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🚨 HISTORIC LAW PASSED OCTOBER 2025 | Build Granny Flats Up to 70m² WITHOUT Building Consent from Q1 2026

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The Granny Flat Revolution Starts in 2026

And Freedom Cabins is Ready to Help You Lead It
Save $5,000-$15,000

in consent fees

Move in
8-12 weeks

faster

Simple
notification

process replaces approvals

13,000 new granny flats

expected next decade

What Just Happened?

On October 23, 2025, Parliament passed the Building and Construction (Small Standalone Dwellings) Amendment Bill. This historic legislation creates a building consent exemption for small standalone dwellings (granny flats) up to 70 square metres.

Translation: From Q1 2026, you can build a quality granny flat on your property without going through the expensive, time-consuming building consent process.

Your Potential Savings
Before 2026
  • Building consent application required

  • $2,500-$5,000 in consent fees

  • $2,000-$4,000 in consultant fees

  • $1,500-$6,000 in resource consent fees

  • 8-12+ weeks waiting for approval

  • Complex paperwork and submissions

TOTAL: $8,000-$20,000 | 8-12+ weeks

From 2026
  • Simple notification to council

  • $200-$500 notification fee

  • $500-$2,000 development contribution

  • No consent waiting period

  • Straightforward process

  • Start building as soon as ready

TOTAL: $700-$2,500 | No waiting

Average Savings

$7,300 - $17,500

Plus 8-12 weeks faster

What You Need to Qualify

Your granny flat must meet these straightforward conditions:

Size Limit: Up to 70m²

Includes any garage or deck. Perfect for 2-bedroom cabin or spacious 1-bedroom with office.

Single Storey Only

Ground floor only—no mezzanines or second floors. Keeps construction simple and safe.

Building Code Compliant

Must meet the New Zealand Building Code. All Freedom Cabins are compliant as standard.

Licensed Building Practitioners

All construction must be carried out or supervised by Licensed Building Practitioners.

Simple Design

Must follow Schedule 1A specifications. All our granny flat models meet this requirement.

Council Notification

Notify your local council before and after construction. We handle this for you.

Our 2026-Ready Range

Every one of these cabins is consent-free from 2026. Pre-order now and be ready when the law takes effect.

MOST POPULAR
10.8 x 3 - Two Bedroom

33m²

Starting From

$98,900

Perfect for: Families, rental income, full-time living

  • 2 bedrooms

  • Open-plan kitchen and living

  • Full bathroom with laundry

  • Compact thoughtful design

Rental Income: $380-$450/week
Airbnb Income: $180-$250/night

LARGEST OPTION
12 x 4 - Two Bedroom

50m²

Starting From

$125,900

Perfect for: Large families, maximum income, full independence

  • 2 large bedrooms

  • Spacious open-plan living

  • Full kitchen with pantry

  • Full bathroom with laundry

Rental Income: $420-$500/week
Airbnb Income: $200-$280/night

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Super happy with our Cabin! Great service, great quality, super warm and has increased our rental yield nicely

Ashley Koenig

Wonderful to work with, lovely customer service. Fast and efficient. Would highly recommend!!

Ted Riini

Great communication, cost effective and very helpful! Drew goes the extra mile, good on ya mate!

Dent Devils

Purchased a cabin and trailer through them and they were awesome to deal with. Very patient and highly recommended their business

Kimbra Moore

Drew has been a absolute pleasure doing business with.. My dad is in a wheelchair and we struggled as a family to find a cabin that's capatable for him.. Drew went the extra mile to have a door made to fit our dads sizing for wheelchair .. out of all the companies I went through freedomcabinsnz were more then 5star.. recommend them with out a doubt

Theresa Poto

Francis!! Thank you for your service in this horrible weather!! I really Appreciate it!! Safe travels to Tauranga!! Thank you and the Team soo much for my beautiful cabin!! Cheers

Kareti Tæhyung Karepá

Great team to work with, beyond happy with our new cabin!

