If you’re thinking of buying, or already own a unit title, you should be familiar with the Unit Titles Act. The Act covers:

• registration of unit titles
• body corporate operational guidance
• disclosure of information for buying and selling units
• funding regimes for building maintenance
• resolving disputes
• cancellation or conversion of unit plans.

Unit Titles Act 2010 (Legislation website)(external link)

3 agencies administer the Act:

• Land Information New Zealand holds unit plans for all properties. You can order a copy of the unit plan through the LINZ website.
  Land Information New Zealand(external link) — linz.govt
• The Ministry of Justice supports the Tenancy Tribunal. You can apply to the Tribunal if you have a unit title dispute.
  Ministry of Justice(external link) — justice.govt
• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development outlines policy regarding the Unit Titles Act.
  Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development(external link) — hud.govt

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is the unit titles regulator. MBIE can monitor and assess compliance by bodies corporate and body corporate managers with the Unit Titles Act. This is now a proactive function, as opposed to responding to complaints about breaches.

Unit Titles Regulations 2011

The Unit Titles Regulations 2011 support the Act. These act as a handbook of operational guidelines. If you own a unit title, you should also be familiar with the regulations.

• Unit Titles Regulations 2011(external link): include rules for body corporate meetings, elections, disclosure for sellers and more.
• Unit Titles (Unit Title Disputes – Fees) Regulations 2011(external link): outlines the fees for resolving disputes.
• Residential Tenancies (Unit Title Disputes) Rules 2011(external link): outlines the rules for unit title disputes.