Residential Property
For all of your property needs
Our team has the expertise to help you whether it's buying, selling, developing, subdividing, or investing in property.

We can assist with all aspects of the sale and purchase ensuring the best outcome for you. Our team also has specialised knowledge in council requirements and Resource Management matters. We can guide you through each step of the process.

We run regular sessions with ANZ where you can practice at a Mock Auction or learn about the Tips and Tricks of building from new. See our upcoming events page for details.

For further information on buying and selling property, please see the documents below:

  • First Home Buyer Support - What is Available?  Read more

  • First Home Buyer - FAQs  Read more

  • How to Purchase a Property in New Zealand   Read more

  • How to Sell a Property in New Zealand    Read more

Specialists

Recent Projects

  • Providing advice on entry into rest home or retirement villages
  • Completion of boundary adjustments, subdivisions, cross lease plan changes, unit title development
  • Acted for a land owner to confirm lease arrangements for a supermarket development
  • Advised vineyard companies on land acquisition in Marlborough, completing property due diligence
  • Acting on behalf of all 31 unit holders of the Cranmer Court Body Corporate to achieve unanimous agreement to the sale of all their units and avoid immeditate demolition of the heritage facade. This involved liaising with multiple lawyers representing individual owners, the purchaser's lawyers, and the unit owners directly in various timeframes, and negotiation with CERA for cancellation of the demolition contract. All was required under urgent deadlines.
  • Acting for vendors in the Christchurch “red zone”, dealing with sale to CERA, and settling insurance issues.
  • Advising various Body Corporates and property owners on issues arising from Christchurch earthquakes.
  • Acting for developers on large-scale residential subdivisions throughout the country.
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Articles

22/06/2020

Your home is your castle

Lockdown and the COVID-19 global pandemic has seen us all spending more of our time at home.

Keep reading...


9/06/2020

Deadline extended for the compliance statement for the healthy homes standard

From the 1 July 2019 landlords were required to meet the new rules for the healthy home standards that related to insulation, ventilation, heating, moisture ingress, draught stopping and drainage.

Keep reading...


22/05/2020

Defective EQC Repairs? Time’s running out…

If you bought an EQC repaired house after the Canterbury Earthquakes and before 15 August 2019 and you have concerns about the quality of the repairs, the clock is ticking. You only have until 14 August 2020 to register your interest in an EQC ex gratia payment for repair costs.

Keep reading...


6/05/2020

COVID-19: Change in restrictions to assist house buying

The Reserve Bank has now removed the general restrictions previously imposed on banks that impacted on the banks’ ability to lend especially to those in the first home buyer market.

Keep reading...


17/04/2020

Property settlements during the COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown

The COVID-19 lockdown is a unique situation for New Zealand and the rest of the world. Property settlements are just one of the areas that have already been affected. Many clients are now in a position of having an unconditional contract during this period but have yet to settle on the purchase and/or move into the property.

Keep reading...


8/04/2020

It’s a building…it’s a vehicle…it’s a tiny house!

A number of recent Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment determinations, and District and Environment Court decisions have discussed the legality of ‘tiny houses’, and specifically the question of whether they need to comply with the requirements of the Building Act 2004 and Resource Management Act 1991.

Keep reading...


28/11/2019

Big changes for tenants and landlords

Changes are coming to the controversial arena of residential landlord and tenant legal relationships. With 1 in 3 New Zealanders now renting, these changes will affect a significant proportion of the population. The Government has announced a suite of changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1986.

Keep reading...


26/08/2019

Changes to the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill

Recent changes to the Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill (No 2) in July 2019 see landlords having more protection over accidental damage caused by their tenants. Tenants are now unable to rely on their landlord’s insurance for damage they cause to the rental property.

Keep reading...


10/07/2019

Supreme Court decides reinstatement benefits cannot be assigned

The Supreme Court has decided the case of Xu v IAG NZ Ltd against the homeowners by a 3:2 majority.

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13/06/2019

Real estate agents – can you believe what your clients tell you?

This article focuses on two topics: agents’ liability for passing on a third party’s report, and agents’ liability for passing on incorrect information told to them by the vendor.

Keep reading...


8/04/2019

What are the restrictions/limitations of a cross lease title?

A cross lease title was historically one of the two most common ways a property could be subdivided and contains rights of ownership and rights of use. New cross leases are not very common now. If you are looking to buy a property which is a cross lease title you should look carefully at the terms of the lease.

Keep reading...


14/03/2019

What is a cash out / escape / rollover clause?

With the property market appearing to be more of a “buyers” market at present and purchasers wanting more time in which to complete their investigations into properties, what would a “cash out”, “escape” or “rollover” clause mean for both a vendor and purchaser?

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30/01/2019

Buying residential property in New Zealand – do you need consent?

The Overseas Investment Office (OIO) placed greater restrictions on who can buy property in New Zealand on 22 October 2018. Most overseas people are now unable to buy homes in New Zealand (regardless of whether they already own property here), but some can request consent from the OIO.

Keep reading...


16/03/2018

Purchase of real estate: High Court reminder of what not to do when another party tries to cancel an agreement

Associate Judge Sargisson's decision in Sutton v van Der AA is a timely reminder of how parties should act if they do not accept a repudiation (cancellation) of an agreement by the other party. In essence, if you do not accept the repudiation then you should conduct yourself that way by your words and actions.

Keep reading...


10/01/2018

Tenants' liability for damage – High Court ruling

The Court of Appeal in Holler v Osaki confirmed that a residential tenant who damages their landlord's property carelessly can not be sued by their landlord in respect of the damage. In November 2017, the High Court released a new judgment on tenants' liability, in Linklater v Dickinson.

