Detached minor residential unit (DMRU)

Does the proposal fit the label?

A DMRU is self-contained, ancillary to the principal residential unit, on the same site, held in common ownership and completely detached. It is a home in its own right rather than only a sleepout, office or detached bedroom.

An attached wing, internal conversion or unit sharing part of the main building is not a DMRU under the national regulations, even if people casually call it a granny flat.

Two similar labels, two separate laws

The planning system uses DMRU. Schedule 1A uses “non-consented small stand-alone dwelling”. The categories overlap but are not interchangeable: one controls the resource-management pathway and the other controls the building-consent exemption.

Seventy square metres is not the whole test

The proposal must also be in an eligible zone, meet the applicable coverage and setback standards, and satisfy district and regional requirements preserved by the regulations. Getting the label right early prevents detailed design work being based on the wrong pathway.