Living in Balclutha: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 2,507 live property titles in Balclutha, Clutha District are almost all freehold (95%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 103 (4.1%), well below the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 103
- Share of live titles
- 4.1%
- Live titles in total
- 2,507
- Clutha District share
- 0.8%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Clutha District
- 1 of 1
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 534 of 644
Balclutha at a glance
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Balclutha is listed under Clutha District.
- 2,507 live titles are recorded here, including 103 cross-lease titles (4.1%).
- The page includes 2023 Census context for the statistical area that represents this suburb.
- The page includes MBIE new-tenancy rent figures for April–June 2026.
Contextual observations
- Cross-lease titles make up 4.1% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 0.2% of recorded titles, so title structure can vary within the suburb.
- Coast distance is a suburb-level map measure, not a flood or hazard assessment.
Questions worth investigating
- For any cross-lease property you consider, do the current title, flats plan and lease match what is built today?
- What do the LIM, council property file and a suitable inspection add for the specific address?
No data held for this suburb
- Mapped public-transport context is not available for this suburb.
Title mix in Balclutha
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 2,380 | 94.9% |
| Cross lease | 103 | 4.1% |
| Unit title | 6 | 0.2% |
| Leasehold | 16 | 0.6% |
| Other record types | 2 | 0.1% |
| Total | 2,507 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Balclutha compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Balclutha is well below the national share (8.7%).
Across Clutha District as a whole, the share is 0.8%; Balclutha is about 5.1 times the overall Clutha District share (0.8%).
How cross-leases in Balclutha are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (4%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (50%, against 11% nationally), up to 9.
Two-flat schemes are less common here (25% of schemes, against 76% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Balclutha | Clutha District | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 28 | 45 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 25.0% | 44.4% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 25.0% | 17.8% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 50.0% | 37.8% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,012 m² | 1,011 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 270 m² | 296 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 71.4% | 57.8% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 7.1% | 11.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 3.6% | 4.4% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1974 | 1977 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 4 | 10 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Balclutha
16 titles (0.6%) are leasehold, 1 of them units in a unit-title development.
2 of them have a stated term that has ended or has under 10 years to run, which is worth reading closely in the lease.
Stated lease terms, as at 30 September 2026:
| Stated lease term | Titles |
|---|---|
| Stated term has ended | 0 |
| Under 10 years left | 2 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 8 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 5 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 1 |
New titles in Balclutha since 2020
87 of Balclutha's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Clutha District's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 86 | 53 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 1 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
New titles include cross-leases converted to freehold and titles re-issued; they are not a count of new homes. Sources and limits
The lie of the land in Balclutha
The typical building in Balclutha stands on ground sloping 2.6° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
The land rises from about 1 m to 191 m, and 35% of all of it, including reserves and gullies, is 15° or steeper.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Balclutha
Balclutha is inland: the typical title is 13 km from the sea or harbour edge, and fewer than 1 in 2,000 titles are within 1 km of it.
Measured in a straight line from the centre of each title's land to the coastline on LINZ's 1:50k topographic map, which follows harbours and estuaries as well as the open coast; lakes and rivers are not included. Distance says nothing about beach access, views or exposure to coastal hazards; council hazard maps and the LIM describe those.
Who lives around Balclutha: 2023 Census
Balclutha's titles fall in 5 census areas (Stats NZ statistical areas). The 2 shown below hold 96% of its titles; their figures are shown side by side and are not added together.
Fewer workers work from home in Balclutha South than across Clutha District: 9.4% against 24.9%.
More households have no car in Balclutha South than across Clutha District: 9.9% against 4.0%.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Balclutha South than across Clutha District: 10.3% against 5.4%.
