Official Council Document
LIM Report
LIM Report When Selling
Quick Answer
A vendor LIM is one obtained by the seller before listing. It surfaces problems while you still control the timing — before a buyer finds them mid-negotiation and uses them as leverage, or walks. Usually the buyer pays for their own LIM, but the seller benefits most from knowing first.
Most sellers never look at their own council file, which means the first person to read it is a buyer, three weeks into a conditional period, at the worst possible moment for the seller. If there is an unclosed consent or an outstanding requisition on the property, you will find out either way. The only question is whether you find out while you still have time and options, or during a negotiation where the other party has just acquired the leverage.
Key Facts
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What Is This Document
A vendor LIM is simply a LIM obtained by the owner rather than the purchaser. The document is identical — same statutory content, same council, same standing. What differs is who holds it and when. Some vendors include it in the sale documentation; others obtain it privately to understand their own position before listing. Both are legitimate, and they serve different purposes.
Which Document Do I Need
| Situation | Recommended Document |
|---|---|
| What the council holds. | If you are selling, the LIM |
| What is registered against the property, which is worth checking for easements or covenants you may have forgotten or never known about. | Your record of title |
A pre-listing building inspection is a separate decision, and rather more contentious, because unlike a LIM it can surface issues you would then be obliged to disclose.
What Information Is Included
For a seller, the sections that matter are the consent history — whether everything on the property was consented and closed out with a code compliance certificate — and any notices or requisitions outstanding against the property.
Both are resolvable given time.
Both are expensive and damaging when discovered by a buyer during a conditional period, because at that point resolution happens on the buyer's timetable and under their terms.
Why People Order
Because the cost of resolving a consent issue before listing is a fraction of the cost of resolving it during a negotiation.
Because a buyer who discovers unconsented work usually reduces their offer by more than the actual cost of regularisation, or withdraws entirely and leaves you re-listing a property that has now been on the market and off it.
because a clean LIM available at listing is a genuine selling point in a market where most buyers are uncertain about what they cannot see.
Real World Use Cases
A vendor orders before listing, finds a conservatory added by a previous owner was never consented, and regularises it over six weeks before going to market.
Another finds an outstanding council requisition from work done years earlier and clears it.
A third finds nothing and makes the LIM available to buyers, shortening their conditional periods.
A fourth skips the check, and a buyer discovers the same unconsented conservatory two weeks before settlement.
Council & Property Context
Sellers sit under two overlapping obligations: the Fair Trading Act 1986, which prohibits misleading conduct in trade, and the disclosure duties that attach to the ADLS/REINZ agreement. Between them, sellers are required to disclose defects they know about. Obtaining a LIM means you then know what it says, which some sellers see as a reason not to obtain one. That reasoning tends not to survive contact with the alternative: the buyer obtains their own LIM, discovers the same information at a point where you have committed to a sale and a moving date, and you resolve it anyway with far less control. Speak to your solicitor about disclosure obligations in your situation.
Common Mistakes
Assuming that not knowing protects you — buyers order their own LIMs, and the information surfaces regardless.
Leaving it until the property is listed, when there is no longer time to resolve anything.
Providing a buyer with a LIM that is months old without noting the date.
Assuming work done by a previous owner is not your problem to disclose or resolve; the obligation runs with the property, not the person.
When Not Sufficient
A vendor LIM does not discharge your disclosure obligations, and it does not guarantee a buyer will not obtain their own — most will, and most solicitors advise them to. It does not address physical condition. And it does not replace legal advice on what you are required to disclose, which depends on your circumstances and is a question for your solicitor.
How To Order
Order before you list, ideally six to eight weeks before, which leaves time to resolve anything the report surfaces. Enter the property address and select residential or commercial. We identify the council, lodge the application and deliver the report electronically.
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. For a vendor there is no deadline pressure, which is the advantage of ordering pre-listing — you are not working against a conditional period. Allow the statutory window plus time to act on anything the report discloses. Fast Track Processing is available for NZ$299 if you are already close to listing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who pays for the LIM — buyer or seller?
Usually the buyer, as part of their due diligence. Vendors sometimes obtain one before listing to understand their own position, and some make it available to buyers.
Should I get a LIM before selling my house?
It surfaces problems while you still have time to resolve them and while you control the timing. Discovering the same issue mid-negotiation hands the buyer leverage and often costs more than resolution would have.
Can a buyer rely on the LIM I provide?
They can look at it, but most buyers and their solicitors will obtain their own — partly because council records change, and partly because a report the vendor commissioned was obtained at a date the vendor chose.
Do I have to disclose what my LIM says?
Sellers must disclose known defects. Once you have obtained a LIM you know what it contains. What that obliges you to disclose depends on your circumstances and is a question for your solicitor.
What if my LIM shows unconsented work?
You have options while you are not under contract: regularise it through the council, price the property to reflect it, or disclose it upfront. All three are considerably easier before a buyer is involved.
How long before listing should I order a LIM?
Six to eight weeks is sensible. That allows the statutory processing window plus time to act on anything the report discloses before the property goes to market.
Order Your LIM Report
Know what is on your council file before a buyer does. Residential NZ$1,299. Commercial NZ$2,499.
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Property Records Team
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