How Do I Subdivide My Property? What You Need To Know

Would you like to see whether you can subdivide your property and potentially release some capital or allow your children to get on the property ladder?

You may be sitting on a gold mine of untapped wealth.

HOW CAN I TELL IF I CAN SUBDIVIDE MY PROPERTY?

There are generally four things that determine whether you can subdivide your property:

The size and shape of your section;
The zone in the district plan that your property lies within;
Whether you intend to develop the sites at the same time as subdivision; and
Whether there are existing structures on your property that you wish to maintain

Resource consent is generally required by most Councils across New Zealand for any type of subdivision.

Subdivision without development of the new allotments is generally known across Councils as a ‘vacant-lot subdivision’. There is a minimum site size that needs to be met, with this being different for each zone as set out in district plans, before Council can grant consent approval to vacant-lot subdivisions. In some cases, it is easier to apply for a ‘land use’ consent to develop the site at the same time as the subdivision consent to enable smaller site sizes to be achieved. For example, the minimum site size for the Terraced Housing and Apartment Buildings zone in the Auckland urban area is 300m²but smaller sites can be granted consent if a housing development is proposed at the same time as the subdivision.

The rules in the district plan relevant to your property outline whether you can subdivide your property and what the size/shape requirements are for the new lot sections. For example, if your property is in the urban area of Tauranga, you will need a property at least 700m² in size within the Suburban Residential zone. For the wider Bay of Plenty it depends which District Council area you reside within and the zoning of your property.

On the other hand, if your property is in a rural area then it can be difficult or not possible to subdivide your property unless it’s a very large site. Again, the zone that your site is within determines whether it is possible. For example, if your property is in the Rural Production zone in the Auckland region, you will require a site of at least 200ha for a 2-lot subdivision.

If your property is within an area that your Council is happy to see more subdivision and development in, then there are a few other factors that need to be considered such as:

Access to the property and whether the property is serviced by adequate stormwater, wastewater and water supply
Whether the site is unstable or has geotechnical issues
What size house you might wish to build on the new section and how it will be placed on site.
If there is an existing house or other structures that you intend to maintain on the site before subdivision, this affects the area available for subdivision and continued access to the existing property needs to be considered in the design of the subdivision.

For subdivision in rural areas, the location of streams and vegetated areas also needs to be considered in addition to the above. Councils generally pay careful attention to these natural features when assessing consent applications for subdivision in rural areas as they intend to ensure these features are maintained into the future.

CAN I STAGE MY SUBDIVISION PROCESS?

Yes, you can. We can provide a quote to you that splits your subdivision into stages, depending on how quickly you want to progress to consent and then construction. We can also work to your budget and provide a full service to ensure your development is made easy.

WHAT STAGES ARE THERE FOR A SUBDIVISION?

A general staging plan for a subdivision would be:
Stage 1 – Full feasibility and pre-application meeting with Council
Stage 2 – Prepare Subdivision consent and lodge with Council
Stage 3 – Once consent is granted, work with you to find a good contractor for infrastructure works
Stage 4 – Oversee construction works and complete paperwork to submit to LINZ to obtain your new title.