Official Council Document
LIM Report
Do I Need a LIM Report?
Quick Answer
A LIM is not legally required, but it is the only way to see what the council holds about a property before you commit. Only 37% of New Zealand buyers obtained one before making an offer in 2025. The most common finding — unconsented work — becomes the new owner's legal responsibility on settlement.
Nobody is obliged to obtain a LIM. It is not a legal requirement of buying property in New Zealand, and most buyers do not get one: Real Estate Authority research put the figure at 37% before making an offer in October 2025, down from 41% two years earlier. That means roughly six in ten buyers commit to the largest purchase of their lives without reading the council's record of the property. This page is an honest attempt at when that is a reasonable risk and when it is not.
Key Facts
Online Delivery
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What Is This Document
The question is really about what you would do differently if you knew. A LIM tells you what has been consented, what the council knows about the land, and whether anything is outstanding against the property. If the answer would change your offer, change your conditions, or change your decision, the report is worth having. For most buyers, on most properties, at least one of those three is true — which is why the 37% figure is the more interesting number than the price.
Which Document Do I Need
If you are choosing between documents on a limited budget
| Situation | Recommended Document |
|---|---|
| Consent gaps and council notices | LIM |
| Ownership and registered interests such as easements and covenants | Record of title |
| Physical condition | Building inspection |
They do not overlap. Most solicitors would say the LIM and the title are the two to obtain first, with the inspection following where the property is older or the file shows anything unusual.
What Information Is Included
The situations where a LIM matters most
any property with visible additions, decks, sleepouts, garages or conservatories, where the question is whether they were consented
Any property in an area with known hazards
Any property where you intend to alter, extend or subdivide
Older housing stock generally
Cross-lease and unit title properties, where what you are buying is more complicated than it appears
And any purchase where the transaction is unconditional, such as auction
Why People Order
Unconsented work transfers with the property.
The obligation to resolve it falls on whoever owns the land, not whoever built the structure, and councils can require removal or regularisation.
Lenders have declined finance over consent gaps.
Insurers price hazard exposure, and since the natural hazard provisions came into force in October 2025 councils record that information more fully than they once did.
None of that is visible at an open home, and none of it is something a vendor is necessarily aware of themselves.
Real World Use Cases
A buyer decides against a LIM on a two-year-old townhouse with a clean consent record and full code compliance — a defensible call.
Another skips it on a 1960s house with an obvious extension, buys, and discovers the extension was never consented.
A third orders one on a property that looked immaculate and finds an outstanding council requisition.
A fourth orders on a coastal section, finds an erosion notation, and gets an insurance quote before committing.
Council & Property Context
There is a reasonable argument that the LIM system asks too much of buyers — the information is held by the council, the buyer has to know to ask for it, and there is no obligation on anyone to volunteer it. That is the system as it stands. The practical consequence is that the buyers who ask are better informed than the buyers who do not, and the gap between them is not visible until something goes wrong. The 63% who skip it are not making an unreasonable decision so much as an uninformed one.
Common Mistakes
Deciding on the basis of how the property looks.
Presentation and consent status are unrelated, and good-looking unconsented work is the norm rather than the exception.
Assuming the agent would have disclosed a problem — agents disclose what they know, and consent gaps are frequently unknown to everyone in the chain including the vendor.
Assuming a new build is safe.
Assuming the bank's valuation covers it; it does not.
When Not Sufficient
A LIM will not tell you whether the property is well built, whether the roof is sound, or whether the price is fair. If your concern is physical condition, a building inspection is the report you need and a LIM is not a substitute for it. The two answer different questions and on an older property both are usually worth having.
How To Order
Enter the property address and select residential or commercial. We identify the council, lodge the application and deliver the report electronically. If you are still deciding whether you need one, the test is simple: would a consent gap, a council notice or a hazard notation change your offer? If yes, order the report.
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. Allow for that when deciding — a LIM ordered late in a due diligence period may not arrive in time to be useful, which is a common reason buyers end up proceeding without one. Ordering early keeps the option open. Fast Track Processing is available for NZ$299.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth getting a LIM report?
If a consent gap, a council notice or a hazard notation would change your offer or your decision, then yes. For most buyers on most properties at least one of those applies. Only 37% of New Zealand buyers obtained one before making an offer in 2025.
Do I really need a LIM report to buy a house in New Zealand?
It is not legally required. It is the only way to see the council's record of what has been consented and what the council knows about the land, and the most common finding — unconsented work — becomes your legal responsibility on settlement.
Do I need a LIM if the house is brand new?
Arguably yes. A new build has an active consent history, and confirming that code compliance certificates were issued for all completed work is precisely what a LIM does. Gaps on recent builds are not unusual.
What happens if I buy a house with unconsented work?
The obligation to resolve it passes to you as the new owner. Councils can require regularisation or removal, regularisation is not always possible, and unconsented work can affect insurance and future resale.
Can I rely on the agent to tell me about problems?
Agents disclose what they know and are required to disclose known defects. Consent gaps are frequently unknown to the agent and to the vendor, because nothing on the property makes them visible.
Is a builder's report enough on its own?
No. A building inspection covers physical condition — whether the structure is sound. A LIM covers whether it was consented. A well-built unconsented extension passes an inspection and still becomes your problem.
Start Your LIM Report Order
Find out what the council holds before you commit. Residential NZ$1,299. Commercial NZ$2,499.
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Property Records Team
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