Waitaki council claims third-party property sites 3000% more expensive

A warning about third-party property data websites has been issued after some were described as charging "eyewatering" amounts for property information.

The district council issued a warning on Monday to those looking to purchase property files and land information memorandums (LIMs) from third-party sites acting on behalf of property owners and buyers.

The council said it was aware those third-party sites were lodging applications with the council, which held the information, but charging a lot more than the council fees.

The council outlined its standard fees and said it charged $440 for residential LIMs and $585 for commercial LIMs.

It said it was aware of third-party sites charging $1299 and $2499 for the same information, mark-ups of 195% and 327%, respectively, on the council fees.

The largest markup was for basic property files, with the council charging $15 for owners and $45 for non-owners.

Third-party sites were found to be charging a flat rate of $499 for the same information, 3226% more than the council fee for owners and 1008% more for non-owners.

Waitaki District Council chief executive Alex Parmley said he wanted people to know about the charges, so they did not spend money unnecessarily.

"At a time when finances are squeezed, we want to make sure the community don’t end up paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars more for a service that Council offers for a far lower price and a far faster turnaround."

The council’s building team was one of the best in the country, Parmley said, and information was delivered far quicker than the statutory time frame of 10 days.

“While the statutory requirement for providing a LIM or property file is 10 working days, our team averages delivery in 7.8 working days.”

He said applications for LIMs and property files could be found on the council website, or by visiting one of its service desks at the Waihemo library, Ōamaru library, Council HQ, Waitaki Aquatic Centre, or the Network Waitaki Event Centre.

– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ on Air