Plain language law

New Zealand law explained for everyone

 Plain Language Law homepage
Back to
90B: Meaning of owner-builder
or “An owner-builder is someone who lives in the house they're fixing up and does the work themselves or with help from family and friends.”
You could also call this:

“Explaining what counts as having an interest in a building or land for legal purposes”

When you do restricted building work, you need to know what a ‘relevant interest’ means. It’s about having a connection to the land or building where the work is happening. You have a relevant interest if you legally own or partly own the land or building. But it’s not just about ownership. You also have a relevant interest if you have the right to live in or use the building or part of it. Even if you have special rights or powers related to the land or building, that counts as a relevant interest too.

This text is automatically generated. It might be out of date or be missing some parts. Find out more about how we do this.

Next up: 90D: Owner-builder exemption

or “If you build your own home, you can do certain tricky jobs without needing a special builder to watch over you.”
Next

Part 2 Building
Restricted building work carried out by owner-builders

90CMeaning of relevant interest

  1. For the purposes of section 90B(1)(a), relevant interest, in relation to the land or the building on which restricted building work is carried out, means a legal or equitable interest in the land or building; and includes—

  2. a right of occupancy of the land or building or part of the building; or
    1. a right, power, or privilege over, or in connection with, the land or building.

      Notes
      • Section 90C: inserted, on , by section 29 of the Building Amendment Act 2012 (2012 No 23).