Living in Invercargill: rents, schools, census and property titles
The 832 live property titles in Invercargill, Invercargill City are almost all freehold (86%), as recorded by LINZ on 30 September 2026. Cross-lease titles number 89 (10.7%), above the national share of 8.7%.
Invercargill cross-lease titles
- Cross-lease titles
- 89
- Share of live titles
- 10.7%
- Live titles in total
- 832
- Invercargill City share
- 7.3%
- New Zealand share
- 8.7%
- Rank by share in Invercargill City
- 7 of 15
- Rank by share in New Zealand
- joint 312 of 644
Invercargill at a glance
Where Invercargill differs most from suburbs across New Zealand: median weekly rent, new tenancies (lower than 97% of NZ suburbs); titles first issued since 2020 (lower than 90% of NZ suburbs).
Higher or lower is not better or worse. Sources and limits
Start here
What the data tells you
Recorded facts
- Invercargill is listed under Invercargill City.
- 832 live titles are recorded here, including 89 cross-lease titles (10.7%).
- 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 10.7% of the recorded title mix. That describes the suburb, not any particular home.
- Unit titles account for 1.6% 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 Invercargill
| Title type | Live titles | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 715 | 85.9% |
| Cross lease | 89 | 10.7% |
| Unit title | 13 | 1.6% |
| Leasehold | 12 | 1.4% |
| Other record types | 3 | 0.4% |
| Total | 832 | 100% |
Counts are titles, not homes; the register can lag conversions, so check the certificate of title. Sources and limits
How Invercargill compares
Nationally, 8.7% of live titles are cross-lease; Invercargill is higher than the national share (8.7%).
Across Invercargill City as a whole, the share is 7.3%; Invercargill is higher than the overall Invercargill City share (7.3%).
How cross-leases in Invercargill are set up
Two-flat schemes are less common here (14% of schemes, against 76% nationally).
More schemes have four or more flats on one section (57%, against 11% nationally), up to 10.
Three-flat schemes are more common here (29%, against 12% nationally).
| Scheme structure | Invercargill | Invercargill City | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-lease schemes (shared sections) | 21 | 714 | 87,651 |
| Two-flat schemes | 14.3% | 53.8% | 76.2% |
| Three-flat schemes | 28.6% | 22.8% | 12.2% |
| Four or more flats | 57.1% | 22.7% | 11.4% |
| Typical section size (from the titles, not a survey) | 1,174 m² | 994 m² | 908 m² |
| Typical land per flat | 303 m² | 362 m² | 408 m² |
| Schemes with a garage written into a lease | 38.1% | 33.6% | 28.4% |
| Schemes with a carport in a lease | 14.3% | 16.1% | 13.3% |
| Schemes with a separate exclusive-use area | 0.0% | 1.7% | 4.5% |
| Schemes referring to more than one flats plan (usually redrawn; not by itself a problem) | 19.0% | 23.0% | 35.6% |
| Median year of earliest current title | 1981 | 1982 | 1988 |
| Two-flat schemes on 700 m² or more | 1 | 326 | 54,978 |
Unit titles and leasehold in Invercargill
Unit titles are 2% of Invercargill's titles, well below New Zealand (8%). They belong to 3 developments, each run by a body corporate; half have 2 units or fewer.
The unit-title share is 3rd highest of 15 in Invercargill City.
12 titles (1.4%) are leasehold.
1 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 | 1 |
| 10 to 50 years left | 0 |
| More than 50 years left | 8 |
| Term mentions renewal (including perpetually renewable) | 3 |
| Term not stated or not readable | 0 |
New titles in Invercargill since 2020
23 of Invercargill's current titles (3%) were first issued since 2020, well below Invercargill City's suburbs with new-title figures taken together (7%) and well below New Zealand (12%).
| Title type | Since 2020 | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Freehold | 23 | 16 |
| Unit title | 0 | 0 |
| Cross-lease | 0 | 0 |
| Leasehold | 0 | 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 Invercargill
The typical building in Invercargill stands on ground sloping 1.0° (read on an 8 m grid, so short steep banks may be understated).
Nearly all of its 718 measured buildings (98%) stand on ground under 5°.
Much of the land is low-lying: the median elevation is 6 m.
Slope is not a measure of ground stability. Sources and limits
Distance to the coast from Invercargill
0% of Invercargill's titles are within 200 m of the sea or harbour edge, 0% within 500 m and 6% within 1 km. The typical title is 1.5 km away.
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 Invercargill: 2023 Census
About 97% of Invercargill's titles are in the census area Invercargill Central (a Stats NZ statistical area), so these figures describe that area, not Invercargill exactly.
More workers walk or cycle to work in Invercargill Central than across Invercargill City: 28.6% against 5.6%.
More households have no car in Invercargill Central than across Invercargill City: 20.3% against 6.6%.
