Housing

The consenting cycle

3 1 UP TO 8 YEARS

2

FOR SALE

SUBDIVISION LOTS GRANTED 1980

TITLES ISSUED (224C) 1217

4 5

BUILDING CONSENTS GRANTED 1688

HOUSES UNDER CONSTRUCTION 1170

UP TO 2 YEARS

FINISHED HOMES (CCC ISSUED) 1497

The development lifecycle generally begins with a subdivision consent being lodged and then granted. The subdivision consent allows a developer to begin earthworks and develop the land for subdividing. For big greenfield developments, this could include laying water and wastewater pipes and building roads. Once the work is completed, the developer can apply for 224c certificates to be issued which then allows them to get titles for the individual sections from Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). Some of this can be done simultaneously. There is a maximum statutory timeframe of eight years to complete a subdivision from the time a consent is granted to when titles have been issued. Once sections have been titled (and often sold to the new owner or a building company), plans can be drawn up for the home that will go on the site. These plans are lodged with Council for building consent. Once the building consent is approved, there is a two-year window to complete the build. Once the build is finished and passes its compliance check, a Code Compliance Certificate (CCC) is issued and the house is ready for its new owners to move in. In 2021, the average time from building consent to CCC was eight months.