Stacey & Todd Richardson

Love our two bedroom cabin. Drew and his wife are fantastic to work with. Thanks guys, Zinzan loves having his own place

Geoff & Nic Lawson

Love our cabin!! We needed extra space for an office at home and the crew at Freedom Cabins delivered exactly what we were after. Thanks heaps

Kyra Duffy

I used a cabin provided by Drew & Team for over a year and a half! The cabin was absolutely amazing & also affordable to rent. It kept me relatively cool in summer and kept heat through winter! Drew & Team made sure I was happy, and went through lengths to get the cabin to the property. The cabin I had was amazingly cozy, I highly recommend Freedom Cabins!

Jessica Lukey

The process all the way from the start through to them picking up our cabin was amazing. The cabin itself was in great condition and had loads of room for us. I’d definitely recommend Freedom Cabins and will be using them again in the future when we need to

Moana Whare

Freedom Cabins have fantastic quality cabins at a reasonable price. The team are extremely knowledgeable, and bend over backwards to help you secure the perfect set up for your needs. I am really comfortable recommending the Freedom Cabins.

Heather & Paul Fawthrop

Fantastic Service! Jodie and Drew are excellent communicators and always so friendly and approachable. After multiple tries with other providers, I (finally) came across Jodie and Drew. Everything was quick and easy - from first query to delivery. And everything continues to be easy. Thank you Team for providing us a new base in a pinch!

Waitawhara Roberts

Absolutely amazing cabin, I love it. The service that Jodie, Drew and their team gave was impeccable. They delivered when and what they promised. They were such a pleasure to deal with. I would definitely recommend them if you are ever in need of a cabin or one of their larger units.

Grant Wilson

Had such a great experience renting a cabin off these amazing people. Was super easy to get signed up and had the cabin within the week. They were great to deal with and the man that delivered the cabin was super lovely and knew exactly what he was doing 10/10 would recommend!!

Tamara Rupe

So pleased with my cabin 6x2.4 from Freedom. The black exterior looks amazing. There's so much more space than I imagined and with carpet and blackout thermal drapes it's warm and cosy and soundproof too ( well I never heard the rain a couple nights ago).
With their option to join myRent it makes keeping records and paying rent so much easier to track online.
Ordering and delivery was fast, friendly and hassle free.
Thanks so much to Jodie Donovan and her husband and their friendly team at Freedom, Tauranga

Bear

Awesome, professional, friendly, funny people to work with. They went over and above what they needed to do to get my cabins in the perfect place and looking good and stable. They acted as part of the family and made me feel comfortable and confident as a beginner to the tiny home world.
Highly recommend the amazing crew at Freedom Cabins!

Boots

I have rented an Eco cabin from Drew & Jodie for the past 18 months. They have been the best from discussing the rental to delivery and pick up. Always very responsive and professional.
Highly recommend Freedom Cabins and I will be using them in the future for a cabin purchase.
Thanks Jodie & Drew

Loni Featherstone

Lovely people. So quick to work with. Easy sign up and paper work. Was so blessed they were able to deliver as soon as which my luck was the next day. The cabin is very nice spacious and nice carpet. The guy who delivered my cabin was very nice and helpful to decide where to put the cabin. But over all lovely team to work with took me less than 24 hours to do the paper work and get my cabin delivered. Best service

Raewyn Solomon

We purchased a cool cabin from Freedom Cabins NZ 1.5years ago which we use as an office for our business. It is perfectly sized for two people and all the desks, computers, printers and storage required for an office! Recently we moved location at short notice, we called Drew and one of his team came and moved the office for us with a trailer that is custom made for the job! This was an easy and well priced solution for us. The team from Freedom Cabins NZ are all awesome to deal with - really nice people. We recommend these guys all the time

Murray and Sarah Clarke

Freedom cabins were the best people to go to for a very quick and skilful delivery! The cabin was taken out with care and a helping hand where needed was definitely appreciated. Deserves a 5 star rating! Amazing work team.
Thank you

Anahera Rikiti

Super business to deal with. Drew and Jodie have made my sister so happy. Her tiny home is well made and Drew and Jodie were helpful, informative and caring. They worked to make things just right for our budget and needs. Thanks guys! Awesome kiwi business I definitely recommend Freedom Cabins!

