The Government has announced it will be expanding its consent-free granny flat rules. <\/p>\n
The new regulations for granny flats<\/a> came into force in January and allowed for units up to 70 square metres that met clear national standards to be built without consent.<\/p>\n Today, RMA and Housing Minister Chris Bishop, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk and Associate Finance Minister Shane Jones announced an expansion to the scheme. <\/p>\n The first of the changes, expected to be made in Q3 of this year, would allow for consent-exempt granny flats to be built off-site before a\u00a0Project Information Memorandum (PIM) is issued, provided all conditions are met.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat means homes can be built in advance, giving buyers the ability to inspect them before purchase and reducing overall construction time,” Penk said. <\/p>\n A PIM would still be required before any on-site work begins, so the home can be checked to ensure it is suitable for the land on which it will be placed. <\/p>\n \u201cHomeowners will continue to have flexibility in how they build.\u00a0People can still choose to build entirely on-site using the\u00a0exemption or\u00a0go through the standard building consent process if that better suits their project,” Penk said. <\/p>\n Meanwhile, the exemption would be expanded to include Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) with a CodeMark certificate as a building material. <\/p>\n SIPs are pre-fabricated building panels that consist of rigid foam between two structural boards. <\/p>\n Penk said that including the material recognised a “wider range of proven building materials while\u00a0maintaining\u00a0confidence they meet Building Code requirements”.<\/p>\n The Government also said it would include “minor technical improvements” to ensure the rules were practical.<\/p>\n The changes were expected to be made by Order in Council\u00a0in Q3 of 2026. <\/p>\n Bishop said the expansion was “building on” January’s changes<\/a> to “give homeowners even more choice, while maintaining strong safety and quality standards”. <\/p>\n