| Measure | Balclutha South 60% of titles | Balclutha North 37% of titles | Clutha District whole council |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,610 | 1,734 | 18,315 |
| Change since 2018 | +3.4% | +9.3% | +3.7% |
| Change since 2013 | +6.6% | +12.7% | +8.4% |
| Median age | 42.7 | 42.7 | 42.7 |
| Households | 1,068 | 702 | 7,218 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 69.7% | 76.9% | 72.3% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 30.1% | 22.6% | 27.7% |
| Median household income | $68,400 | $79,000 | $76,500 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $300 | $330 | $250 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 7.7% | 6.7% | 16.9% |
| Ages | |||
| Under 15 | 18.0% | 17.8% | 18.6% |
| 15 to 29 | 17.0% | 16.8% | 16.1% |
| 30 to 64 | 43.4% | 41.5% | 46.1% |
| 65 and over | 21.5% | 23.7% | 19.3% |
| Where people came from | |||
| Born overseas | 17.9% | 15.3% | 13.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 31.2% | 29.9% | 25.4% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 42.6% | 42.9% | 42.0% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 4.0% | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 17.1% | 14.2% | 16.9% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | |||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 12.4% | 10.6% | 13.8% |
| Employed full-time | 50.5% | 51.2% | 52.4% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 2.0% | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 27.4% | 25.9% | 40.6% |
| Median personal income | $39,200 | $39,600 | $39,000 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | |||
| Work from home | 9.4% | 8.0% | 24.9% |
| Car, truck or van | 79.8% | 87.0% | 67.2% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| Walk or cycle | 10.3% | 4.3% | 5.4% |
| Households and families | |||
| One-person households | 34.5% | 28.1% | 27.5% |
| Average people per household | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 9.9% | 3.7% | 4.0% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 3.8% | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 38.6% | 36.3% | 38.8% |
| Couples without children | 45.5% | 48.4% | 48.9% |
| One-parent families | 16.4% | 15.3% | 12.4% |
| Homes | |||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 83.7% | 91.5% | 91.4% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 67.0% | 62.3% | 51.9% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 16.6% | 14.5% | 16.6% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 10.6% | 9.3% | 10.7% |
Rents around Balclutha
New tenancies in Balclutha South in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $500 a week (up 5.3% on a year earlier). That is slightly below the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Balclutha South 60% of titles | Balclutha North 37% of titles | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $500 | $510 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $358–$520 | $500–$550 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +5.3% | +8.5% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 12 | 12 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Balclutha
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Balclutha, among them Balclutha School (Full Primary) and Rosebank School (Balclutha) (Full Primary).
- Balclutha School (Full Primary)
- Rosebank School (Balclutha) (Full Primary)
- South Otago High School (Secondary (Year 9-15))
- St Joseph's School (Balclutha) (Full Primary)
- Nearest school: Balclutha School (2.3 km)
- Nearest secondary school: South Otago High School (3.3 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Clutha Health First (2.0 km)
School enrolment zones in Balclutha: a guide
The largest primary-school zone share of Balclutha's titles is in Rosebank School (Balclutha)'s home zone (about 35%).
- Rosebank School (Balclutha) (primary, Years 1–8): about 35% of titles
About 65% of Balclutha's titles are outside every mapped home zone.
A guide only: check the school's own zone map for any address. Zones as at 14 July 2026. Sources and limits
Places of worship near Balclutha
OpenStreetMap maps 9 places of worship inside Balclutha (5 Christian, 4 other or not recorded).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Jehovah's Witness, under 1 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Suburbs like Balclutha
The closest match on the measures on this site is Oamaru North in Waitaki District, nearest on unit-title share, population change, degrees. Closeness is arithmetic, not a rating. Sources and limits
| Suburb | Council | Cross-lease share of titles | Median weekly rent, new tenancies | Median age | Closest on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oamaru North | Waitaki District | 5.6% | $455 | 39.9 | unit-title share, population change, degrees |
| Oamaru | Waitaki District | 6.4% | $495 | 44.3 | slope, commuting by public transport, rent |
| South Hill | Waitaki District | 4.2% | $465 | 47 | cross-lease share, population change, commuting by public transport |
| Green Island, Dunedin City | Dunedin City | 2.9% | $570 | 37.8 | damp homes, population change, children |
| Kensington, Timaru District | Timaru District | 7.1% | $468 | 38.2 | population change, unit-title share, home ownership |
Questions
What is the rent in Balclutha?
New tenancies in Balclutha South (the rent area for part of Balclutha) had a median rent of $500 a week in the April–June 2026 quarter (MBIE bond data, all dwelling types). These are rents agreed for new tenancies, not asking rents. The middle half of those rents ran from $358 to $520.
What schools are in Balclutha?
LINZ maps 4 school sites inside Balclutha, including Balclutha School, Rosebank School (Balclutha) and South Otago High School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is South Otago High School (3.3 km in a straight line). Being near a school does not mean being in its zone.