Keep reading...


4/08/2017

Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 – A Landlord's Perspective

This article considers what is required of landlords, whether commercial or residential, under the health and Safety at Work Act 2015.

Keep reading...


6/06/2017

Property ownership – joint tenants or tenants in common?

There are two forms of ownership that can be registered on a Certificate of Title when you are purchasing land. These terms have specific meanings, which is very important in structuring how your property is actually owned.

Keep reading...


30/09/2016

The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act: landlords and tenants

If you own or are intending to buy a rental property, it is important you are aware of the recent changes that place obligations on landlords. The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2016 came into force on 1 July 2016 for all residential tenancies.

Keep reading...


18/08/2016

Changes to KiwiSaver HomeStart Grant from 1 August 2016

If you are looking to purchase a property and have a KiwiSaver investment, you should check to see if you are eligible for a HomeStart Grant from Housing New Zealand. There have been recent changes to the KiwiSaver HomeStart Grant criteria that potentially increases the number of property buyers who may now be eligible for the Grant.

Keep reading...


14/06/2016

KiwiSaver Rules Tweaked for Second Chance Withdrawals

Good news for those that have previously owned property. The Minister for Building and Housing, Dr Nick Smith, has recently announced that the income caps are being removed from the previous home owner eligibility criteria from 1 July 2016

Keep reading...


11/09/2015

Assisting Family Members with a Property Purchase

Banks are restricted by the amount of lending they are able to offer purchasers due to a Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) imposed upon them by the Reserve Bank. The LVR is the amount of the loan divided by the value of the property and if this is more than 80%, i.e. there is less than a 20% deposit, the banks are stricter with the amount they will lend.

Keep reading...


8/09/2015

Bright Line Test - Sale of Residential Property

As part of the 2015 Budget, the Government announced changes to the tax rules around property transactions, introducing the 'bright line test'. The new rules will apply to transactions from 1 October 2015.

Keep reading...


20/02/2015

EQC Excess on Canterbury Home Repair Programme Repairs

The Earthquake Commission ("EQC") is coming to the end of its Canterbury Home Repair Programme ("CHRP"). It is now looking to recover the excess payable for work managed by Fletcher EQR. From April, EQC will begin posting invoices for excess(es) on completed CHRP repairs as part of the final steps of EQC's programme. Under the Earthquake Commission Act, EQC pay for the repair or replacement of the damage, less applicable excesses for building, land and contents claims. An excess is the amount a homeowner is required to contribute towards the claims for a natural disaster event; sometimes more than one excess applies, for example where the damage has been caused by two or more different earthquakes.

Keep reading...


12/02/2015

Changes to the Building Act: How they affect you

Thinking of building or renovating? The Building Amendment Act 2013 now prescribes what information must be contained in a building contract, what information must be disclosed to a consumer and other new consumer protection measures. Make sure you are aware of these changes before signing on the dotted line. In the wake of the leaky house crisis and the increase in building activity in major centres such as Christchurch and Auckland, the residential building sector has come under the spotlight. In response to this, Parliament reviewed the Building Act 2004 (the Act).

Keep reading...


8/08/2014

The impact of The Reserve Bank LVR rules for first home buyers

The Reserve Bank LVR (loan to value ratio) rules were introduced in late 2013 and imposed a "speed limit" on banks' lending to those borrowers with less than equity of 20% of the purchase price of the house they were looking to purchase. Only a small percentage of loans where the borrower has less than 20% equity are now able to be issued by each bank.

Keep reading...


7/08/2014

KiwiSaver and buying your first home

KiwiSaver may be able to help you with buying your first home or with the overall deposit when buying land to build a house on. The two KiwiSaver features that are available are the First-Home Savings Withdrawal from your KiwiSaver provider and the First Home Deposit Subsidy from Housing New Zealand.

Keep reading...


21/11/2013

Sum Insured - It's On You

For most people a house is one of the biggest and most important assets they will buy. It makes sense that protecting that asset should be just as important. Unfortunately, house insurance is changing and gone are the good old days of full replacement policies.

Keep reading...


18/09/2013

Building your new home - points to note

Building your dream home should not be a nightmare. With the right advice and information building a house can be a smoother process.

Keep reading...


7/05/2013

Time for a Change? Buying and Selling Property in Canterbury can be a bit of a Challenge

Moving out and moving on? There are many things to think about when selling a property and the recent earthquakes in Canterbury have created extra points to note.

Keep reading...


25/02/2013

Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware

The recent High Court decision of Johnson v Auckland Council highlights the fundamental  legal principle of caveat emptor - buyer beware!

Keep reading...


20/11/2012

Agreement for Sale and Purchase

The new edition of the Auckland District Law Society Agreement for Sale and Purchase of Real Estate (ADLS Agreement) has been released.  The ADLS Agreement is the most widely used sale and purchase agreement in New Zealand.  The new edition aims takes into account changes in technology, legislation case law and conveyancing practice.

Keep reading...


1/02/2012

Disclosure Requirements under the new Unit Titles Act 2010

The Unit Titles Act 2010 (the "New Act") came in to force on 20 June 2011.  This new Act replaces the outdated Unit Titles Act 1972 and brings with it some significant changes.

Keep reading...
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Wynn Williams Christchurch
Level 5, Wynn Williams House, 47 Hereford Street, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand.
PO Box 4341, DX WX11179, Christchurch 8140.
+64 3 379 7622
+64 3 379 2467
Wynn Williams Auckland
Level 25, Vero Centre, 48 Shortland Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
PO Box 2401, Shortland Street, Auckland 1140.
+64 9 300 2600
+64 9 300 2609
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