Granny flats bill passes first reading

The Bill, which is expected to be passed by the end of the year, will exempt granny flats of up to 70 square metres from needing a building consent if it’s a simple design, meets the Building Code and built by authorised building professionals.

The consent exemption is expected to deliver about 13,000 more granny flats over the next 10 years. 

Homeowners will need to notify their local council before they commence building and once it is completed.

To support local infrastructure in growing communities, councils will charge development contributions for granny flats when issuing a Project Information Memorandum (PIM).

The law has not yet been changed and the proposed building consent exemption will not be retrospective. This means that if you are about to start building a granny flat now, you will still need building consent unless you wait for the new law to come into force. If you are unsure whether your building work needs a building consent or not, check in with your local council.

Read the Government’s announcement on the Beehive website.

Building consent exemption for granny flats a step closer(external link) — Beehive.govt.nz

Find more information about the granny flats work programme on the Building Performance website.

Changes to small standalone dwelling (granny flat) building consent rules(external link) — Building Performance