The government has confirmed it is considering extending the deadline for landlords to comply with its Healthy Homes standards.

It acknowledges supply-chain issues and labour shortages caused by Covid has put the pressure on landlords to comply in time.

And the government's not immune from the challenge, with the state landlord Kāinga Ora also set to miss its own deadline.

Introduced in 2019, the Healthy Homes standards ensure rental properties meet minimum levels of heating, insulation, and ventilation.

The deadline for Kāinga Ora to meet those requirements is July 1, 2023.

Currently 68 per cent of its 65,000 properties are up to code.

Work is being done to upgrade more homes, which when done will see Kāinga Ora reach 84 per cent of its total.

This still leaves Kāinga Ora off-track.

The ACT Party claims it was leaked information the government will extend Kāinga Ora's deadline, and raised the matter in the House last Thursday.

"Is she confident that Kāinga Ora will meet its deadline of 1 July 2023 for complying with the healthy homes standards, and can she confirm that the government will not give Kāinga Ora an extension to its deadline?" asks ACT's deputy leader Brooke van Velden.

Stepping in for the Housing Minister Megan Woods, Carmel Sepuloni hints it's not just Kāinga Ora's deadline being considered.

"We've heard from landlords that there have been challenges across the sector in complying with the healthy homes standards," she says.

It has now been confirmed extending the deadline for all landlords is under "active consideration."

The culprit: Covid.

"Covid-19 did create delays with labour shortages, issues accessing tenants' homes, and supply chain problems for products like heat pumps and insulation materials. We want to be pragmatic about our response to this, but that is currently under active Cabinet consideration, and so I cannot pre-empt a Cabinet decision," says Sepuloni.

Private rentals currently have until July 1, 2024, to meet the minimum standards, but since last year, have had to do so within 90 days of any new or renewed tenancy.

The Auckland Property Investors Association says many landlords are already meeting the standards because of this, and those yet to do so were not asking for an extension.

"The majority of them have already had to deal with all of the issues the government is now saying are challenging. And they have got their properties up to standard. So the majority of private landlords are complying with the legislation already, as they've had to do from the first of July 2021.

"It just seems to be now that the government needs to comply, that there's going to be change of rules," says APIA president Kristin Sutherland.

Green Party renters' rights spokesperson Chlöe Swarbrick says an extension will mean the government has chosen landlords over tenants.

"I think that it's really important that we put focus on just exactly who suffers as a result of kicking the can down the road, and the very reason that these Healthy Homes standards were implemented in the first place. If something's not working, then it's time to change the system to something more like a Warrant of Fitness," she says.

ACT leader David Seymour claims the government has made a policy donut, and one ACT scared the government into making.

"Since ACT put it on the agenda by blowing their cover in Parliament last week, I think they've tried to sweeten the deal by saying everyone gets an exemption. That wasn't initially their plan, we understand from a usually very reliable source that gave us the original information," says Seymour.

A spokesperson for the Housing Minister says that is not the case, and the extension has been under consideration for some time.

-Giles Dexter/RNZ.