Property Acquisition Due Diligence
Know what you're buying before you're committed to it.
A property can look straightforward on paper and carry significant risk beneath the surface. Zoning, natural hazards, historic use and site conditions all affect what you can build, how much it will cost, and whether a project is worth pursuing at all. The time to find that out is before you're locked in, not after the offer has been submitted.
Derive provides pre-purchase RMA due diligence for buyers and developers who need a clear-eyed assessment of what a site can and cannot do — and what it will take to get there.
What we assess
We review the development potential of a site against the relevant district plan, identifying what activities are permitted and consentable, and what the realistic pathway to approval looks like given the site's characteristics and your intended use.
We also identify constraints that can affect feasibility — flooding and hazard overlays, heritage protections, notable trees, infrastructure limitations, and any other controls that could affect your design, your timeline, or your budget. These are the things that rarely appear in a vendor's pitch but consistently show up in pre-construction.
Zoning and district plan review
Permitted activities, consent pathways, and development potential under current planning rules.
Hazard and constraint identification
Flooding, fault lines, contamination, heritage overlays, notable trees, and infrastructure limitations.
Feasibility assessment
Realistic cost and timeline implications so you can make a confident go or no-go decision.
Historic use and site conditions
Previous land use, contamination risk, and geotechnical considerations that affect buildability.
What we've found
We recently assisted a client with due diligence on a large rural property being offered as an off-market opportunity. The vendor's case was simple: the soils had been contaminated by agrichemicals, and the fix was to invert the topsoil layer. Straightforward enough on the face of it.
We didn't accept that assumption at face value. When we investigated further, we found the site had previously operated as a landfill. The contaminated topsoil wasn't just a remediation problem — it was an engineered cap. Inverting it would have created serious contamination and geotechnical issues that wouldn't have surfaced until pre-construction, by which point the costs to resolve them would have climbed significantly and the project timeline would have been in pieces.
Understanding our client's appetite for risk, it became clear this project didn't align with their product. Sometimes the most valuable advice is knowing when to say no. That clarity almost certainly saved the feasibility of the deal — and a considerable headache — by finding it before settlement rather than after.
Free download
Property Due Diligence Checklist
The forty-plus check list our planners work through before recommending a property purchase or development. Covers planning status, consent history, title, natural hazards, contamination, infrastructure and ecological values — all in a fillable Word doc you can use on your next site.
- Operative zone, overlays, designations and MDRS
- Natural hazard, contamination and HAIL screening
- Title interests, easements and consent notices
- Infrastructure capacity and ecological constraints
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Working with Derive
We ask the hard questions early, dig into the detail, and give our clients a clear picture of what's actually happening on the ground. That means you can negotiate from a position of knowledge, make a confident go or no-go decision, and if you do proceed, begin the consenting process with no surprises in the way.
Have a site you're assessing?
Get in touch. A short conversation can save you a costly mistake.