Official Council Document
LIM Report
LIM Report Porirua | Land Information Memorandum for Porirua Properties
Quick Answer
In Porirua, a Land Information Memorandum is the document that opens up the Porirua City Council property file — consents and code compliance, district plan zoning, rates, drainage, and hazard information. Anyone can request one for any Porirua address, whether or not they own it.
The council keeps a record of every property in its district — what was consented, what was not, what is zoned for, and what hazards it knows about. For Porirua property that record is the only authoritative account of the site's regulatory history. Given a local market of hillside housing, harbourside property and new residential subdivisions, and a hazard profile that includes seismic activity, reading it before you commit is the difference between an informed purchase and a hopeful one.
Key Facts
Location
Porirua
Online Delivery
Delivered online via email
What Is This Document
A Land Information Memorandum is a formal statement issued under section 44A of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987. For a Porirua property the records are those held on the official council file. The report draws together what the authority holds on its property file: consent records, rating information, drainage and services data, district plan zoning, and any hazard information it is aware of. It is a disclosure at a point in time — not an inspection, and not a valuation.
Which Document Do I Need
They answer different questions and most buyers need both.
| Situation | Recommended Document |
|---|---|
| What the council knows. | LIM |
| Who owns the land and what legal interests are registered against it — easements, covenants, mortgages, cross-lease or unit title structures. | Record of title |
| If you are assessing physical condition | Building inspection |
to commission; a LIM records what was consented, not whether the work was done well or has since deteriorated.
What Information Is Included
A Porirua LIM typically covers
building consents, permits and code compliance certificates held on the property file
the district plan zoning and any overlays or designations affecting the site
rates information and any outstanding amounts
stormwater, wastewater and water supply connections, including drainage plans where held
hazards known to the council — for Porirua commonly seismic activity, slope instability, coastal inundation and harbour flooding
and any requisitions, notices or orders issued against the property
Why People Order
Buyers in Porirua order a LIM to find out what has been consented before they commit.
Unconsented work is the most common discovery, and it transfers to the new owner along with the obligation to resolve it.
Lenders and insurers increasingly ask about hazard exposure before confirming terms, and since the natural hazard provisions came into force in October 2025 councils record that information more fully than they once did.
Real World Use Cases
A buyer in Porirua finds a deck and a carport on the property file with no code compliance certificate, and the vendor is asked to close out the consent before settlement.
A purchaser discovers the site sits in an area affected by seismic activity, which changes both the insurance quote and the lending conversation.
An owner planning a subdivision checks the zoning and services position before committing to survey costs.
Council & Property Context
It maintains the property file, processes building and resource consents, and issues the LIM. A Wellington commuter market with substantial hillside and coastal housing. That local context shapes what appears on a Porirua LIM: seismic activity, slope instability, coastal inundation and harbour flooding are the hazard categories most likely to be recorded, and the district's housing stock — hillside housing, harbourside property and new residential subdivisions — determines the kind of consent history you should expect to see. A Porirua LIM reflects that district's records specifically; it does not carry information held for any other district.
Common Mistakes
Assuming a LIM covers physical condition — it records what's on the official file, not what a builder would find.
Assuming that because a structure exists it was consented.
Relying on a LIM the vendor obtained months earlier, when council records have since changed.
Leaving the order until the final days of a due diligence period.
reading a clear LIM as a guarantee, when it confirms only that the council holds no record of a problem.
When Not Sufficient
A LIM is not enough on its own. It will not tell you who owns the property or what is registered against the title — that requires a record of title. It will not identify defects, weathertightness issues or structural problems; that is a building inspection. It does not value the property. For a full picture of a Porirua property, a LIM sits alongside a title search and an independent building report.
How To Order
Two things are needed: the Porirua address and the report type. Everything after that is handled — we obtain the complete official record and deliver it electronically. Most buyers forward the report straight to their solicitor, so it is delivered in a form that can be passed on directly.
Turnaround & Delivery
Standard delivery for a Porirua LIM Report is within 15 working days of order confirmation. If your deadline is closer than that, Fast Track Processing (NZ$299) puts your order at the front of the queue with delivery targeted inside 10 working days. Allow extra margin for complex property files, and if settlement or auction dates are fixed, Fast Track is the safer choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will a Porirua LIM tell me if a building is earthquake-prone?
It discloses what's on the official file, which can include an earthquake-prone building notice issued under the Building Act 2004. That matters for older commercial and multi-unit buildings in particular, because a notice carries a statutory deadline for strengthening work that passes to the new owner.
Does a Porirua LIM cover land stability and slope risk?
Where the council holds it. Slope instability is recorded as a special land feature, and on hillside sites it can carry consent conditions or restrictions on further building. A LIM discloses the council record; a geotechnical report is the separate engagement that assesses the ground itself.
Do I need a LIM for a new build in Porirua?
Yes. A recent build has an active consent history, and the question is whether every stage was closed out with a code compliance certificate. official records that, and gaps on new homes are more common than buyers expect — particularly where a build changed hands mid-construction.
What should commuter buyers check on a Porirua LIM?
Consent status for any additions made to accommodate growing households — extensions, garage conversions, minor dwellings — which is where official records most often diverge from what is physically on site.
What happens if a Porirua LIM shows unconsented work?
The obligation to resolve it passes to you on settlement. The council can require regularisation or removal, regularisation is not always achievable, and unconsented work affects insurance and future resale. While your offer is still conditional you have options; afterwards you do not.
What is the difference between a Porirua LIM and a title search?
The LIM is the council's record — consents, zoning, rates, hazards. A record of title, held by Land Information New Zealand, shows legal ownership and registered interests such as easements and covenants. Different bodies, different information, and most buyers need both.
Order Your Porirua LIM Report
Enter the Porirua address and we will obtain the full Porirua City Council record for the property. Residential NZ$1,299. Commercial NZ$2,499. Fast Track Processing NZ$299.
Get Your LIM Report - PoriruaProperty Records Team
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