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Twelve Principles for Healthy Homes

A clear framework for creating safe, healthy, resilient living spaces.

Introduction

Housing conditions play a critical role in shaping our health, safety, and quality of life. Structural racism, disinvestment in communities, and practices like redlining have contributed to critical inequities and substandard housing for communities of color and individuals with disabilities.

This guide is based on the National Center for Healthy Housing's "The Principles of a Healthy Home” and highlights standards to help make and keep a home and its occupants healthy, especially our most vulnerable populations. DPH has added to this model to emphasize the importance of climate resilience and emergency preparedness.

The Twelve Principles for Healthy Homes

1. Dry

Damp houses attract mites, insects like cockroaches, rodents, and help mold grow, all of which are associated with asthma. To keep your home dry:

  • Repair roofing, siding, and plumbing leaks
  • Make sure windows and doors are weathertight
  • Ensure proper drainage
  • Clean up standing water

This will help protect your home from moisture-related problems. Excess moisture and the presence of mold is a common complaint in rental properties.

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2. Clean

A clean home helps reduce pest infestations and exposure to contaminants. Regularly clean and declutter to reduce dust, allergens, and other irritants. Decluttering also reduces the risk of trips and falls.  When cleaning:

  • Use non-toxic cleaning products
  • Change wash water often and dump the dirty water down the toilet

For rental properties, owners and occupants each have a responsibility to keep the areas inside and outside the home in a clean, safe, and sanitary condition.

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3. Pest-free

Pests like mice and cockroaches can trigger asthma and contribute to other health problems. To prevent infestations from happening:

  • Seal cracks and openings
  • Use screens on exterior windows and doors
  • Repair damaged screens
  • Install door sweeps
  • Store food off the floor and in pest-resistant containers
  • Learn about and use integrated pest management (IPM) practices

Pesticides used incorrectly can make breathing problems worse and may pose a risk for serious diseases, such as cancer and neurological problems. If you have to use pesticides, do so carefully. Follow the instructions on the container and any laws and regulations. Effective pest control takes teamwork and communication. In rental properties, owners and occupants share this responsibility and should be aware of the strict rules about who can apply pesticides in multi-family homes.

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4. Ventilated

Good ventilation is vital. It reduces exposures to contaminants and to airborne viruses, helps to keep a home dry, and increases thermal comfort. To improve ventilation:

  • Ensure fresh air flows throughout your home
    • Note: if windows are opened to improve ventilation, make sure they do not pose a fall risk for children
  • Use kitchen and bathroom ventilation when cooking or bathing
  • Make sure dryers and ovens are properly vented to the outside
  • Consider switching to electric or convection cooking appliances

In rental properties, if existing natural ventilation does not keep the home dry, mechanical ventilation may be required for areas prone to excess moisture, like bathrooms, basements, or units below ground level.

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5. Safe

Falls are the most frequent cause of injuries in homes for older adults and children, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings. To prevent household injuries:

  • Secure loose rugs
  • Install handrails on staircases
  • Add non-slip mats and grab bars in bathrooms
  • In homes with children:
    • Install window guards
    • Keep play areas free of sharp objects
    • Store medicines, cleaning supplies, and other chemicals in a properly labeled container away from children, pets, and food.
  • Install and maintain smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

For rental properties: owners and occupants share the responsibility to keep egresses clear for safe passage.

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6. Contaminant-free

Exposure to harmful contaminants like lead, radon, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PFAS, asbestos, and tobacco smoke can contribute to long term serious health problems. Many of these exposures are worse inside a home than outside.  To reduce contaminants in your home:

  • Use non-toxic cleaning products and follow the clean, ventilated, and maintenance principles
  • Hire professionals to test for and fix radon and lead paint hazards

Rental property owners renting homes built before 1978 must not discriminate against families and must comply with the Lead Law if a child under 6 lives in the home. Rental property owners should also consider implementing a smoke-free policy, which can encourage smokers to quit, reduce the exposure risk to secondhand smoke in multi-families, and reduce the risk of house fires. 

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7. Maintained

Regular maintenance helps to prevent health hazards and costly repairs. To keep your home maintained:

  • Fix small problems quickly before they become bigger
  • Inspect your home often to identify leaks, inadequate ventilation, mold growth, chipping and peeling lead paint, broken (friable) asbestos, and structural problems like broken stairs, porches, and handrails
  • Routinely repair and seal cracks, holes, entry points around pipes to prevent excess moisture and pests
  • Follow safe work practices when repairing your home to keep workers and occupants safe

Unsafe renovation and maintenance work can cause contaminated dust in the air and on surfaces, which may stay in the home for a long time

Rental property owners doing work on homes built before 1978 must be or must use certified lead-safe renovators for most maintenance and renovation activities.

