly referred to as a minor dwelling or granny flat.

But while the rules are changing, there’s more to success than just getting the go-ahead from council.

## What’s Changing in 2026?

The Government has announced changes that will simplify the process of building a standalone unit on your property:

- You’ll be able to construct a minor dwelling of up to 70 square metres without needing building consent, provided the structure meets Building Code requirements and is either built or overseen by a licensed professional
- Most residential and rural properties will no longer require resource consent for these builds
- You’ll still need to notify your local council before and after construction, but the overall process will be much more streamlined

These updates are expected to unlock more housing options and reduce delays for homeowners looking to build.

## What Is a Minor Dwelling?

The terms minor dwelling and granny flat are often used interchangeably. Both refer to a smaller, fully self-contained unit built on the same site as an existing home. They typically include a kitchen, bathroom, and living area, and are often placed at the rear of the property.

## Things to Think About Before You Build

Just because it’s easier to build doesn’t mean all minor dwellings are equally useful, attractive, or valuable.

Here are a few things to consider before moving ahead:

- Access: Ideally, the flat should have its own pathway or entrance that doesn’t interfere with the main house. If sharing a driveway, ensure the parking layout avoids blocking vehicles.
- Privacy: Good separation makes the space more appealing. Avoid shared living zones or direct visibility from the main house into the tenant’s entrance or yard.
- Off-street parking: If your site allows for it, dedicated parking is a big plus, especially in busy suburbs or narrow streets.
- Liveability: Think about the flow of the interior. A well-designed minor dwelling should feel like a proper home, not a repurposed sleepout.

## Minor Dwellings Can Be a Great Move, If You Plan Ahead

The upcoming rule changes make it easier than ever to expand your property’s potential, but the success of a minor dwelling still depends on good planning.

Design matters, layout matters, and how the unit fits into the existing site can affect future rentability and value.

## Need a Second Opinion?

If you're exploring the idea of adding a minor dwelling to your property and want a second opinion, the team at Oxygen is happy to talk it through. There’s no cost for a chat, and we’re always happy to share what we’ve learned from managing hundreds of properties across the country.

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Thinking About a Minor Dwelling? Here’s What You Need to Know

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Oxygen Testimonial - Rebecca

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Oxygen Testimonial - Rudy

Our Thompson Street Body Corporate in Wellington’s Mount Cook are no longer overwhelmed thinking about the complexities of navigating the many differing opinions, ideas, and legal requirements of their body corporate residents.
 
“Running a body corp is a big beast and a lot of work for the committee.”
 
When one body corporate committee member bought his home, the body corporate was already under Oxygen Body Corporate management, making a smooth transition as he was buying into a community which was cohesive and well-managed. 
 
Body corporates bring a range of skills to the table, but there is no guarantee there will be an expert in legislation, finance, insurance in the group. “Our body corporate does not have expertise in finance, and this is a very big part of any committee.” 
 
Naturally, small issues arising is a normal and regular occurrence, but how they are dealt with makes all the difference. “there have been a number of issues that the body corp manager has solved for us. The big one is of course finance and managing the funds. I, myself am well aware that I have an impasse when it comes to finance and this takes the guesswork and worry away from the committee.” 
 
Delegating tasks to the experts means the Thompson Street body corporate committee can focus on more important concerns and “Oxygen deals with this efficiently and very effectively, so the stress comes right off us as a committee.”
 
Working full-time with multiple commitments, the value placed on reducing tensions and input is a big factor for this body corporate, “dealing with payments and insurance has been no stress due to Oxygen’s work.” 
 
Moving into a property with a body corporate committee managed by Oxygen was a sigh of relief for our body corporate committee member, having more time for the things he loves and no longer dreads committee meetings or shies away from offering input or insight.  
 
“My advice would definitely be to investigate Oxygen as an alternative to managing your body corp functions along with your committee.” 


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The Thompson Street Body Corporate story.

Meet Michelle & Guy, two landlords from Hastings who have been working with Oxygen since 2016.

With careers on the land, Michelle & Guy are tied to their work as farm managers, farming through the seasons, with accommodation provided as part of their farm manager roles.
 
Keeping an eye on their future motivated Michelle & Guy to look at alternate ways to secure their days when farming is no longer what gets them up in the morning.
 
Buying an investment property was a clever choice for two key reasons, it would be self-sustaining and potentially provide passive income, and it ensures they will always have a roof over their heads, even if their love for the great outdoors dries up, or they are one day unable to manage the physicality of the job.
 
“We got into property investment as we are farm managers, and we have to live on the property. Basically, we didn't want our farming career to finish and not have a house to live in.”
 
Living rurally means that Michelle doesn’t come into town very often, so if something goes wrong at one of her properties, it would be difficult to leave the farm to go and fix the problem. They appreciate having regular and professional updates on their investment with a capable pair of hands nearby which was an important consideration.
 
“It's so comforting to know we have a property manager we can trust to keep a close eye on things.”
 
Michelle admits that she is no legislation expert, saying “we aren't specialists when it comes to all the tenancy rules and regulations” so the insight and experience the Oxygen team brings to the table is an invaluable resource. 
 
