Title checks for builders, designers and trades
The boundary, the easements and the covenants — before you quote the job. Official Record of Title with diagram, delivered in about two hours.
Official document accepted by councils. Emailed to you, usually within 2 hours.
Most of our regular customers aren't buying a house. They're quoting a job.
Architectural designers, shed and pool builders, plumbers, drainlayers, fencers and structural engineers order a Record of Title before they commit to a concept or put a price in front of a client. Some of them order one most weeks.
They do it for one reason: the things that wreck a job are on the title, and they are cheap to check before you start.
What the title tells you
Where the boundary really is. The diagram shows the surveyed shape and dimensions of the parcel. Fences move. Boundaries do not.
Easements. A right of way, a drainage easement, a services easement — recorded on the title, and it tells you what cannot go there. Finding one after you have quoted a slab is an expensive conversation. Can you build over an easement?
Covenants. Newer subdivisions often restrict materials, height, roof pitch, outbuildings or where a structure can sit. Worth reading before you design to it. How to check for covenants
Registered owner. The legal owner, and whether the property is held by one person, two, or a trust or company. That is who signs.
Mortgages and caveats. An encumbrance will not usually stop your work, but it can complicate consent or settlement, and it is better known than discovered.
Tenure. Freehold, cross lease or unit title. Cross lease in particular changes what can be altered and what needs the other owners' agreement.
What it does not tell you
Setbacks, height in relation to boundary and site coverage limits come from the district plan, not the title. The title gives you the exact size and shape of the parcel those rules apply to — you still need the plan itself. Where the boundary actually sits
The title is also not legal advice. If something on it changes what your client can do, that is a conversation for their lawyer. We supply the official record, not an opinion on it.
What to order
Boundary, owner, easements, covenants. The one most trades order.
NZ$42.90
The easement or covenant itself. The title says it exists; this says what it allows.
NZ$39.90
Trade accounts
If title checks are part of how you work rather than a one-off, buy them ahead and use them whenever they come up. No expiry.
A trade account also gets you:
- A record of every address you have searched, in your account, so you are not wondering whether you already pulled that one.
- A direct email to the person who runs this, and a reply the same working day.
- Monthly invoicing instead of paying each time, if you order more than ten a month.
For monthly invoicing, email jhcramos@gmail.com with roughly how many you would use in a month.
Common questions
Is the fence the boundary?
Not necessarily. Fences get replaced roughly where the old one stood and drift over decades. The legal boundary is the surveyed one shown on the title diagram.
Can I build over an easement?
Generally no, and the title tells you where the easement sits. What you can do about it depends on the easement's terms and who benefits from it — that is a question for the client's lawyer.
Does a covenant stop me building a shed?
It can. Covenants in newer subdivisions often restrict outbuildings, materials, height and roof pitch. They are recorded on the title, so you can read them before you design.
Do I need a title for a building consent?
Councils generally ask for a current Record of Title as part of the application. Ordering it early avoids a hold-up later.
How fast does it arrive?
Usually about two hours, emailed to you. It is the current official record held by Land Information New Zealand.
What is the difference between freehold, cross lease and unit title?
It is the form of ownership, and it is stated on the title. Cross lease matters most in practice — altering the footprint of a building on a cross lease usually needs the agreement of the other owners.
Check the title before you quote the job.