Unit Title Developments

A unit title development creates individual titles for each unit within a building or complex, along with shared ownership of the common areas (managed by a body corporate). It is commonly used for apartments, townhouses, and commercial strata developments where units share a building or land. Each unit owner holds a separate title and pays levies to maintain the shared areas.

Unit title works best when multiple dwellings or commercial units share a building footprint, a common driveway, or facilities such as lifts or car parks that need to be collectively managed. If each unit can sit on its own separate freehold lot without sharing structural elements, a fee simple subdivision is usually simpler and preferred by buyers.

The Unit Titles Act 2010 requires that a unit plan be prepared by a Licensed Cadastral Surveyor, defining each unit by its boundaries (floor, ceiling, and walls), any accessory units, and the common property. The plan must be approved by LINZ before titles can be issued. Orogen prepares unit plans to the Act's requirements and lodges them with LINZ on your behalf.

A body corporate is the collective of all unit owners in a unit title development, responsible for managing and maintaining the common property. Orogen's unit plan defines the boundaries of each unit and the common property, which forms the basis of the body corporate rules. Getting these boundaries right at the survey stage avoids disputes between unit owners later.

After Orogen prepares and lodges the unit plan, LINZ processing typically takes two to six weeks for standard plans. Registration of the individual unit titles is then handled by your solicitor. Overall, from survey instruction to registered unit titles, allow ten to sixteen weeks for a straightforward project.

Yes. Orogen prepares the unit plan for LINZ lodgement and supports your project team in assembling the documentation required for s224(c) approval from council. We coordinate with your solicitor, civil engineer, and consent authority so everything comes together in the right sequence.