Granny Flat
Granny Flat
Maximizing Your Property
In today’s dynamic housing market, homeowners are constantly seeking ways to maximize their property’s potential. One increasingly popular solution is the addition of a Granny Flat. These self-contained living units provide numerous benefits that enhance both the functionality and value of your property.
Why
The Advantages of Building a Granny Flat
1. Additional Living Space
Granny Flats offer versatile additional living space. Whether you need a comfortable area for family members, a welcoming spot for guests, or a quiet retreat for personal projects or a home office, these units provide the flexibility to accommodate your changing needs. Unlike traditional home extensions, Granny Flats offer a self-contained option that doesn’t intrude on the main living areas, allowing for privacy and independence.
2. Rental Income Potential
One of the key attractions of building a Granny Flat is its potential to generate rental income. Depending on your location and the demand for rental properties, you can lease the unit to tenants, thereby creating a reliable income stream. This additional income can offset mortgage payments, contribute to retirement savings, or fund other investments. It’s a financially savvy move that leverages your existing property assets.
3. Increased Property Value
A well-designed Granny Flat can significantly enhance your property’s market value. Real estate buyers often view these units as a valuable asset, given their potential for rental income and the additional living space they provide. This added value can make your property more attractive in a competitive market, offering a unique selling point that distinguishes your home from others.
4. Independence for Family Members
For multi-generational families, a Granny Flat offers an ideal solution for providing independence while maintaining proximity. Elderly parents can enjoy a sense of autonomy while having loved ones nearby for support. Similarly, young adults seeking independence can benefit from living in a separate space, yet remain close to family. This arrangement fosters a supportive environment without sacrificing personal space, promoting harmony and convenience.
5. Versatile Usage
The uses for a Granny Flat are virtually limitless. Beyond serving as a living space, it can be transformed into a home gym, art studio, or personal retreat. Some homeowners use them as business spaces, such as therapy rooms or consulting offices. Its adaptability means it can evolve with your lifestyle changes over time, offering a flexible solution that meets diverse needs.
6. Cost-Effective Expansion
Compared to traditional home extensions or renovations, building a Granny Flat can be a more cost-effective way to add space. With careful planning and design, you can create a functional and stylish unit that meets your needs without the high costs associated with larger construction projects. Additionally, modern construction techniques and materials can ensure energy efficiency, reducing ongoing utility costs.
How
Making it easier to build granny flats
About the consultation
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.
We 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.
The criteria granny flats must meet under the proposed exemption will form the checks and balances required to ensure they meet building performance and quality requirements, and appropriately manage environmental effects.
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 we are proposing that granny flats and small homes will need to meet.
We want to hear from as many people as possible, including:
those thinking about building a granny flat on their property
- those wanting to live in a granny flat
- builders and tradespeople
- mortgage lenders and property insurance providers
- those responsible for building control, district planning and infrastructure development.
The consultation covers both building and resource management system questions; you can choose to respond to any sections – you do not have to complete them all. You can also suggest other ideas and things to consider.
If you have received more than 1 invitation to participate in this consultation, we apologise. You only need to complete 1 submission.
What we are proposing
To make it easier to build granny flats and increase the supply of affordable homes for all New Zealanders. This consultation looks at two key pieces of legislation that set out the rules for residential building, the Building Act (2004) and the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA).
Building Act
The Building Act sets out the rules for the construction, alteration and demolition of buildings. Regardless of whether building work is exempt from a building consent or not, all building work must comply with the New Zealand Building Code.
The building system proposals in this consultation include:
- establishing a new schedule in the Building Act providing a building consent exemption for simple standalone houses up to 60 square metres in size
- the conditions and criteria for these homes to be exempt from a building consent
- assessment of the associated short and long-term benefits, costs and risks
- sufficiency of occupational licensing requirements to ensure all building work will meet the Building Code
- potential barriers to the uptake of the proposed exemption
- time and money savings compared to the status quo
- additional or alternative ideas to the proposed options.
Initially, it was suggested that an engineer’s report may be required for granny flats built without needing to undergo the building consent process. However, this could introduce new engineering services and additional costs. Instead, we are proposing that all work is conducted or supervised by competent professionals under current occupational licensing requirements to ensure all building work will meet the Building Code.
Resource Management Act
Many district plans already allow granny flats without resource consent, but there’s a lack of consistency and different standards across the country.
A national environmental standard (NES) would need to be created to permit a granny flat on sites in rural and residential zones without resource consent. An NES means changes can come into force quickly.
The NES would apply in rural and residential zones where it is anticipated most granny flats will be built. We want to know whether people think the NES should apply to other areas too, such as mixed-use zones where there’s a mixture of residential, commercial and light industrial buildings.
While the proposed changes would make it easier to build granny flats, changes must be balanced against existing issues, including managing flood risks. Certain district plan rules will still need to apply.
A set of permitted activity standards are proposed to cover aspects such as the size, how much of a property can be covered by buildings and how close a granny flat can be to a neighbouring property boundary.
Blogs of Kitchen Renovation
What are the conditions for building a Granny Flat
Building minor dwellings in Auckland is subject to specific regulations, so it’s important to check the consent requirements before planning your granny flat. The introduction
