OVERSEAS INVESTMENT ACT
OVERSEAS INVESTMENT AMENDMENT ACT 2018
Changes to the Overseas Investment rules to apply to buyers of residential property and forests from October 2018.
From 22 October 2018 changes to the Overseas Investment laws will affect:
- All buyers of residential property in New Zealand; and
- Buyers of forestry properties in New Zealand
Restrictions will apply to certain overseas residents restricting their ability to buy or build a home in New Zealand. Even though the buying restrictions only apply to certain overseas residents, anyone buying a home will have to state whether they are eligible to buy under the Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018. That is New Zealanders, Australians, Singaporeans, and overseas people – everybody.
So, if you sign an agreement to buy a residential property on or after 22 October 2018, we will need to ask you to sign a statement about your residency status and then we must keep a record of your statement for seven years. Special rules will apply to Australian and Singaporean purchasers.
Also, for overseas investors in forestry properties, there are substantial changes to the rules, including requiring Overseas Investment Office (OIO) consent to buy more than 1,000 hectares of forestry rights in a year and new tests will apply to applications for OIO consent for forestry investments.
Please contact Peter Jacobson or Craig Nelson if you have any questions about these new rules.