Fewer households own their home in Invercargill Central than across Invercargill City: 32.9% against 72.4%.
| Measure | Invercargill Central | Invercargill City whole council |
|---|---|---|
| Usual residents | 1,278 | 55,599 |
| Change since 2018 | −6.4% | +2.6% |
| Change since 2013 | +13.6% | +7.5% |
| Median age | 37.9 | 40 |
| Households | 456 | 22,125 |
| Own or part-own their home (including family trusts) | 32.9% | 72.4% |
| Not owned and not in a family trust (mostly renting) | 66.4% | 27.6% |
| Median household income | $55,300 | $80,900 |
| Median weekly rent, renting households | $300 | $350 |
| Dwellings unoccupied on census night | 14.0% | 6.8% |
| Ages | ||
| Under 15 | 8.7% | 18.4% |
| 15 to 29 | 26.8% | 18.0% |
| 30 to 64 | 48.6% | 45.1% |
| 65 and over | 16.0% | 18.4% |
| Where people came from | ||
| Born overseas | 31.9% | 14.9% |
| Of those born overseas, arrived in the last 5 years | 59.4% | 32.7% |
| Lived elsewhere in New Zealand 5 years ago (of all residents, including children born since) | 56.6% | 42.9% |
| Lived overseas 5 years ago (of all residents) | 6.6% | 3.3% |
| Moved here in the last year (of all residents) | 39.9% | 17.7% |
| Work and study (people 15 and over) | ||
| Bachelor degree or higher | 25.5% | 17.6% |
| Employed full-time | 38.8% | 51.6% |
| Unemployed (share of everyone 15 and over, not the unemployment rate) | 6.2% | 2.6% |
| Managers and professionals (of those employed) | 27.7% | 34.8% |
| Median personal income | $26,200 | $39,900 |
| Getting to work (of those employed) | ||
| Work from home | 8.9% | 9.2% |
| Car, truck or van | 59.6% | 83.5% |
| Bus, train or ferry | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Walk or cycle | 28.6% | 5.6% |
| Households and families | ||
| One-person households | 45.8% | 29.0% |
| Average people per household | 2 | 2.4 |
| Households with no motor vehicle | 20.3% | 6.6% |
| Crowded households (need one or more extra bedrooms) | 6.5% | 3.4% |
| Couples with children (of families) | 27.7% | 38.0% |
| Couples without children | 50.8% | 43.5% |
| One-parent families | 21.5% | 18.4% |
| Homes | ||
| Separate (stand-alone) houses | 40.9% | 87.7% |
| Average bedrooms | 2.3 | 3 |
| Heated with a heat pump | 79.0% | 79.6% |
| Damp, always or sometimes | 19.4% | 15.4% |
| Mould over A4 size, always or sometimes | 13.4% | 11.3% |
Rents around Invercargill
New tenancies in Invercargill Central in the April–June 2026 quarter had a median rent of $410 a week (up 7.9% on a year earlier). That is below the typical suburb in Invercargill City ($523), and below the national median ($600); 2nd lowest of 11 in Invercargill City.
| April–June 2026 | Invercargill Central | New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Median weekly rent, new tenancies | $410 | $600 |
| Middle half of rents | $340–$465 | $490–$700 |
| Change in median on a year earlier | +7.9% | +0.2% |
| Bonds lodged in the quarter | 18 | 40,827 |
Schools and hospitals near Invercargill
One school site lies inside Invercargill: Invercargill Middle School (Contributing).
- Invercargill Middle School (Contributing)
- Nearest school: Invercargill Middle School (0.4 km)
- Nearest secondary school: Southland Girls' High School (1.2 km)
- Nearest public general hospital: Southland Hospital (3.1 km)
School enrolment zones in Invercargill: a guide
One secondary school has a home zone covering most of Invercargill's titles: Verdon College.
- Invercargill Middle School (primary, Years 1–6): all or nearly all titles
- Southland Adventist Christian School (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- St John's Girls' School (Invercargill) (primary, Years 1–8): all or nearly all titles
- Verdon College (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 Invercargill
OpenStreetMap maps 11 places of worship inside Invercargill (11 Christian).
Nearest mapped place of each tradition within 10 km:
- Christian: Central Baptist Church, under 1 km away
- Buddhist: Wat Buddhasamakhee Invercargill, 7.0 km away
- Muslim: Southland Muslims Association Masjid, 2.8 km away
Listed as facilities for access; not an indicator of who lives here. Sources and limits
Other suburbs in Invercargill City with many cross-leases
- Windsor: 400 cross-lease titles (22.5%)
- Appleby: 335 cross-lease titles (19.5%)
- Richmond: 230 cross-lease titles (19.2%)
- Strathern: 191 cross-lease titles (11.2%)
- Gladstone: 129 cross-lease titles (11.3%)
- Waikiwi: 128 cross-lease titles (8.3%)
- Grasmere: 80 cross-lease titles (6.1%)
- Avenal: 74 cross-lease titles (10.8%)
All suburbs in Invercargill City
Suburbs like Invercargill
The closest match on the measures on this site is Appleby, Invercargill City in Invercargill City, nearest on elevation, schools, slope. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Appleby, Invercargill City | Invercargill City | 19.5% | $420 | 32.2 | elevation, schools, slope |
| Avenal | Invercargill City | 10.8% | $390 | 40.1 | cross-lease share, population change, distance to the coast |
| Nelson | Nelson City | 2.3% | $450 | 40.4 | elevation, distance to the coast, commuting by public transport |
| New Plymouth | New Plymouth District | 10.9% | $540 | 44.2 | schools, stand-alone houses, cross-lease share |
| Hastings | Hastings District | 10.3% | No data | 34.9 | cross-lease share, recent movers within NZ, elevation |
Questions
What is the rent in Invercargill?
New tenancies in Invercargill Central (the rent area for part of Invercargill) had a median rent of $410 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 $340 to $465.
What schools are in Invercargill?
LINZ maps 1 school site inside Invercargill: Invercargill Middle School. The nearest secondary school to its centre is Southland Girls' High School (1.2 km in a straight line). The secondary-school home zone covering most of its titles is Verdon College; check the school's own zone map for any address.