LIM Reports NZ — What They Show & When to Get One

The Facts

A Land Information Memorandum (LIM) is a report issued by a territorial authority disclosing what the council knows about a property. It covers consent history (resource and building consents, both granted and refused), known natural hazards (flooding, erosion, slope stability), encroachments, special features, rating valuations, network utility services, and contamination notices. LIMs are governed by section 44A of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987. Auckland Council charges approximately NZ$340 for a standard LIM with a 10 business day turnaround, or NZ$510 for express (3 days). LIMs are property-specific and ordered by legal description.

A Developer's Take

$340 from Auckland Council, 10 working days. Lists what the council knows about a property: consent history, hazards, encroachments, special features, rates, utility services, contamination notices.

The LIM is mandatory due diligence for any purchase. Anything not on the LIM, the council can later disclaim. Anything on the LIM, you're on notice for.

Two things people don't appreciate. First, the LIM only shows what the council KNOWS. Unconsented work the council doesn't know about doesn't appear. Always do a physical inspection alongside. Second, the LIM is a snapshot at order date. By the time you settle 6-12 weeks later, things may have changed (notified plan changes, new hazard mapping). Order it as close to unconditional date as practical.

Express LIM costs $510 for 3 working days. Worth it on a hot deal where time-on-market matters. Worth it for any deal where the seller's LIM is more than 60 days old.

The first thing I check on every LIM: consent history. A property with no record of resource or building consents for recent works that obviously exist (deck, conservatory, sleepout, second dwelling) is a property with unconsented work. The buyer inherits that problem.

LIM plus title plus a physical inspection is the minimum bar. A good agent at the time of sale will typically have ordered a LINZ information package which can save you the time and headache. But if you're going to go through with the purchase, a good lawyer should always recommend you get your own. As the council is not liable for anything that may have been left out from the agent's LIM. Better to be safe than sorry.

When to use this

Order a LIM once a site moves from speculative interest into a serious offer, typically during the due diligence period of a conditional contract. It is the document that tells you what the council has on file about consents, hazards and encroachments — issues you cannot fully read off GeoMaps. Pay for express when the DD clock is tight; otherwise standard is fine. Read the consent history first, then hazards, then encroachments. A clean LIM is reassurance; a messy one is a negotiating lever or a walk-away signal.