Recommended by a fellow investor, Michelle turned to Oxygen to handle her entire portfolio. Michelle doesn’t hesitate to do the same, finding her experience with Oxygen both positive and proactive. 
 
All the complications and stress that naturally comes with the demands of property investing is taken care of by her team of experts. The tenant selection process has delivered excellent matches for their property, with communication and maintenance always timely and efficient.

Her advice for anyone thinking about making the leap into property investment is to “use any of the Property Managers from Oxygen to manage your rental property. They are specialists in their fields and are worth their weight in gold!”

“They enable us to free up our time to use elsewhere, like spending valuable time with the family. They have excellent communication skills, and they look after your investment like it’s their own” says Michelle who gives a big shout out to Katy, Emily, and Anna who she uses personally and loves!
 
Whatever the weather, the future for Michelle and Guy looks bright. Thanks to their successful long-term relationship with Oxygen, they can rest easy knowing we’re taking care of their properties and tenants. 

Today, Michelle & Guy has a portfolio of four properties, located right across Hawke’s Bay.


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Michelle & Guy’s story.

Life as a renter can be fraught with challenges, but for Kate, an Oxygen tenant for
more than two years, her home is a place she can happily call home and create long
lasting wonderful memories. Kate attributes the happiness she feels about her home to her Property Manager, Aileen who she says is “truly amazing, kind, trustworthy, friendly, punctual, always
replies to emails, texts, and phone calls, and goes way beyond her job description.”

Kate considers herself so blessed to have such a great rapport with her amazing Oxygen Property Manager and says she wouldn’t change a thing – the service, care, and respect from Oxygen is outstanding.

The complexities of maintaining a home are a universal theme, because there is always something that could be fixed or upgraded and all too often there are media reports of landlord reluctance to repair or advance a property, stories of tenants left to struggle, afraid to speak up lest they lose their tenancy. Not so for Kate.

“Any property maintenance that I have notified that needs doing has been done
promptly and without hesitation”

Kate understands this care and attention is about so much more than just looking after a property. Looking to the future Kate says “If I was to own a property and become a landlord, I would definitely use Oxygen for many reasons, but from an owner’s perspective because they maintain regular house inspections and address any maintenance property issues promptly” which is a key priority for Kate.

When every tenancy starts with this open and transparent communication it establishes the tone moving forward, when tenants are happy in their homes, landlords are happy knowing their property and tenants are being cared for, and our team enjoys the harmonious relationship between the two.

Where tenants and landlords are two sides of the same coin, Oxygen has the ability to see the entirety, where their skill in tenant selection ensures the right people are in the right home for them, that a landlord has the right tenants in the right property.

Kate has only glowing words to share about her ongoing relationship with Oxygen, which is a theme heard over and over from our clients.

“Great team, great service, kind, trustworthy, professional company.”

Because property is really all about people.


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Kate’s story

Julie, my property manager is an legend! She is an absolute delight to deal with and so commodating to my shift work as I work days and nights. She always checks with me before booking a time for my inspection, which I hugely appreciate and nothing is ever to much trouble!! I couldn't ask for a nicer person to deal with!

Great service. Helped me to find the good tenants. Hope to cooperate with the team well in the future. Thanks.

We love this property and the property manager was real helpful 💯💯

Oxygen Property Management is the best Property Management in Wellington.
Our property manager Aileen is the best.

Friendly staff, my manager Tracey Shelley is professional, works hard and effectively.

excellen communication with property agent, fast response

I appreciate how fast they process for you to live in the house. Also, the Property Manager, Michelle, is very approachable and kind. They also conduct regular inspection of the house which is an opportunity for us to discuss some concerns and issues. Really reliable and prompt.

Thereza from Oxygen has always been on point. She cares for her Landlords and her tenants alike. I can only give high praise all around!

Sarah R from Oxygen has been amazing as a landlord so far! She replies super fast and has helped with any small issues I’ve had, and is super respectful of your time and space. Thanks!

Awesome place to live! Quiet and peaceful. We maintain the cleanliness and taking care of the house. Always appreciated by our property manager Ms. Aileen and the owner too. Oxygen property provides urgent actions if there’s any maintenance issue.

Leanne is a great property manager.
Very responsive to phone calls.
Always helpful and quick to sort out any problems
Great to talk to

Theresa is good , professional, reliable property manager. She’s very transparent and well communicated to the tenants.

Very professional and timely whenever theres an issue and very friendly

Inspection was meant to be Wednesday and you came two days early :)

Very happy with the service I receive from Oxygen Property Management.

I'd advise everyone to engage with Tenacy services when dealing with this office. They love to try pull the wool over your eyes.

They took my bond and lodged it under someone else name. They then tried to get me to sign a bunch of paper work to undo their mistake.

It wasn't until AFTER I sought legal advice and advice from tenancy services that they admitted their faults. And even that was minimal!

I also asked oxygen for the set of keys our last "head tenant" was able to leave the Wellington district with. It's been 2 months and we still haven't received confirmation these were returned.

So we've been living in an unsecured property which is great. (No offer to change locks)

They very clearly try to take advantage of those they think don't know any better.

Horrible service