LIMs - Land Information Memorandum

Getting a LIM is important. It enables you to check that all buildings and structures on a property that require a consent, have been issued one. That includes dwellings, garages, alterations, conservatories, spa pools and fireplaces (solid fuel heaters) etc. Unauthorised work may be expensive to rectify and could invalidate your insurance.

The LIM also makes you aware of any potential natural hazards that may affect the property.

It can take up to 10 working days to provide a LIM (excluding weekends and public holidays).

To apply for a LIM you will need:

• A completed Land Information Memorandum (LIM) application form. You can find the form here.
• To pay the applicable fee
• To advise the type of LIM required (see below)

Information included in a LIM

A full LIM report is made up of two parts. You have the option of purchasing parts A and B, or just part A.

Part A of a LIM

Part A contains the information Council must disclose in a LIM under section 44A(2) of the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA) and includes:

• Special features or characteristics of the site including erosion, liquefaction, fill, fault lines, flooding and likely presence of hazardous contaminants
• Detailed information on water supply, sewer and stormwater infrastructure
• The property’s rateable valuation and a summary of the rates account
• Any consents, certificates, notices, orders and requisitions, health and liquor licences and Weathertight Homes Resolution Services notifications
• Zoning and any other District Plan provisions or considerations affecting land use (such as designations, waahi tapu sites, high voltage power lines, protected trees or heritage buildings)
• Information notified by a Network Utility Operator.

Part B of a LIM

Part B contains further information which the Council believes may be relevant to the purpose for which a person has requested a LIM. This information is made available under section 10 of LGOIMA and may include:

• Whether the site is listed on the Hawke's Bay Regional Council’s Unverified Hazardous Activity List
• If the site has a firefighting water supply, a water meter, or a back-flow device
• Whether there are dangerous, earthquake-prone (or potentially earthquake-prone) buildings or insanitary buildings on the property
• Current resource consents and/or designations on surrounding properties
• Proposed public works
• Development contributions
• Any other correspondence or documents considered relevant to the property.

Information a LIM does not include

• Development work carried out without Council knowledge or consent
• A full and comprehensive outline of development restrictions applying to a site
• A site visit to the property
• A comprehensive assessment of a property (a LIM only documents any information Council has about the property at the time it is prepared).

Any plans, aerial photographs or diagrams attached to the LIM are for illustrative purposes only and are not confirmation of the legal position of the boundaries or any services on the property.

If you have any doubts about a site, you should employ an independent consultant.

Please note: Some properties lack full and accurate historical records as a result of losses during the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake and subsequent mergers of four councils - Hastings City, Hastings Borough, Havelock North Borough and Hawke’s Bay County.

What to do with your LIM

• Examine the report closely with your lawyer and check that the information in it is the same as the physical details of the property. Conveyancing lawyers know what to look for in LIM.
• Check that any constructions or alterations have building consent. Where building consents have been issued, check that a Code of Compliance Certificate has also been issued.
• If any resource consents have been issued for the property, check that consent conditions are being met.
• Check that the waste disposal system is as stated on the LIM. If it tells you the property is connected to Council reticulation but you have seen a septic tank vent, confirm the situation with Council.
• Consider your future development ideas for the property.  Items valued by the community - such as protected trees, archaeological sites and heritage buildings, as well as pipes and drains - may be issues you will need to work around.

Please contact us if there is conflicting information in a LIM.