Living in Caversham: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 1,349 live property titles in Caversham, Dunedin City are mostly freehold (77%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 165 (12.2%), above the national share of 8.7%.
- Cross-lease titles
- 165
- Share of live titles
- 12.2%
- Live titles in total
- 1,349
- Dunedin City share
- 4.9%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Dunedin City
- 4 of 18
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 270 of 644
Caversham at a glance
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Caversham is listed under Dunedin City.
- 1,349 live titles are recorded here, including 165 cross-lease titles (12.2%).
- 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 12.2% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 8.9% 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 Caversham
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 1,033 | 76.6% |
| Cross lease | 165 | 12.2% |
| Unit title | 120 | 8.9% |
| Leasehold | 6 | 0.4% |
| Other record types | 25 | 1.9% |
| Total | 1,349 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Caversham compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Caversham is higher than the national share (8.7%).
Across Dunedin City as a whole, the share is 4.9%; Caversham is about 2.5 times the overall Dunedin City share (4.9%).
Its cross-lease share is in the highest quarter of 18 in Dunedin City (among suburbs with an indexed page on this site).
How cross-leases in Caversham are set up
Fewer schemes refer to more than one flats plan (6%, against 36% nationally), usually because a plan was redrawn.
Fewer leases include a garage (11% of schemes, against 28% nationally).
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (22%, against 11% nationally), up to 7.
| Scheme structure | Caversham | Dunedin City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 63 | 1,210 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 60.3% | 70.9% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 17.5% | 10.7% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 22.2% | 18.2% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 607 m² | 632 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 208 m² | 270 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 11.1% | 32.4% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 19.0% | 17.5% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 6.3% | 10.2% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1980 | 1980 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 4 | 239 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Caversham
Unit titles are 9% of Caversham's titles, well above Dunedin City (4%) and slightly above New Zealand (8%). They belong to 23 developments, each run by a body corporate; 1 has 50 or more units.
The unit-title share is 3rd highest of 18 in Dunedin City.
New titles in Caversham since 2020
102 of Caversham's current titles (8%) were first issued since 2020, slightly above Dunedin City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
That rate is in the highest quarter of 17 in Dunedin City.
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 91 | 50 |
| Unit title | 5 | 2 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 4 | 1 |
| Other | 2 | 1 |
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 Caversham
The typical building in Caversham stands on ground sloping 4.1° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Caversham
Caversham is inland: the typical title is 1.7 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 Caversham: 2023 Census
About 84% of Caversham's titles are in the census area Caversham (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Caversham exactly.
More households have no car in Caversham than across Dunedin City: 20.1% against 8.8%.
More workers commute by bus, train or ferry in Caversham than across Dunedin City: 8.3% against 4.6%.
Fewer workers work from home in Caversham than across Dunedin City: 7.4% against 12.6%.
| Measure | Caversham | Dunedin City whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 2,292 | 128,901 |
| Change since 2018 | +1.2% | +2.1% |
| Change since 2013 | +5.1% | +7.2% |
| Median age | 42.9 | 37 |
| Households | 1,041 | 49,188 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 57.6% | 68.1% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 42.7% | 31.8% |
| Median household income | $54,700 | $80,500 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $346 | $400 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 8.1% | 8.2% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 12.4% | 14.8% |
| 15 to 29 | 20.3% | 26.7% |
| 30 to 64 | 42.7% | 41.2% |
| 65 and over | 24.7% | 17.3% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 21.3% | 21.2% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 26.9% | 22.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 48.2% | 45.1% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 21.1% | 24.0% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 22.4% | 29.0% |
| Employed full-time | 42.0% | 44.5% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 3.0% | 3.2% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 32.2% | 42.6% |
| Median personal income | $29,800 | $33,500 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 7.4% | 12.6% |
| Car, truck or van | 73.3% | 70.3% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 8.3% | 4.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 9.6% | 11.4% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 44.2% | 27.0% |
| Average people per household | 2 | 2.5 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 20.1% | 8.8% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 4.5% | 3.4% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 29.5% | 38.4% |
| Couples without children | 42.8% | 46.5% |
| One-parent families | 28.3% | 15.1% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 61.6% | 81.2% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.5 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 77.0% | 77.7% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 20.4% | 17.3% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 12.1% | 11.5% |
Rents around Caversham
New tenancies in Caversham in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $570 a week (up 14.0% on a year earlier). That is close to the typical suburb in Dunedin City ($565), and close to the national median ($600).
| April–June 2026 | Caversham | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $570 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $495–$615 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +14.0% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 27 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Caversham
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Caversham, among them Carisbrook School (Full Primary) and Te Whirika Sara Cohen Specialist School (Specialist School).
- Carisbrook School (Full Primary)
- Te Whirika Sara Cohen Specialist School (Specialist School)
- Nearest school: Te Whirika Sara Cohen Specialist School (0.2 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Queen's High School (1.0 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Dunedin Hospital (3.8 km)
School enrolment zones in Caversham: a guide
Four secondary schools have a home zone covering most of Caversham's titles, among them John McGlashan College, Kavanagh College and Queens High School.
- Dunedin Rudolf Steiner School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Liberton Christian School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Columba College (composite): all or nearly all titles
- John McGlashan College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Kavanagh College (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- Queens High School (secondary): all or nearly all titles
- St Hildas Collegiate (secondary): all or nearly all titles
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 Caversham
OpenStreetMap maps 3 places of worship inside Caversham (3 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Caversham Presbyterian Church, under 1 km away
- Muslim: Masjid Al Huda, 4.1 km away
- Jewish: Dunedin Jewish Congregation, 4.8 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Dunedin City with many cross-leases
- Mosgiel: 626 cross-lease titles (8.9%)
- Saint Kilda: 573 cross-lease titles (25.3%)
- South Dunedin: 356 cross-lease titles (16.9%)
- Dunedin Central: 123 cross-lease titles (3.4%)
- North East Valley: 96 cross-lease titles (5.4%)
- Roslyn: 85 cross-lease titles (9.8%)
- Saint Clair: 85 cross-lease titles (5.5%)
Suburbs like Caversham
The closest match on the measures on this site is Forbury Corner in Dunedin City, nearest on distance to a hospital, distance to the coast, rent. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbury Corner | Dunedin City | 16.7% | $573 | 39.7 | distance to a hospital, distance to the coast, rent |
| Saint Kilda | Dunedin City | 25.3% | $535 | 42.4 | schools, distance to a hospital, recent movers within NZ |
| South Dunedin | Dunedin City | 16.9% | $540 | 46.3 | land per flat, children, distance to the coast |
| Seaview, Timaru District | Timaru District | 18.5% | $430 | 41 | born overseas, distance to the coast, elevation |
| Waimataitai | Timaru District | 8.3% | $490 | 44.4 | commuting on foot or by bike, slope, older residents |
Questions
What is the rent in Caversham?
New tenancies in the Caversham rent area had a median rent of $570 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 $495 to $615.
What schools are in Caversham?
LINZ maps 2 school sites inside Caversham: Carisbrook School and Te Whirika Sara Cohen Specialist School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Queen's High School (1.0 km in a straight line). Secondary-school home zones covering most of its titles include John McGlashan College, Kavanagh College and Queens High School; check the school's own zone map for any address.