New 'leaky homes' standards not mandatory

Untreated timber is still allowed to be used in internal framing in houses and in "low risk" outer walls under revised standards announced by Standards New Zealand (SNZ) and backed by the Building Industry Authority (BIA) today.

Treatment is now required for framing external walls when that framing is behind certain cladding types, such as monolithic cladding systems.

But the BIA's official citation of the standards did not make them mandatory.

Designers and builders are free to deviate from the standards if they can satisfy local councils that buildings will be designed and built without being susceptible to rot.

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