A Land Information Memorandum, almost always shortened to LIM, is one of the most useful documents you can put in front of you before committing to a New Zealand property. It is also one of the most misunderstood. Buyers often assume a LIM is a clean bill of health, or that it covers the same ground as the title. It does neither. Here is what a LIM actually tells you, what it leaves out, and why the timing of it matters more than most people realise.
What a LIM actually is
A LIM is a report prepared by the local council that summarises the information the council holds about a specific property, as at the day it is produced. It is a statutory document, issued under section 44A of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987, so every council in the country produces one to broadly the same standard. Think of it as the council opening its files on the property and handing you an ordered snapshot of what it knows.
What is inside a LIM
The exact layout differs by council, but a LIM will generally cover the property's legal description and rating valuation, a summary of rates and water accounts, and the building consents and code compliance certificates the council has on record. It sets out the planning and zoning position, including any heritage listing or designation, and lists resource consents affecting the land.
Just as importantly, a LIM discloses services and hazards: the stormwater and wastewater drainage the council is aware of, and any known natural hazards such as flooding, erosion, land instability, or potential contamination. It also records any notices, orders, or requisitions the council has issued against the land or the buildings. For a buyer, the hazard and consent sections are often where the real value sits, because they surface risks that a viewing on a fine day will never reveal.
What a LIM does not tell you
A LIM only reflects what the council knows. If building work was done without consent, or a weathertightness problem was never reported, it may simply not appear. A LIM is not a physical inspection, so it says nothing about the current condition of the roof, the wiring, or the cladding. That is the job of a qualified building inspector. The sensible way to read a LIM is as one of three pillars of due diligence, alongside an independent building inspection and a legal review of the title and sale agreement.
LIM, PIM, and record of title: not the same thing
Three documents get confused with one another. A LIM tells you what the council knows about the land and buildings that already exist. A Project Information Memorandum, or PIM, is different again: it is issued when you propose to build, and it identifies what you will need to do to carry out that work. A record of title, held by Land Information New Zealand rather than the council, shows who legally owns the property and what registered interests sit over it, such as mortgages, easements, and covenants. A thorough buyer reviews the LIM and the title together, and considers a PIM as well if building or renovating is part of the plan.
Timing and cost
Councils must provide a LIM within ten working days of the request. Fees are set locally and vary, but for a residential property in 2026 the cost typically falls somewhere between NZ$350 and NZ$500. Neither the money nor the wait is the point. The point is sequencing. The LIM has to be ordered and read early enough that you can act on what it says before you are committed.
Why the LIM matters most at auction
This is where buyers get caught. At a New Zealand property auction, a winning bid is unconditional on the fall of the hammer. There is no cooling-off period and no chance to add a condition afterward. That means your entire due diligence, the LIM included, has to be finished before you raise your hand. Order the LIM as soon as a property makes your shortlist, not the week of the auction, and read it against the title and a building report while there is still time to walk away.
For offshore buyers this discipline matters even more, because you are relying on remote due diligence and cannot simply drop by the council counter. Coordinating the LIM, the inspection, and the legal review so they all land before an unconditional commitment is exactly the kind of work an independent buyers agent does on your behalf. The selling agent works for the vendor; nobody on that side of the table is responsible for making sure your due diligence is complete before you commit.