Public feedback wanted on ‘granny flats’

The Government is focussed on increasing the supply of affordable homes for New Zealanders. As part of this, the Government is proposing to make it easier to build small, self-contained and detached houses, commonly known as ‘granny flats’ on property with an existing home on it.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Ministry for the Environment are seeking feedback on options to enable granny flats up to 60 square metres in size, to be built without needing a building or resource consent, so long as they meet certain criteria.

Finding the balance between speed, safety, and risk to ensure New Zealanders have safe, healthy and durable homes, built as quickly as possible, is important. This is why we want to understand all perspectives on potential costs, benefits and risks for the criteria that granny flats and small homes will need to meet under these proposals, says Suzannah Toulmin, Manager Building Policy MBIE.

“If you are thinking about building a granny flat on your property, thinking about living in a granny flat, are a tradesperson who might build granny flats or are responsible for building control activities – we need your feedback on the building system proposals in this consultation to make sure we get changes to the Building Act right,” said Suzannah.

This consultation touches on wide-reaching areas of resource management and planning, and infrastructure as well as building regulation.

The consultation is now open, submissions close at 5pm Monday 12 August 2024.

Read the Minister’s press release(external link) — beehive.govt.nz

Read and provide a submission on the Making it easier to build granny flats consultation