Cross-lease properties in New Zealand
LINZ records 210,171 cross-lease titles in New Zealand, 8.7% of 2,426,969 live property titles. Among the 644 suburbs and localities with 1,000 or more titles, the share runs from under 1% in 122 of them to 48.5% in One Tree Hill.
New Zealand cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 210,171
- Share of live titles
- 8.7%
- Live titles in total
- 2,426,969
Look up an address to see what LINZ records for one property.
How New Zealand's cross-leases are set up
New Zealand's cross-lease titles belong to 87,651 schemes (shared sections). 76% are two-flat schemes, 12% have three flats and 11% have four or more, up to 65 on one section.
The typical shared section is 908 m², about 408 m² of land per flat.
Half of these schemes have their earliest current title issued in or before 1988.
| Scheme structure | New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 54,978 |
A scheme is one section held in shares by the owners of the flats on it; each owner leases their own flat (and any garage, carport or area) from the others. Flats are counted from the shares on the titles (1/2, 1/3 …). Garages, carports and exclusive-use areas are those written into the leases. More than one flats plan on record usually means the plan has been redrawn at least once; it is not by itself a sign of a problem. Section sizes are from the titles, not a survey.
By council
By region and title type
- Bay of Plenty: cross-lease · unit titles · leasehold
- Canterbury: cross-lease · unit titles
- Hawke's Bay: cross-lease · leasehold
- Manawatū-Whanganui: cross-lease
- Otago: cross-lease · unit titles
- Waikato: cross-lease · unit titles
- Wellington / Wairarapa: cross-lease · unit titles
Highest cross-lease share, suburbs with 1,000+ titles
| Suburb | Council | Cross-lease titles | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| One Tree Hill | Auckland | 882 | 48.5% |
| Milford | Auckland | 1,734 | 48.0% |
| Royal Oak | Auckland | 883 | 45.2% |
| Hauraki | Auckland | 813 | 42.4% |
| Kohimarama | Auckland | 854 | 41.6% |
| Tōtara Vale | Auckland | 868 | 38.9% |
| Bayview | Auckland | 961 | 37.8% |
| Belmont | Auckland | 585 | 37.2% |
| Mission Bay | Auckland | 752 | 36.8% |
| Edgeware | Christchurch City | 870 | 36.8% |
| Glenfield | Auckland | 2,347 | 36.6% |
| Highland Park | Auckland | 512 | 36.4% |
| Greenlane | Auckland | 1,002 | 36.0% |
| Rothesay Bay | Auckland | 463 | 35.9% |
| Northcote Point | Auckland | 382 | 34.9% |
| Victoria | Rotorua District | 355 | 34.2% |
| Ellerslie | Auckland | 1,574 | 34.2% |
| Forrest Hill | Auckland | 1,160 | 33.7% |
| Saint Heliers | Auckland | 1,809 | 33.6% |
| Castor Bay | Auckland | 591 | 33.6% |
What a cross-lease is
A cross-lease is a way of owning a home on a shared section. Each owner holds an undivided share of the land, together with a lease of their own dwelling and any exclusive-use areas from the other owners. LINZ records these as their own title type, "Cross lease".
Guides
- Cross-lease explained: What a cross-lease is, flats plans and converting to freehold
- Granny flat rules: The 2026 rules for a small stand-alone dwelling
- LIM reports: What a LIM report includes, what it costs and how long it takes
- Moving to New Zealand: Compare New Zealand towns and cities on rent, income and climate
- All suburbs: Every suburb page, by council
Find suburbs by what matters to you · Compare suburbs · Unit titles by council · Leasehold by council · Download the suburb data (CSV) · How this is measured