LIM reports (the acronym stands for Land Information Memorandum) are prepared by local councils to give a summary of the information the council holds on each property.
If you think a property has had work done that might have required building consent from the local council, like an addition or even a deck that’s over one metre high, it’s a good idea to get a LIM.
The onus to remedy any illegal work on a property is on the current owner, even if they had nothing to do with it. So make sure everything is above-board, before you buy. The trick with a LIM report is to spot the differences; they’re not as simple to interpret as you might think. You have to note everything you may think is suspect on the property and see if it has a corresponding consent on the LIM report.
If you find that a property has an illegal structure or has had unpermitted work done, you can make it a condition of the purchase that this is remedied – this could mean anything from demolition, through to remedial work, to seeking a council Safe and Sanitary Report – this is in place of the final Code Compliance Certificate, which cannot be issued retrospectively.