The fence is not the boundary. It might be close. It might have been close forty years ago. On plenty of New Zealand properties it is out by half a metre, and nobody notices until someone builds something.
If you are quoting a shed, a pool, a deck, a garage or an extension, the boundary is the first thing that decides whether the job is even possible where the client wants it. This is how to check it properly.
Where the real boundary lives
The legal boundary of a New Zealand property is defined by survey, and it is recorded on the Record of Title and its title diagram, held by Land Information New Zealand (LINZ).
The title diagram shows the surveyed shape of the parcel, its dimensions, and how it sits against neighbouring parcels. That is the line that matters. A fence, a hedge, a driveway edge or a retaining wall is where someone once put something — which is a different thing entirely.
Why this catches people out
Three reasons, over and over:
Fences drift. They get replaced roughly where the old one was, and each replacement can move a little. Over decades that adds up.
Subdivision changes shape. When a parcel is subdivided, the new boundaries follow the new survey, not the old fences. The fences often stay put for years afterwards.
The client is confident and wrong. Homeowners describe their boundary by what they mow. They are not lying to you; they have simply never had a reason to look it up.
What the diagram gives you, and what it does not
It gives you: the surveyed shape and dimensions of the parcel, the legal description, the registered owner, and any registered interests such as easements or covenants that affect what can be built and where.
It does not give you: pegs in the ground. The diagram tells you the shape and the measurements. Transferring that to the actual dirt with certainty is a licensed cadastral surveyor's job, and for anything tight against a boundary that is who you want.
It also does not give you the district plan. Setbacks, height in relation to boundary and site coverage limits come from your council's plan, not from the title. What the title does is give you the exact parcel those rules are measured against — without it, you cannot calculate any of them.
When to check it
Before you quote. Not after.
A title check costs less than an hour of your time and takes about two hours to arrive. Redesigning a structure because it turned out to sit over a boundary, or worse, moving one that has already been built, costs considerably more — and the conversation with the client is worse than the cost.
The builders and designers who order titles most often are the ones who have had that conversation once.
What to look at first
When the title comes through, three things in this order:
1. The diagram. Compare the shape and dimensions against what you saw on site. If the parcel is narrower or shorter than the fenced area suggests, stop and work out why.
2. Registered easements. A right of way or a drainage easement will be listed, and it tells you where you cannot put a foundation.
3. Covenants. Especially in newer subdivisions, these can restrict outbuildings, materials, height and roof pitch before the council rules even come into it.
Getting the title
A Record of Title with Diagram is NZ$42.90 and arrives in about two hours. It is the current official record, including the diagram, the registered owner, the legal description and any registered interests.
If you check titles as a regular part of your work rather than occasionally, we have prepaid packs and trade accounts — see title checks for trade.
This article describes what appears on a Record of Title and how it is used in practice. It is not legal advice. If something on a title changes what your client can do, that is a question for their lawyer.
