Need NZ Legal Assistance?

It is 6:20 am on Mon in NZ and our office is currently closed. We are open from 8:00am to 5:30pm (Mon-Fri). Email us by filling in our enquiry form... Send an Email Enquiry →

Answer

The majority of land in New Zealand has a fee simple or freehold title. This means that you can make changes to your property without having to change the title of your property.

A property can be bought in:

  • Sole ownership – one person owns the property
  • Co-ownership – more than one person owns the property. These types of ownerships can be in 'tenants in common' or 'joint tenants'.

Tenants in common have a share of the property. This can be equal shares or differing shares. If a tenant in common dies, the share needs to be dealt with by Will.

Joint tenants own an equal share of the property. If a joint tenant dies, the share is passed to the other tenant (they will become the sole owner).

Have a question? Get in touch.

Related Residential Property FAQs

← View all FAQs

Recent Reviews...

“John is very easy to talk to, he never makes you feel dumb, and never makes you feel like you are wasting his time for asking questions. He explains everything very clearly, every time. John's support staff are also very efficient and so easy to deal with. No detail is missed when dealing with them. My husband and I are fans of them all :)” ~ Jess
“I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to John Stirling and Kathryn Wynd for their patience and understanding. We are so honored to have John and Kathryn looking after us. Whenever someone asks if I know of legal firm, I always say Turner Hopkins.” ~ Manaia
“I can't speak highly enough of Jenny. She got everything done in a timely manner and when my ex-husband threw a spanner in the works at the eleventh hour she got the required documentation to his lawyers and settlement back on track.” ~ Tracey
“I wanted to thank you and your colleagues for many years of excellent service to the Bank. You have an outstanding business that has proved to be one of the most reliable and ethical businesses that Collections have dealt with in the almost 9 years I have been with BNZ.” ~ A Tooker, Head of Collections, BNZ
“Joy, we cannot thank you enough for your help with our purchase! You have been wonderful to deal with and so proactive (and patient with my numerous emails). We will be visiting NZ in April so will make sure we drop in to thank you in person.” ~ Mia