Cracker: Johnny Foreigner & the Auckland Property Market
108 Responses
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FletcherB, in reply to
I keep seeing this, like giving your passport to your lawyer along with the million pieces of paper you have to provide to complete a property purchase is such an outrageous idea. It seems to me a small, easily satisfied requirement. If you don’t have a passport, I’m sure a copy of your birth certificate would do it.
It’s no big deal if you’ve got one… but if you dont have one, it could be a problem.
Who in NZ is likely to not have a passport? Any immigrant, whether legally resident or just visiting, is likely to have one . Any NZer who’s travelled overseas will have one (even if expired), but seeing as travelling overseas is not a requirement of purchasing property.. it’s likely that most property purchasers who don’t have a passport are NZers… except for the Australians who came here before 1982 (or so?) when passports were not required for Australians to enter.
But then… lets say you HAVE a passport… but choose not to present it… maybe you want to pretend to be a NZer when you’re not really one?
A birth certificate is not a bad idea… but we don’t all have them… they cost money and time to get. I have them for my kids because I chose to pay the (small) fee when they were born… but I assume this is not universal? I have no idea how long it takes to procure one from internal affairs if you dont already have one? How long can you hold up a property sale to determine if the purchasers are allowed to buy?
None of these issues are insurmountable… but having to invest $150+ and six weeks advance planning in a little book just to prove you're allowed to purchase is quite a change of culture from simply signing a sale/purchase agreement with vendor or agent, swapping lawyers details, and making sure the funds are available…
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I've lived in NZ all my life with no need of a passport. The only photo ID I possess is my drivers licence and I'm damned if I can see why I should need another. I have friends my own age (30s) with neither, and I think it's fair to say that they feel discriminated against in a number of common situations involving financial transactions.
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@FletcherB:
Which incidentally brings me to one of my pet peeves: New Zealand birth certificates have an expiry date, and have to be “renewed”. That can’t be anything other than pure revenue gathering. I don’t plan on getting unborn, or even reborn, any time soon. -
FletcherB, in reply to
Which incidentally brings me to one of my pet peeves: New Zealand birth certificates have an expiry date, and have to be “renewed”.
Um… are you sure? I have a 2002 and a 2004 example in front of me, and I cant see any expiry date, and I’ve just read all the fine-print to make sure.
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I'm fairly sure I had to produce a passport at some point when buying a house, primarily so the bank could be sure they were dealing with the actual me rather than some impostor.
Anyway, I don't think you actually have to evidence NZ citizenship when purchasing something like a farm that *is* subject to the act. The enforcement requirements are post-facto - one can be fined or forced to sell the property, etc.
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
Which incidentally brings me to one of my pet peeves: New Zealand birth certificates have an expiry date, and have to be “renewed”.
Um… are you sure? I have a 2002 and a 2004 example in front of me, and I cant see any expiry date, and I’ve just read all the fine-print to make sure.
Mine cost me $7 back in 1984. There's no mention of an expiry date anywhere. I happen to have it handy because I used it only last week to establish my ID with both a bank and a government department.
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From Lincoln Tan of the Granny:
NZ one of few Asia-Pacific nations with no restrictions on overseas buyers
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Sacha, in reply to
Because I plan to live here for a very long time, all the increased value does is increase my rates.
and your ability to secure business loans, etc
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