This page contains basic property advice for people buying, selling or subdividing a property.
It is important to contact your solicitor in the first instance if you have any questions or concerns relating to conveyancing or subdivision of your property. For all other rates-related inquiries contact the Council’s Customer Services Department.
Conveyancing
Most people employ a solicitor to complete the conveyancying (transfer) of a property sale or subdivision. There is a lot of legal work that needs to be completed before and after the sale of a property, including updating of the property’s ownership details such as the Certificate of Title.
If you have sold your property your solicitor should notify both the Invercargill City Council and Environment Southland, in writing, of the change of ownership.
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) issues properties with a certificate of title. The certificate describes the legal description, the name of the registered owner and other interested parties, and also contains particular property information such as the land record, Maori land, requisition/review etc. Visit the LINZ website for details.
Advice for people buying property
The Real Estate Agents Authority (REAA) is the independent Government regulatory body for the real estate industry in New Zealand. Among the information and services it provides is a comprehensive section for people buying property. Visit the REAA website.
Rates
It is the responsibility of property owners to inform the Council if they are selling or have sold their property. The owners are liable for all rates due up until the Council receives the Notice of Change of Ownership/Occupancy documentation.
As the property owner you are responsible for payment of this year’s rates, although you may be entitled to reimbursement from the new owner for their period of occupation of the property. If you have sold your property and you still receive a Rates Assessment Notice from the Council it would appear that Council has not received the Notice of Sale information from you or your solicitor.
Refuse collection
When you sell or vacate your property, the wheelie bin and recycling must remain with the property, as each bin is assigned to the property concerned. If there is no wheelie bin or recycling crate when you move into the premises contact the previous tenants or property owner. Replacement bins can be purchased from Bond Contracts.
Subdivision
The Council is required to strike its rates on the information contained in the rating valuations as at June 30 in any year. If you subdivide a property and the Council (Invercargill City and Environment Southland) has not received the new rating information from your solicitor, before June 30 of each year, then separate rate assessments are not produced until the next rating year. In these cases your solicitor should work out an apportionment of the total rates owed by parties concerned.
