What the census says about Karori homes
Mostly owned, often bigger
Of 5,325 occupied homes in 2023, 61.6% were owned by the household and 12.7% held in a family trust. 27.5% had four bedrooms, above the 24% national figure.
Fixed gas in one home in five
A fixed gas heater was a main heating type in 21% of Karori dwellings, against 9.5% nationally. Electric heaters were used in 57% and wood burners in only 17%.
Damp and mould above average
22% of homes were sometimes damp and 2.9% always damp (15.8% and 2.3% nationally). Mould bigger than an A4 sheet showed up sometimes in 12.8% and always in 4.3%.
A treatment plant in the suburb
Tiaki Wai runs the Western Wastewater Treatment Plant in Karori. Its ultraviolet disinfection system, in place since 1998, was replaced in March 2026.
Gas heaters and gas safety
Any job on fixed gas pipes or appliances, from moving a heater to replacing a gas hob, needs an authorised gasfitter. Portable bottle gas heaters aren't gasfitting. Once fixed gas work is connected, a Gas Safety Certificate is needed for it.
Smell gas or hear hissing after a shake? WREMO says to open a window, get everyone out quickly and turn the gas off if you can. In an emergency, ring 111.
The pipes Tiaki Wai expects you to look after
The lateral from your home to the public wastewater network is the owner's to maintain. The gully trap should only take kitchen, bathroom and laundry water, with its top above ground and partly covered, and roof downpipes must run to stormwater instead. A blocked gully trap or private pipe is a plumber's job; a fault in the street goes to 0800 TIAKI WAI (842 549). There's no published toby rule for Wellington City, so ask Tiaki Wai where its pipe stops.
Nearby suburbs: Khandallah and Johnsonville. Wellington-wide: gasfitting, hot water cylinders and drainlayers.
What we would do
If one room in your Karori home stays damp after you've sorted heating and airflow, have a plumber look for a slow leak before spending more on dehumidifiers. Places worth checking include under the floor near the bathroom, behind the shower and around the cylinder. Ruling out a leak is quick for an authorised plumber, and it tells you whether the damp is a plumbing problem at all.