You can ask for a copy of a property file if you are considering buying a property, applying for building consent or resource consent, or for insurance claim purposes.

Request a property file online

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Information in a property file may include:

  • completed building permit and consent information
  • drainage plans relating to consented work
  • copies of plans and specifications
  • code compliance certificates
  • project information memoranda (PIMs)
  • planning reports
  • resource consent decisions
  • associated documents
  • property inspection reports
  • historic land information memorandums (LIMs)

It is unlikely that the Council holds any original plans for properties built prior to the 1950s, however there might be plans on file for houses built in the 1950s or 1960s.

The Council holds no original plans for Housing New Zealand dwellings built before 1993.

We cannot guarantee that the information you require will be included on a property file.

To order a residential or commercial property file complete our online form(external link), call us on 03 941 8999 or visit a service centre. 

Mac users - To select your address on the map within our online form you need to hold down the CTRL key while clicking.

Sometimes our emails go into your promotions, spam or e-junk folders. Please check these folders before calling or responding to the ticket email.

We will send you a link to download the property file from, so please ensure you download the information in 14 days otherwise you will be required to reapply.

Residential property files

For costs involved refer to our fee schedule. You can pay by credit card over the phone or by cash, eftpos or Visa/MasterCard when order at one of our service centres.

Residential property files are provided by email via a link to the file. There is no hard-copy viewing service available for residential property files. 

Commercial property files

Building consents started to be electronically processed from mid - 2011 and before this time it is likely they will be in a hard copy format. All non-electronic Christchurch property files are held in off-site storage.

Because most commercial property files are usually very large, we have made these available for viewing at Iron Mountain’s facility at 311 Dakota Park, 3 George Bellew Road, Christchurch 8053. Within three days of your request to view a file, someone will contact you to make time for you to do this.

We can scan/copy documents from the file for you, however, it can take up to five working days for this to be completed. The cost will vary so please refer to the fee schedule for an estimate.

If you would like a copy of the whole file we can convert it into an electronic format for you. This can be expensive, therefore we will send you a quote, which you will need to accept first. Refer to regulatory and property information fee schedule.

How to include information on a property file

To add information to a property file you can email it to propertyfileinfo@ccc.govt.nz.

This could be information such as an exemption completion or record of works report, or a property check report. 

Third-party building reports

If the Council receives a third-party report or letter about work done or not done on a building, the information is kept in the property file and can be viewed as part of the public record.

The Council accepts no liability for the contents of these reports, nor is it liable for any representations made within any report. These reports are not included in the LIM because the Council cannot verify the information in the report.

Please note that Detailed Engineer Evaluation (DEE) reports for commercial buildings to be added to property files should be sent to DEEs@ccc.govt.nz.