Farm and lifestyle block due diligence checklist

Doug Wakelin, Rural/Lifestyle Sales Consultant, Property Brokers Te Awamutu

Short answer. Due diligence is the checking you do before you commit. On a farm that means the title and easements, the LIM, water and effluent consents, environmental plans, ETS and covenants, buildings, stock and chattels, and the tax position. Do it with your solicitor, accountant and lender, and make your offer conditional on getting it done.

Checklist

Title and legal

Record of title, easements, covenants, encumbrances, right of way
Boundaries and access: is the formed road on the legal road, or crossing someone's land?
Any forestry right, lease, licence to occupy, grazing agreement or sharemilking agreement
Any notice on the title (for example an ETS farm-to-forest allowance notice, see pines and carbon)

Council and consents

LIM from the district council, see LIM vs PIM
Building consents and code compliance certificates for houses and sheds
Regional council consents (water, discharge, bores, effluent)
Zoning, overlays, hazard areas, bush or significant natural areas

Water and environment

Water supply source and consent, see water takes
Effluent system for dairy farms, see farm dairy effluent
Farm environment plan or freshwater farm plan, see freshwater farm plans
Stock exclusion fencing and waterway setbacks
Septic tank and wastewater records

Farm and land

Soil, fertiliser and lime history, soil tests
Effective hectares and how they were measured, see shortlisting
LUC classes and ETS status
Fences, tracks, yards, woolshed, tanks, troughs and pumps
Weeds and pests, and the plan to control them
Production records and what the farm has really carried

Money and contract

GST position, see GST on rural property
Rates and any special rates
Stock, plant and chattels: what's included and how they're valued
Insurance quotes, including for coastal or slip-prone sites
Finance approval and valuation

On the ground

Walk the farm with someone who knows the district
Visit in wet and dry conditions if you can
Talk to neighbours, the local vet, the stock agent
Check power, phone and internet

Why vendors should expect these questions

Real Estate Authority guidance says that for rural sales the listing agent should collect and have the vendor sign off a property information file before the agency agreement is signed, covering consents, environmental plans, effluent systems, water supply and farm maps (REA, checked 2 Nov 2026). Ask to see it.

Check before you rely on this

General information only, not legal advice. Your solicitor should check the title and contract, and a building inspector and farm advisers should check the physical property.