Our services

The Department of Building and Housing offers a range of information on building and housing, including help with dispute resolution.

The links below take you straight to your area of interest, or keep reading for further information.

• Tenancy – Landlords who let residential properties and tenants who rent their homes.
• Building – Building law and regulations, and how to comply with them when building, renovating and maintaining homes and buildings.
• Licensing - Making sure that electrical workers and building practitioners are competent and accountable.
• Weathertightness – Designing and building weathertight homes, and help with weathertight problems.

Tenancy

Advice and information for landlords with residential rental property and tenants who rent their homes.

We can help resolve disputes between landlords and tenants, and can advise you about your rights and obligations. We have 21 offices throughout New Zealand, and we also use a number of community venues throughout the country.

We receive and hold bonds until the end of a tenancy, when either the landlord or tenant can apply for a refund.

View our tenancy information »

Building

Advice and guidance on how to comply with the law when building, renovating and maintaining homes and buildings. This includes information for:

• homeowners and consumers
• commercial building owners, managers and developers
• builders, tradespeople and designers
• building officials.

Homeowners or prospective homeowners are also encouraged to visit the ConsumerBuild website: www.consumerbuild.org.nz  for advice about building, renovating or maintaining a home. Building professionals will also find this website useful.

The Department created ConsumerBuild in partnership with the Consumers’ Institute. It provides clear, independent and up-to-date information to the public about building, buying, renovating and maintaining houses in New Zealand.

View our building information » 

Licensing

Occupational licensing aims to ensure that people in the building industry who are responsible for the work done are competent and accountable, so that homes and buildings are designed and built right the first time.

The Department oversees licensing for:

• Electrical workers
• Licensed Building Practitioners

View our licensing information »

Weathertightness

Information and guidance for building professionals and homeowners on how to ensure weathertightness, and options for dealing with a leaky home.

Our Weathertight Services was set up to help homeowners with leaky homes as a result of the materials used, design features and/or inadequate workmanship. Weatheright Services does not pay for any repairs; it assesses the extent of damage, the cost of repairs, and provides options for homeowners to obtain redress from those involved in building the home.

View our weathertightness information »