Carla Uerata

Rented x2 cabins through Freedom Cabins, 1 for 3 years & the other one for a year! Have had the best experience with the whole team from start to finish, wouldn’t recommend anyone else for cabin hire & if we need another in the future we’ll be back to freedom!

Santana Tana

We hired the 6x2.4m cabin for 1 1/2 years and it was perfect for our needs at the time. Very spacious, clean and good quality cabin with budget friendly rental prices. The drop off and pick up was also super easy and reasonable pricing.
The team at Freedom Cabins are always friendly and good with communication. I would definitely recommend them to any one considering a cabin for additional living/ extra space.

Anita Faulkner

I needed a cabin ASAP, flicked an email through to Freedom Cabins and had it delivered to my doorstep the very next day! I had a tough position to place my cabin in but Freedom Cabins handled it perfectly with a smile! Customer service is also awesome with constant updates and friendly delivery men. Definitely recommending this company to all those looking for a cabin!

Bailey Aramoana

A pleasure to deal with. Great communication, a quality cabin, friendly staff who went above and beyond to get it in place, then remove it from a tricky spot 2 years later.
I would definitely recommend these guys.

Johnny Kingi

Amazing company to work with, My Tiny Home is beautiful I LOVE IT!!!! Drew and Joe went above and beyond when stabalizing & leveling house and putting the deck together. Highly recommend Freedom Cabins NZ

Shirley Tuakana

the team at freedom cabins were fabulous getting our cabin down a very tricky driveway nothing was too much trouble and i’m very happy with the sleepout

Fay

100% recommend Freedom Cabins for your cabin rental needs. Drew, Jodie and the crew were always efficient and great communicators and always met our needs without hesitation.


Talie Burtt

This company is the real deal.
No pushy sales reps, they listen to what your needs are and advise accordingly.
After repeated dodgy dealings with sale reps and questionable quality, I hit the jackpot.
Almost giving up on my cabin dream I came across Freedom Cabins. My cabin was delivered yesterday, it’s perfect and Fran, who delivered the cabin was incredibly passionate and customer centric.
I have no hesitation in highly recommending Freedom Cabins and the team.

Janine Blackmore

When I invested in Freedom, I didn't just get a gorgeous cabin.. I got an extended family. Love you guys! 💙💚💙
Highly recommend Freedom Cabins NZ for a smooth, supported and enjoyable journey to tiny house living. Come see us at the Tiny House Expo, Mystery Creek, Hamilton 31 Oct-2 Nov to hear my story.. 😄 #livin'itlovin'it 😄

Margi Eade

We have been working with Drew from Freedom Cabins for the last few months to build and supply a 10x3m unit. The whole process was easy and Drew went out of his way to adjust /change the standard design to accommodate us. We are very happy with the finish and standard of workmanship. They even supplied extra touch up paint for future use.
The delivery was hassle free by his friendly team and everything was set up perfectly.
We would have no hesitation in recommending Freedom Cabins to future clients.

Yvonne Barnes

Would love to thank the whole Freedom cabin team for bringing my tiny home dream to life. From Drew first showing me round and exploring all the different options available along with design changes to suit my needs to Kristy in the office keeping me updated throughout the build process. Also and huge thanks to the guys in the yard on the tools the craftsmanship is on another level and built NZ tough to last.

Christopher David Young

I enjoyed living in the cabin, the only thing that I'd like to express is more windows. Like one more little window on the opposite side of the room in the cabin, so it let the air flow through but other than that, It was a lovely place to live in. It was so very cosy, If I had land of my own I would hire off them again and place it on my land.
Thank you Drew for the beautiful cabin.
I would highly recommend this cabin hire to everyone.

Denise Kokiri

We had a great experience with Freedom Cabins, from little details to change nothing was too much trouble.
Updates through out the build to the pre inspection, and flawless delivery.
Totally recommend Freedom Cabins

Carol Bernhard

Frequently asked questions

granny flat interior kitchen bathroom Bay of Plenty

Ready to Get Started?

The 2026 granny flat revolution is here.

Join thousands of Kiwis taking control of their housing future.

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