Official Council Document
LIM Report
LIM Report Before Auction
Quick Answer
At auction you bid unconditionally — there is no due diligence period and no cooling off. Everything you want to know must be known before the hammer falls. Order the LIM at least three weeks before auction day, because the council's statutory window alone is 10 working days.
Auction is the one situation where due diligence has to be complete before you commit, because the moment the hammer falls the contract is unconditional. There is no finance condition, no builder's report condition, and no LIM condition. If the property has unconsented work, an outstanding requisition or a hazard notation, you own it along with everything else. Working backwards from the auction date is the only way to run this properly, and this page sets out the timeline.
Key Facts
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What Is This Document
An auction purchase in New Zealand is unconditional on the fall of the hammer. The successful bidder signs immediately and pays the deposit that day. Standard conditions — finance, builder's report, LIM, solicitor's approval — are not available. That inverts the normal due diligence sequence: instead of investigating after securing the property, you investigate before deciding whether to bid, knowing you may not win and the cost is not recoverable.
Which Document Do I Need
For an auction most buyers need the LIM, the record of title and a building inspection, all before auction day.
The LIM shows the council record and consent history.
The title shows ownership and registered interests.
The inspection covers physical condition.
Ordering the LIM and title together is the more efficient route when time is short, and the bundle page covers that.
What Information Is Included
The same statutory content as any LIM — consents, code compliance, zoning, rates, drainage, hazards, notices.
What changes at auction is not the document but the consequence of not having it.
The sections that most often change a bidding decision are the consent history, where unconsented work appears as a gap, and the hazard information, which affects insurance and lending.
Why People Order
Because the vendor sets the auction date and it will not move for you.
Because the LIM in the auction pack — if there is one — was obtained by the vendor at a date they chose, and may not reflect the current council file.
Because a bank will not lend against a property with material consent problems, and discovering that after an unconditional contract is a serious position.
because knowing what is on the file is what tells you what the property is actually worth bidding.
Real World Use Cases
A bidder orders three weeks out, finds an unconsented sleepout, and adjusts their maximum bid to reflect the cost of regularising it.
Another discovers a flood notation, gets an insurance quote before auction day, and revises their number.
A third finds the file entirely clean and bids with confidence against people who did not check.
A fourth reviews the vendor's LIM in the auction pack, sees it is eight months old, and orders a current one.
Council & Property Context
Auction contracts in New Zealand are governed by the standard ADLS/REINZ agreement form, under which the successful bid creates an unconditional contract on the fall of the hammer. Council processing does not accelerate for auctions. The statutory maximum is 10 working days from a complete application, and several councils are currently running beyond it. A three-week lead time is the practical minimum for a council working to time; where a council is running behind, four to six weeks is more realistic. Auction campaigns typically run three to four weeks, which means ordering should happen close to the day the property is listed, not the week before the auction.
Common Mistakes
Ordering the week of the auction.
Relying on the vendor's LIM in the auction pack without checking its issue date.
Assuming you can add a condition at auction — you cannot.
Assuming a pre-auction offer preserves your conditions; it may, but only if the vendor accepts it on those terms.
bidding on the basis of a building inspection alone, which tells you about condition but nothing about consent.
When Not Sufficient
A LIM before auction does not replace legal advice on the auction terms, a building inspection, or confirmation of your finance position. Because an auction contract is unconditional, the full set of checks needs to be complete before you bid — the LIM is one part of a process that should also include the title, an inspection and a solicitor's review of the auction documentation.
How To Order
Order as soon as the property is listed rather than as the auction approaches. Tell us the auction date. We identify the council, tell you what timeframe applies, and lodge immediately. If the auction date is not achievable given that council's current processing, we tell you at the point of order so you can decide how to proceed.
Turnaround & Delivery
Councils must supply a LIM within 10 working days of receiving a complete application. That timeframe is set by section 44A of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987. Working backwards from auction day: allow 10 working days for the council as an absolute minimum, plus preparation and lodgement, plus time to actually read and act on the report. Three weeks is the practical minimum for a council working to time. Fast Track Processing at NZ$299 prioritises our end of the process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make an auction purchase conditional on a LIM report?
No. Auction sales are unconditional on the fall of the hammer. Any investigation you want to rely on has to be completed before you bid.
How far before an auction should I order a LIM?
At least three weeks, and earlier where the council is running behind. The statutory processing window alone is 10 working days, and you need time to read and act on the report before auction day.
Can I rely on the LIM in the vendor's auction pack?
Check the issue date first. Council records change as consents are granted and notices issued, and a report obtained months earlier may no longer reflect the file. It was also obtained at a date the vendor chose.
What if the auction is next week?
Order immediately and tell us the date. If the timeframe is not achievable we will say so upfront. In that situation the practical options are a pre-auction offer with conditions, or deciding whether to bid on the information you can obtain in time.
Is a LIM still worth it if I might not win the auction?
That is the trade-off at auction — the cost is not recoverable if you are outbid. Set against the risk of winning a property with unconsented work or a hazard notation you did not know about, most buyers treat it as the cost of bidding responsibly.
Does a pre-auction offer let me keep my conditions?
It can, if the vendor accepts on those terms. A pre-auction offer is negotiated like any other, so conditions are possible — but the vendor may decline and take the property to auction instead.
Order Your LIM Report
Tell us the auction date and we will tell you whether it is achievable. Residential NZ$1,299. Fast Track NZ$299.
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Property Records Team
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