Property files

A property file typically contains any applications, permits or consents recorded against the property address, including:

• Historic building or planning applications and permits
• Resource consent decisions and scheme plans
• Completed building consent documents
• Site plans, drainage plans, floor plans where available
• Scanned image of the original property file cover
• Associated ICC property related documents

A property inquiry sheet is supplied with a property file which lists consents against the property.

Requesting property files has changed:

• These are now processed through online application only
• A service fee applies per property

Before submitting your request, ensure you have the correct address as we do not provide refunds for incorrectly lodged requests. You can confirm you have the correct address by referring to Invercargill Maps.

Online requests

1. Visit the ICC Online services portal. Please note: If you require an invoice you must be a registered user and signed into your account.
2. Select Applications > New Application
3. Under Property files section, select your desired property type, and click Next.
4. Complete the required steps through to payment checkout.

Please note: Requests for property files are non-refundable. Ensure you have selected the correct current property address before submitting your request.

If the records are paper (not digitally available) and you are from outside the Southland region you may consider having a local contact or a professional service person (i.e., builder/agent/pre-purchase inspection agent) view the records on your behalf, or you could consider lodging a LIM application for records to be digitised.

If you aren’t sure what the category is or the exact property address please contact the Property Records by email: propertyrecords@icc.govt.nz, or phone (03) 211 1777.

If you urgently need a drainage plan for a private drainage issue, please let us know. We will try to get this to you as soon as possible (drainage plan/s only).

Please lodge your request and select ‘URGENT DRAINAGE’ in the drop-down menu for your reason for the request.

• A property file request is not a LIM report, and when considering purchasing a property Council recommends you do your due diligence. For example, ordering a LIM and requesting a property file would be considered part of due diligence prior to purchase.
• Some properties do not have floor plans available, Council can only supply what is on file. If there is no floor plan and you are wanting floor plans for prospective building work, we recommend you contact a suitably qualified person to assist you, for example an architect or draftsperson.
• Council boundaries have changed over time, and some properties originally were under Southland County Council. We will supply what we have on file, if documents are available in these instances.
• Permit records for Housing New Zealand dwellings built before 1993 were not supplied to councils, as this was Government land at the time, Housing New Zealand processed their own applications, until the Building Act came into effect.
• Vacant land will likely not have consent information available, as typically no applications have been lodged against the property address. If you are unsure if there are records, please contact the Property Records team.
• Confidential information is not available in a property file request. Previous LIM documents are not supplied.

The way you request a property file is now by online application only.

Increased demand for property file information has been Council has had to implement a service charge per property file, in order to fund the required resourcing.

Council has digitised the majority of the paper property file records. However, not all records are digitised yet. The team will contact you in the instance that records are still paper. If you are not based in Southland, and in-person viewing is a potential barrier, you could arrange for someone to view the documents on your behalf, or you could consider ordering a LIM in order for the records to be digitised. These would be supplied once the records are scanned. If you need to clarify the format of the file records please contact the Property Records team.

Files will be supplied in the media that they are, which means some files will be either:

• Digitally available, or
• Mixed media (digital and paper), or
• Paper

Property inquiry reports are supplied with the property file to help navigate the property records. Council will not supply property inquiry reports without an application for a property file as they should be viewed in conjunction. Property inquiry reports list the building and planning application records, description and status of the records or applications for the property at the time of the property file application request.

For the current charges please refer to Land Information Memoradum (LIM) Reports and Property Files on the Fees and charges page.

Files are supplied within five working days. However, at peak demand times requests may take longer to process, especially if the file is large or complex or is a physical record. If you are after a specific item or document, please note this in your application.

For urgent drainage information, because of a plumbing or drainage issue, please record this in your application. We will endeavour to get this to you within 24 hours or as quickly as possible if the record is paper.

For paper records, please allow time for this to be recalled. If you are unable to view it at the proposed time, please let us know and advise of us a suitable time so we can hold the record.

For in person viewing of records, the Property Records team will notify you when they are available for viewing. Physical files can only be viewed by appointment at Te Hīnaki Civic Building, 101 Esk Street, Invercargill.