Unit titles and body corporates in New Zealand
LINZ records 182,305 live unit titles on unit plans, in 15,985 developments: 7.5% of all live titles. 662 developments have 50 or more units. Since 2020, 33,646 new unit titles have been issued.
What a unit title is
A unit title gives you ownership of your unit (an apartment, townhouse or flat) and a share of the common property, which can include the land, driveways, roof and shared walls, depending on the unit plan. Every unit-title development is run by a body corporate made up of all the owners. It sets levies, usually keeps a long-term maintenance plan and makes rules. Before you buy, the seller must give you a pre-contract disclosure statement under the Unit Titles Act 2010; the body corporate's minutes and accounts show what is planned and what it costs.
When developments were first titled
65,743 unit titles (36%) are in developments whose earliest current title was issued between 1994 and 2005. A title date is not a build date and says nothing about any one building; the body corporate records, the LIM and a building report do.
By council
| Council | Unit titles | Developments | Developments with 50+ units | In developments first titled 1994–2005 | Unit titles issued since 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | 100,927 | 7,220 | 402 | 39% | 19,188 |
| Carterton District | 165 | 5 | 2 | 0% | 21 |
| Central Otago District | 458 | 112 | 0 | 36% | 48 |
| Christchurch City | 15,511 | 1,992 | 34 | 26% | 2,559 |
| Dunedin City | 2,644 | 420 | 7 | 30% | 339 |
| Far North District | 794 | 120 | 0 | 41% | 83 |
| Gisborne District | 454 | 32 | 2 | 33% | 67 |
| Hamilton City | 8,346 | 1,127 | 11 | 24% | 2,104 |
| Hastings District | 328 | 35 | 1 | 30% | 67 |
| Horowhenua District | 194 | 15 | 2 | 2% | 4 |
| Hurunui District | 137 | 13 | 1 | 54% | 18 |
| Invercargill City | 118 | 14 | 0 | 52% | 13 |
| Kapiti Coast District | 812 | 67 | 2 | 39% | 174 |
| Lower Hutt City | 2,438 | 287 | 4 | 30% | 512 |
| Mackenzie District | 146 | 6 | 1 | 20% | 0 |
| Marlborough District | 701 | 78 | 1 | 34% | 111 |
| Masterton District | 106 | 9 | 1 | 67% | 0 |
| Matamata-Piako District | 360 | 26 | 1 | 27% | 24 |
| Napier City | 1,090 | 89 | 6 | 29% | 190 |
| Nelson City | 1,019 | 66 | 2 | 28% | 305 |
| New Plymouth District | 749 | 97 | 2 | 18% | 166 |
| Palmerston North City | 977 | 125 | 2 | 27% | 125 |
| Porirua City | 553 | 87 | 1 | 20% | 156 |
| Queenstown-Lakes District | 6,660 | 823 | 26 | 33% | 1,246 |
| Rotorua District | 1,021 | 74 | 7 | 38% | 152 |
| Ruapehu District | 133 | 16 | 0 | 48% | 0 |
| Selwyn District | 315 | 20 | 1 | 33% | 74 |
| Tasman District | 151 | 11 | 1 | 15% | 42 |
| Taupo District | 1,298 | 92 | 1 | 25% | 343 |
| Tauranga City | 4,550 | 324 | 16 | 38% | 783 |
| Thames-Coromandel District | 1,040 | 82 | 4 | 38% | 74 |
| Timaru District | 426 | 137 | 0 | 18% | 10 |
| Upper Hutt City | 389 | 58 | 1 | 37% | 18 |
| Waikato District | 440 | 26 | 3 | 25% | 82 |
| Waimakariri District | 467 | 35 | 2 | 34% | 76 |
| Waipa District | 641 | 66 | 1 | 38% | 247 |
| Waitaki District | 104 | 13 | 1 | 10% | 19 |
| Wellington City | 21,650 | 1,701 | 103 | 41% | 3,482 |
| Western Bay of Plenty District | 594 | 39 | 3 | 8% | 217 |
| Whakatane District | 342 | 31 | 1 | 28% | 8 |
| Whanganui District | 789 | 140 | 1 | 8% | 73 |
| Whangarei District | 1,251 | 135 | 4 | 21% | 319 |
Counted from LINZ NZ Property Titles and Title Estates as at 30 September 2026. A development is the set of unit titles on one unit plan. Suburbs that straddle two councils are counted under the first council LINZ lists. Each suburb's page has its own figures. Leasehold titles · Find suburbs
More 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
- Leasehold property: Leasehold titles and lease terms by council
- All suburbs: Every suburb page, by council
