Property and title
Property and title searches in New Zealand: ownership, interests and sales history
Property is the asset most likely to be worth enforcing against, and the title is where the question of whether that is true is actually answered.
The problem this answers
Knowing that a subject owns a house tells you almost nothing. What matters is who is registered, what is registered against the title, and what was paid and when.
The reverse question comes up as often: an address is known and the occupier is not, and the register is the way to find who is registered to it.
What the search returns
- The record of title, with the legal description, the land area and the estate held.
- Registered proprietors, whether individuals, companies or trustees.
- Interests noted on the title: mortgages, caveats, easements, covenants and leases.
- Sales history, with dates and recorded consideration where the record holds it.
- The link back to the owner, so a property found from an address can be read against the rest of the subject's position.
When it is used
- Establishing whether a defendant or debtor holds land, and whether there is equity behind it.
- Confirming an owner from an address, or an address from an owner name.
- Pre-litigation asset assessment, alongside PPSR and insolvency records.
- Insurance and claims work, where the ownership position on a property is part of the claim itself.
What it does not establish
- The register records who is registered, not who benefits. Trustee ownership shows the trustees, not the beneficiaries.
- A registered mortgage does not tell you the balance outstanding, so apparent equity is an inference rather than a figure.
- Occupancy is not ownership. The registered proprietor may not be the person living there.
- This is an enquiry search. Where a certified or official register search is required for filing, obtain it from LINZ in the usual way.
The limits on the enquiry
- LINZ data is accessed under LINZ licensing terms, and use is limited to the purpose declared for the search.
- Every search records the user, the time and the declared authorised 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: law firms, investigators, collections teams, insurers and corporate risk functions.
How intelID consolidates the result
Title records return alongside PPSR, company, insolvency and address data, so the property position is read in context rather than on its own.
One audit entry covers the whole enquiry, including the title search element.
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 property and title
Can I search by owner name rather than address?
Yes. An enquiry can run from an address, a title reference or an owner name, and the result links the property back to the person or entity registered to it.
Does a title search show the mortgage balance?
No. It shows that a mortgage is registered and who the mortgagee is. The outstanding balance is not on the register.
Is this the same as an official LINZ search?
It is licensed LINZ data returned for enquiry and assessment. Where a certified copy is required for filing or conveyancing, obtain it from LINZ directly.
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.