Snippets

What is the purpose of a LIM report?

When purchasing a property, obtaining a Land Information Memorandum (“LIM”) report from the relevant council is strongly recommended.

A LIM report provides all the documents that a council has on records for a property. Each LIM report contains different information, as some properties may be new builds, while others are just sections or older homes etc.

Some examples of what could be found in a LIM report are:

• soil reports;
• whether resource consent and certificate code of compliance (“CCC”) have been obtained and issued;
• if there are any building works in the area currently being completed or will be in the near future;
• when and how much your rates are;
• engineer’s report;
• if the property is located on or near a known archaeological site;
• if the property is in a flood zone or high wind zone; and/ or
• if the property is a known leaky home or has tested positive.

When can you access your Kiwisaver?

KiwiSaver was initially created to help people save for their retirement, so the obvious answer for accessing your KiwiSaver funds is at age 65. But under the correct circumstances, funds can be accessed earlier.

There are four circumstances under which you can access your KiwiSaver early, they are:

• purchasing your first home;
• moving overseas permanently;
• significant financial hardship; or
• serious illness.

Remember that if you have received the $1,000.00 kickstart from the government, these funds are required to remain in your KiwiSaver until you reach retirement age.

For more information regarding the criteria which must be met to enable your KiwiSaver funds to be released early, visit the KiwiSaver.govt.nz website