Changes to the Unit Titles Act

Published 28 Oct 22

The Government has released the dates when the Unit Titles (Strengthening Body Corporate Governance and Other Matters) Amendment Act 2022 comes into force.

The changes in the Amendment Act come into force across three key dates:

Provisions to support remote attendance at meetings – in force on 9 December 2022
Most provisions – in force on 9 May 2023
Provisions that need more time or regulations created before implementation – in force on 9 May 2024

Find out more about the Amendment Act on the Ministry website

Unit Titles

A unit title is a form of property ownership where each owner owns a defined part of the development, such as an apartment, and has shared ownership of common property, such as driveways and lifts. The Unit Titles Act 2010 (UTA) provides a regulatory framework for the ownership and management of unit titles.

The Amendment Act aims to improve the way unit titles are run, including more transparency and clearer rules. It was passed into law on 9 May 2022. The ‘in force’ date is when people need to comply with the new law.

These changes will impact all New Zealanders who own or live in a unit title property. There are currently over 15,000 unit title developments, with over 185,000 individual units nationwide.

The Amendment Act includes changes to:

Improve the way information is provided to prospective buyers of units
Strengthen the rules around how a body corporate is run
Increase the professionalism and standards of body corporate managers
Make sure there’s adequate planning and funding of long-term maintenance and infrastructure projects
Improve access to dispute resolution
Provide the regulator with new enforcement tools to support compliance with the Act

You can read more about the Amendment Act on the Unit Titles website(external link).

You can read about the Parliamentary process for the Bill on the Parliament website(external link).