Tiny homes in NZ, with the rules checked first
What you can put on your section, what it really costs all-in, and real homes from NZ builders when you're ready. Every rule sourced and dated.
One document, read end to end
Almost everything on the rules pages comes from the MBIE Tiny Houses guidance, fifth edition, January 2026. It is 25 pages of official answers that almost nobody reads, so we read it, quoted it and linked every claim back to it.
Where a figure could not be checked at its source, it is not on this site. Our editorial policy says which ones those are and why.
A granny flat up to 70 m² can now skip the building consent
Schedule 1A of the Building Act lets an eligible dwelling of up to 70 m² be built without a building consent. It is not a free pass: the restricted building work has to be designed and built, or supervised, by a Licensed Building Practitioner, you notify the council before you start and again when you finish, and it must meet the Building Code in full as a detached dwelling. MBIE adds its own warning that not all small buildings will qualify.
Wheels are a completely different question, and the intuitive answer is wrong. A tiny house on wheels is a building whenever it is immovable and occupied by people on a permanent or long-term basis — both halves, and holiday homes count as occupied.
10, 30 or 70 m²: which rule are you under?
Up to 10 m²
No sanitary facilities, no potable water storage. Sleeping only if it is used with a dwelling and has no cooking facilities.
Read the ruleOver 10, up to 30 m²
Lightweight construction, or LBP-built or supervised, or an engineer-reviewed kitset. Not within 1 m of a residential building or a legal boundary.
Read the ruleUp to 70 m²
A detached dwelling. Restricted building work designed and built or supervised by an LBP, and you notify the council before and after.
Read the ruleAreas drawn to scale against 70 m². These compare floor area only — a real 30 m² home is usually a long rectangle, not a square. Conditions from the MBIE Tiny Houses guidance, fifth edition, January 2026.
The Consent & Site Guide
The rules on this site are free and always will be. The guide is what you get when you want them turned into your build: the consent path for your type of home, a step-by-step checklist for what to send the council and when, the questions to ask about your specific site, an all-in cost worksheet, and the source list behind every rule in it.
- Every rule in it links to MBIE, the legislation or your council
- A dated source list, so you can see when it was last checked
- Not on sale until it is written and checked
Not sure where you stand? Answer six questions.
Wheels or not, how big, whether it has a bathroom. At the end you get the rule that applies and a link to read it in full.
Check your consent pathThe decisions either side of the rules
Finding land for a tiny home in New Zealand
Family land, a lifestyle block, leased land or your own section: what to check about the zone, the services and the consent path before you commit to a site.
ReadLeasing land for a tiny house: what to put in the agreement
Parking a tiny home on someone else's land? What a written agreement should cover: term, notice, services, who holds consent risk and what happens when it ends.
ReadWheels, skids or fixed foundations: what each one costs you
The foundation choice sets your consent path, how the home moves and how it is treated in law. What MBIE says about each, and the trade-offs to weigh up.
ReadPublished builder prices start at $47,500 for a 6 m studio
That is Smart Housing Solutions's own published from-price for a 6 m studio, read on 15 September 2026. It is the price of the home. Site preparation, a power connection, plumbing and council fees all sit outside it, and the same builder publishes ranges of $1,500–8,000, $1,500–4,000, $1,500–6,000 and $1,500–5,000 for them.
We publish no average and no estimate of our own, because we are not a builder and we have not priced your site. What we publish is what real builders publish, quoted, with the date and a link.
See the full price tablesFour rules decide almost everything
The 70 m² granny flat exemption
Schedule 1A of the Building Act lets a granny flat up to 70 m² be built without a building consent. The conditions, the LBP requirement and what you tell the council.
ReadTiny house on wheels: vehicle, building, or both
Wheels do not automatically make it a vehicle. MBIE's test: a tiny house on wheels is a building if it is immovable and occupied long-term. The full checklist.
ReadSleepouts and cabins: the 10 and 30 m² consent exemptions
Schedule 1 exemptions 3, 3A, 3B and 43 let you build a detached building up to 10 m², or up to 30 m², without a building consent. Every condition, from MBIE.
ReadResource consent, district plans and minor dwellings
Building consent and resource consent are separate. What MBIE says about district plans, minor dwellings and why a tiny house on wheels can still be a dwelling.
ReadFrequently asked questions
Do I need consent for a tiny house on wheels?
Only if it is a building, and it is a building when it is both immovable and occupied by people on a permanent or long-term basis. Connecting it to on-site utility services such as stormwater or foul water needs a building consent either way.
What is the 70 m² granny flat exemption?
Schedule 1A of the Building Act lets an eligible dwelling of up to 70 m² be built without a building consent, if it meets specific design and construction conditions and the restricted building work is designed and built, or supervised, by a Licensed Building Practitioner.
Do I still have to tell the council?
For a granny flat under Schedule 1A, yes: MBIE says homeowners must notify their local council both before construction begins and after the building work is completed. And your district plan applies whatever the building consent answer is.
Can I build a granny flat myself under the exemption?
Not the restricted building work. That must be designed and built, or supervised, by a Licensed Building Practitioner. An LBP can supervise work you do, but they have to be involved.
Do you sell tiny homes?
That is the plan: homes from NZ builders who have signed a commission agreement with us. None are listed yet, because nothing goes up before an agreement is signed. Join the buyer waitlist and we'll email you when one matches what you're after.
How do you make money?
Two ways, both disclosed. A one-off $49 Consent & Site Guide, and commission paid by a builder when a home listed here sells. Never by the buyer, never for a ranking, and we don't sell your details to anyone.
Tell us what you're after
No homes are listed yet — nothing goes up before a builder signs an agreement with us. Tell us what you're after and we'll email you when a matching home is listed. No sales calls.
Join the buyer waitlistList your homes with us
You pay a commission only when one sells. We check the consent path stated on every listing, the buyer buys from you under your own agreement, and you hold any deposit — not us.
List your homes