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8. Thermally controlled

Homes that are thermally controlled provide more than comfort: they help to protect health. Older adults, young children, and people with pre-existing medical conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory problems are more susceptible to negative health impacts from homes that are too hot or cold. To improve thermal control:

  • Upgrade to more efficient and safe heating/cooling systems. Improving HVAC systems will help with keeping your home dry, pest free, ventilated, and thermally controlled.
  • Weatherproof your home

As the frequency of extreme heat events increases, owners should consider installing A/C or cooling options to help protect themselves, their family, or their occupants most likely to suffer from heat related illnesses.

Rental property owners are required to maintain minimum heating temperatures during the colder months.

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9. Accessible

Homes should be designed or modified to accommodate occupants of all ages and abilities. To make your home more accessible:

  • Consider features such as ramps, grab bars, and wide doorways to improve safety and mobility, reducing the risk of falls and isolation
  • Replace loose rugs with non-slip mats or secure them with double-sided tape. Choose flooring that offers good traction, like vinyl or low-pile carpet.
  • Install bright LED lights in all rooms, hallways, and staircases. Consider motion-sensor lights. They provide convenience and visibility at night. Lighting plays a crucial role in home accessibility. Poor lighting can raise the risk of falls. This is especially true for those with poor vision.

Rental property owners can improve accessibility by working to ensure equal use and enjoyment for all occupants. State and federal laws require rental property owners to make reasonable accommodations or changes that allow people with disabilities or serious health conditions an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their homes.

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10. Affordable

High housing costs can lead to housing instability, overcrowding, and homelessness. Families who can’t afford their home are more likely to live in unhealthy housing, have damaged credit, lack nutritious food and adequate healthcare, and may suffer from poor mental health. Rental property owners should learn about rental assistance programs like HomeBase and federal and state voucher programs. These programs:

  • Help provide stability for occupants
  • Provide consistent compensation for the rental property owners
  • Improve communities over the long-term

Rental property owners cannot discriminate against current or future occupants because they receive housing assistance.

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11. Climate resilient

Climate change challenges many of the key principles for healthy homes, like keeping a home dry, pest-free, ventilated, maintained, and thermally controlled. Increased risks from heat and humidity, more frequent freeze/thaw cycles, poor air quality, flooding, and extreme storms will make problems with mold, air quality, pest infestations from disrupted habitats, deteriorated lead paint, and structural damage more common. Resilient homes are improved or built to withstand these challenges. Owners should learn about the climate risks like flooding or wildfires that may threaten their home. Consider these options to improve your home’s climate resilience:

  • Use flood and fire-resistant construction materials and practices, like hurricane straps
  • Elevate structures and/or elevate retrofitted utilities

Owners, especially rental property owners, should explore upgrading electrical and HVAC systems which use less power and include smart technologies that can detect and adjust to extreme weather events.  These upgrades can save money, are better for the environment, and make it easier to make and maintain a healthier home by helping to keep homes dry, ventilated, pest-free, and thermally comfortable.

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12. Prepared for emergencies

Emergencies like the pandemic or extreme climate-related events like wildfires and flooding occur and will likely become more frequent. Owners can:

  • Think about the extra help or tools needed if they or their family members had to stay home for a few days without power, leave home in a hurry, or separate from others to avoid spreading germs. Create a basic emergency preparedness kit that can be used for any emergency.
  • Prepare your home in advance with emergency storm supplies, power outage plans, and structural upgrades to keep safe and minimize risks. Rental property owners should consider checking in on their occupants who are older, medically compromised, or have very young children, who may need more help in a crisis.

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Conclusion

By adopting these twelve principles, you can create a healthier and safer home for you, your family, or the people you rent to. Follow the links to other DPH, Mass.gov, and national resources to learn more about ways to maintain a home that promotes well-being and resilience and explains your responsibilities as a rental property owner. Use these resources for small adjustments or major renovations.

Contact

Online

Email Radon Information Line at Email Division of Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention at DPHIAQ.radon@mass.gov

Phone

Call Division of Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention at (800) 532-9571
Call Division of Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention at (617) 624-5757
Radon Information Line (Toll-free in Massachusetts only) Call Division of Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention, Radon Information Line (Toll-free in Massachusetts only) at (800) 723-6695

or

Call Division of Healthy Homes and Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention at (413) 784-9352

The operating hours are Mondays through Fridays from 8:45 a.m.-5 p.m. Please leave a message including your phone number and you will receive a call back.

Fax

(617) 624-5777

Address

250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108
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