20 February 2024

LIM Report vs SiteIntel: What's the Difference?

We get this question a lot. Here's an honest comparison of what an official council LIM report contains versus what SiteIntel's instant property intelligence report offers — and why you probably need both.

What Only a LIM Has

A council LIM contains information that is held by the council internally and is NOT available in public datasets:

Unconsented building work — if the vendor added a deck or sleepout without consent, it won't appear in public records

Outstanding notices and requisitions — if a building inspector has issued an enforcement notice, only the LIM reveals it

All historical building consents — including those never digitised

Code Compliance Certificates — confirmation that consented work was completed to code

Outstanding rates — any unpaid rates owed on the property

Council-specific notes — anything the council holds that isn't in a public spatial layer

These are critical for any property purchase. SiteIntel cannot provide this information.

What SiteIntel Has (and LIMs Often Don't)

SiteIntel aggregates public spatial data that is technically available in LIMs — but often presented better:

Interactive hazard map — see flood zones and seismic hazards overlaid on a map

HAIL contamination sites within 200m — cross-referenced against the regional council register

GNS Science seismic data — liquefaction and fault data from national databases

Plain-English risk summaries — LIMs are written in bureaucratic language; SiteIntel translates this into actionable information

A LIM typically costs $375–$563 and contains many pages of legal text. SiteIntel provides a $39 colour-coded summary in seconds.

The Recommended Workflow

1. Enter the address in SiteIntel ($0 free lookup) — check zone and headline risks instantly

2. Purchase full SiteIntel report ($39) — if the property looks interesting, get the full hazard analysis

3. Make an offer with a LIM condition — only pay for a LIM ($375+) once you have a conditional offer accepted

4. Review both reports together — use SiteIntel's plain-English summary to help interpret the official LIM

This approach means you're not spending $400 on LIMs for properties you quickly rule out, while still ensuring you get complete information before unconditional agreement.

The Bottom Line

SiteIntel and a council LIM are complementary, not competing. Use SiteIntel early in your property search to quickly screen properties and identify issues. Use the official LIM before going unconditional on any purchase.

SiteIntel is honest about this — every report includes a clear disclaimer recommending an official LIM for any transaction.

Check any NZ property instantly

Flood risk, seismic hazards, zoning, and contamination — from $0.

Get a property report →