Address history
Address history searches in New Zealand: current address, previous addresses and dates
A current address is rarely one record. It is the point where several independent records agree, and the dates behind them are what tell you whether to trust the match.
The problem this answers
The address on file is the address the subject gave when the relationship started. By the time it matters, it is often two moves old, and the mail that comes back marked gone no address is the first anyone hears about it.
Guessing costs money. An agent instructed to a stale address is a fee spent on nothing, and three failed attempts is the point at which a substituted service application starts to look necessary.
What the search returns
- Current address recorded against the subject, with the source that holds it and the date it was recorded.
- Previous addresses in sequence, which is what lets you read a movement pattern rather than a single point.
- Contact points recorded alongside the address: phone numbers and email addresses held on file by the source.
- Corroborating records where they exist: property ownership, a registered office, an address for service or a director service address.
- Where several sources disagree, each is returned with its own date so the conflict is visible rather than hidden by a single answer.
When it is used
- Before instructing an agent to attempt service, so the attempt is made at an address that more than one record supports.
- On a recovery file where contact has been lost and the debtor has not gone anywhere in particular, only somewhere else.
- In litigation, to establish an address for service and to evidence the enquiry that found it.
- On an estate or beneficiary enquiry, where the person is not avoiding anyone and simply has not been in contact.
What it does not establish
- A recorded address is not proof of occupancy. No record set can confirm that a person slept somewhere last night.
- The date attaching to an address is the date the source recorded it, not the date the subject moved in.
- A single matching record is not a match. Common names produce false positives, which is why corroboration across independent sources is the step that matters.
The limits on the enquiry
- Address data drawn from credit reporting sources is available only for a purpose the Credit Reporting Privacy Code 2020 permits, and the purpose is declared before the search runs.
- The enquiry is limited to what the declared purpose needs. There is no wider profile assembled because it was available.
- Every search is logged against the user, the time and the declared purpose.
The statutory position is set out in full on the compliance page.
Who may access it
- Verified account holders with a declarable authorised purpose: licensed investigators, law firms, collections teams, insurers, corporate risk functions and process serving firms.
- Where a person traces for reward on behalf of another, the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010 generally requires a licence or a certificate of approval, and we verify that before an account is issued.
How intelID consolidates the result
Credit-linked, directory, company and property address records are matched to one subject and returned in a single ordered history rather than five separate answers.
The audit record produced by the search is what supports an affidavit of reasonable enquiry, because it shows what was searched, when and on what stated basis.
What you pay is the monthly subscription plus the searches you run, set out on the pricing page. Every integrated source and its legal basis is listed on the data sources page.
Questions about address history
How far back does address history go?
It depends on the source. Credit reporting records commonly hold several years of recorded addresses, and property and company records can reach further back where the subject appears on them.
Can you confirm the person still lives there?
No platform can. What a search gives you is the recorded position from the licensed sources you select, with dates, so you can judge currency before you act on it.
Is address tracing lawful in New Zealand?
Yes, where the search is run for a lawful, declarable purpose and the information is collected and used in line with the Privacy Act 2020 and the licence terms attaching to each source.
What if two sources give different addresses?
Both are returned with their dates and their source. A conflict is information: it usually marks a recent move, and the more recent record is the one to test first.
Request access to intelID
Tell us who you are and what you need to search, and we will set up your account. Verification is part of the process and usually straightforward. Most accounts are verified and issued within 2 business days.