The Government would only introduce rental property standards if it did not lead to excessively large rent increases, the Prime Minister says.
Prime Minister John Key (centre) Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
The Government is considering minimum standards for rental properties such as requiring landlords to insulate and install smoke alarms.
But John Key said Cabinet was yet to make any final decisions.
"Our real concerns there have just been making sure that any changes that we might propose there don't feed to excessively large rent increases and are again quite practical.
"But we are considering some steps that we might want to take and hopefully we'll be in a position to announce those, if and when we make those decisions."
Mr Key said state houses were being insulated where it was practical to do so.
A coroner recently found that the cold, damp conditions in a south Auckland state house, may have contributed to the death of a toddler.