Official Council Document
LIM Report
Commercial LIM Report
Quick Answer
A commercial LIM Report is the council record for commercial, industrial or mixed-use property. The file is larger than a residential one — more consents, more compliance history, more regulatory overlays. The commercial report is NZ$2,499.
Commercial property due diligence has a different weight to residential. The sums are larger, the compliance obligations are ongoing rather than one-off, and the consequences of a compliance gap fall on the owner continuously rather than at a single point of sale. The council file on a commercial building is correspondingly denser: consent history across multiple fitouts and tenancies, building warrant of fitness obligations, specified systems, and zoning provisions that determine what the building can lawfully be used for.
Key Facts
Online Delivery
Delivered online via email
What Is This Document
The commercial LIM covers the same statutory categories as a residential one, applied to a more complex file. Commercial buildings typically carry a longer consent history — original construction, successive fitouts as tenants have changed, alterations, and any change-of-use consents. They also carry compliance obligations residential property does not: specified systems, building warrant of fitness requirements, and in some cases seismic assessment status. At NZ$2,499 the commercial report reflects the additional work in obtaining and compiling that record.
Which Document Do I Need
For a commercial acquisition, the LIM sits alongside the record of title from Land Information New Zealand, a building condition assessment, and typically a seismic assessment against the New Building Standard where the building predates current requirements.
Lease documentation and any building warrant of fitness records are separate again and generally come from the vendor.
The LIM is the council-held layer of that picture and does not substitute for the others.
What Information Is Included
Consent history across the building's life including fitouts and alterations.
Code compliance certificates and any consents left open.
Zoning and district plan provisions governing permitted use, which determines whether your intended use is lawful.
Any designations or overlays.
Drainage and services.
Hazards known to the council.
Notices, requisitions and orders — which on commercial property may include matters relating to specified systems or compliance schedules.
Why People Order
Because permitted use is the question that decides whether a commercial acquisition works at all, and it is a district plan question.
Because an open consent on a commercial fitout is a live compliance exposure, not a historical footnote.
Because commercial lenders and insurers scrutinise compliance and hazard exposure more closely than residential.
because on an investment property, a compliance problem affects your tenant's ability to occupy, which affects income.
Real World Use Cases
An investor finds a previous tenant's fitout was consented but never closed out with a code compliance certificate, and requires it resolved before settlement.
A purchaser discovers the zoning does not permit their intended use and withdraws.
An owner-occupier checks whether a proposed change of use would need consent before committing.
A buyer of an older commercial building identifies the council record relating to its seismic status.
Council & Property Context
Commercial property sits under the same LIM regime as residential — section 44A applies equally — but it also sits under the Building Act 2004 compliance regime, which residential property largely does not: compliance schedules, specified systems and annual building warrant of fitness obligations. The district plan provisions that govern it are correspondingly more consequential. Zoning determines permitted activities, and what is permitted in one zone may require resource consent in another. The council file also carries compliance schedule and specified systems information for buildings that have them, which is a category residential property largely does not deal with.
Common Mistakes
Ordering the residential report for a commercial property, which delays processing when the file turns out to be commercial.
Assuming existing use rights cover an intended change of use.
Treating an open consent as historical rather than as a live compliance exposure.
Assuming the vendor's compliance documentation is complete.
leaving the LIM until late in a commercial due diligence period, which are often longer than residential but also involve more parties to coordinate.
When Not Sufficient
A commercial LIM does not assess building condition, seismic performance, or the state of specified systems. It does not review leases or confirm rental income. It does not value the property. Commercial due diligence normally requires a building condition assessment, a seismic assessment where the building is older, legal review of leases and title, and specialist advice on the intended use.
How To Order
Enter the property address and select the commercial report. We identify the territorial authority, prepare and lodge the application, and deliver the completed LIM electronically. Where the property is mixed-use and you are not certain which report applies, order the commercial report — it covers the more complex file.
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. Commercial files are larger and can take a council longer to compile, so allow more than the minimum where the building has a long or complex consent history. Fast Track Processing at NZ$299 prioritises preparation and lodgement at our end.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a commercial LIM report?
The council record for commercial, industrial or mixed-use property — consent history, compliance, zoning, permitted use, hazards and notices. It covers the same statutory categories as a residential LIM applied to a more complex file. NZ$2,499.
How is a commercial LIM different from a residential one?
The statutory content is the same but the file is denser: multiple fitout consents across tenancies, compliance schedule and specified systems information, and district plan provisions governing permitted use.
Will a commercial LIM tell me if my intended use is permitted?
It sets out the zoning and district plan provisions applying to the site, which is the basis for that assessment. Whether a specific use is permitted, and whether resource consent would be required, is a planning question your adviser answers from that information.
Does a commercial LIM cover seismic status?
It discloses what the council holds, which can include records relating to earthquake-prone building status under the Building Act 2004 and its associated New Building Standard assessments. It is not a seismic assessment — that is a separate engineering engagement.
Which report do I need for a mixed-use property?
The commercial report. Mixed-use files carry commercial complexity, and ordering the residential report causes delay when the file turns out to be commercial.
How long does a commercial LIM take?
The statutory maximum is 10 working days from a complete application, the same as residential. Commercial files can take councils longer to compile in practice, so allow additional time on buildings with long consent histories.
Order a Commercial LIM Report
Commercial, industrial and mixed-use property. NZ$2,499. Fast Track Processing NZ$299.
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Property Records Team
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