Building a granny flat
A new building consent exemption allows you to add a second home of up to 70 square metres to your property, as long as you follow the rules.
The exemption is for small, self-contained homes on the same property as your main house, often called granny flats.
You can now build a granny flat without building consent if:
- it has a simple design and meets the Building Code
- you notify Council before you start building and once it's completed
- the work is carried out or supervised by licensed building professionals
- all exemption conditions are met.
Please note, you may still need a resource consent . You will also need to pay a development contributions fee .
You can find detailed guidance about the new rules for granny flats on the government's Building Performance website.
Granny flats exemption: Guidance and resources