property talk october 2012

7/31/2019 Property Talk October 2012

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A House’s

Story

Hunting for the past of yourhome and property

A talk for Avondale Library, 21 September 2011

by Lisa J Truttman



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This is 1 Canal Road, Avondale.

Property files and LIM reports from Auckland Council

As at 7 October 2012 (prices sighted on website)

Property file on CD: $30 - $98, depending on whetherordered personally or via internet, and whether urgent ornon-urgent.

LIM (Land Information Memorandum):

►Urgent service - $355► Standard service - $255



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What is included in a LIM?► A LIM provides some or all of the following:

► information on special land features or characteristics including potentialerosion, inundation, hazardous contaminants etc. known to the Council

► information on private and public stormwater and sewerage drains asshown in Auckland Council's records

► information relating to any rates owing in relation to the land

► details of approved permits and consents

► details of operative and proposed zoning, road widening, height restrictions,view and tree protection, and any Historic Places Trust listing

The LIM may also include other information concerning the land which AucklandCouncil considers, at its discretion, to be relevant.

But …

If you don’t want all that, if you just want to get anidea …

►How old the house is …►Who owned it, and what did they do …

►Who lived there, and what did they do …

Here’s what you can try, and possibly save money.



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Books on New Zealand early

architecture help to identifyapproximate periods when housesmay have been built on theiroriginal sites.

Old New Zealand Houses 1840- 1940 by Jeremy Salmond includesinformation on two-roomed andfour-roomed cottages, villas,transitional villas, and bungalows,amongst others.

I would expect 1 Canal Road todate from sometime between 1870and 1910. Further information onthe property would be required tonarrow this down, or confirm/refutethe assumption.

Where is it?

To find street address, and find legaldescription, certificate of title reference …

Go to local council GIS webpages



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GIS sites

►Geographic Information System

►Territorial authorities around the country(but not yet all of them) have GIS pagesand program on their websites for freepublic use

timespanner.blogspot.com



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GIS sitesNorth Island

Far North Maps

Whangarei District Council GIS Maps

Auckland Council GIS Viewer

Environment Waikato Maps:Go to Districts tab, select, and it will take you there.

Bay of Plenty Regional Council Maps

GIS sitesNorth Island

Gisborne District Council Map TV

Taranaki Regional Xplorer

Palmerston North Geo Guide

Wanganui District Council Exponare

Porirua City Council

Wellington City Council maps

Kapiti Coast District Council Map Images



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GIS sitesSouth Island

Tasman District: Top of the South Maps

Marlborough District Council: Dekho Maps

Environment Canterbury (Canterbury Regional Council)

Dunedin City Council webmaps

Queenstown Lakes District Council maps

Invercargill City Council Xplorer

Auckland Council website

If you know the exact address:

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

then go to Rates and Property Search on themenu.



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Auckland Council website’s GISviewer

If you don’t know the exact address:

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

then enter “GIS viewer” in the search bar



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1 Canal Road, Avondale

CT = 398398 (Digitised title)

Legal Description: Lot 1 DP 399911

2008



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2006

1959



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1940



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Land Information New Zealandhttp://www.linz.govt.nz/survey-titles/land-titles-plans

(From LINZ website):

Land titles and plans are the most commonly requested types of land records. Landtitles may also be called computer registers, Certificates of Title, CTs or property titles.

To order a copy of a land title or plan you need to:• Know what type you need

• Check the costs• Identify the land district

• Get the reference• Fill out the form

• View your TIFF or JPG files(if receiving records electronically)

Land Information New ZealandSearch Fees

Title Searches …

subdivision plans …

viewing documents such as application files …

transfers…

leases …

mortgages (current, and only up to 10 years old if discharged) …

$15.

Per document or instrument.



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Land Information New ZealandTitle Searches

When ordering titles, ALWAYS ask for “historical searchcopy”, even when requesting the current version.

The default title given on request is simply the front page,which provides few details. Historical search copy willprovide a scan of the older handwritten version, pre-digital

system.

A title with numbers only as a reference is a digital title only,with no historical image until you request the previous title.



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1927 – Alice Ohomenes, wife of Frank Ohomenes, master mariner

1937 – John Worstenholm Shearer,land agent

1941 – John Deakin Shearer & Arnold Clayton Newcomb

1970 – Borge Thomsen, panel

beater from Helensville2000 – Karl-Heinz Schradt

Watch for “transmission” usedinstead of “transfer” – denoteschange of owner after a death.

1887 – Richard Beck, gentleman,from Mt Albert

1899 – Joseph May, Waiuku, andJames Alexander Pond, analyticalchemist, Auckland

1899 – Albert Knight, gardener, Avondale

1907 – Alice Ohomenes

Titles show land was subdivided in1927, from ½ acre to ¼ acre. Otherpiece (rear) sold to Charles Lincoln.



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DP 847, the originalsubdivision of 142acres byJohn Bollard of Avondale

Records at Archives New Zealand

The old Auckland Provincial District – held at Auckland office, Archives New Zealand, 95 Richard Pearse Drive, Mangere

Archwaywww.archway.archives.govt.nz/



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In Archway …

Go to Advanced Search …

Records …

Enter A1660 for Accession reference

And deeds volume forRecord reference



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Who lived there in the past?

Reference 2-V450, Sir George Grey Special Collections



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Who was

Richard Beck (1887 owner)? Clippings from Papers Past

Died 21 February 1899

Who was Albert Knight (1899 owner) ?

William Knight (c1866-1933) lived on Rosebank Road by around February 1896,and was a gardener. (Auckland Star notices) Albert Knight appears to have been ason of his.

In 1899, Albert Knight appears in the papers – the year he buys 1 Canal Road.



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Who was Captain Francis Ohomenes(owner from 1907) ?

So, the question is: how old could the house be?

Hawera & Normanby Times , 21 July 1922

He was a gardener as well, with prize-winning kumaras. Possibly naturalised asearly as the 1870s. Boats owned by the family were, like his Avondale property, inthe name of his wife Alice (d.1934). Wises Directory for 1915 shows both theOhomenes and Albert Knight living along the same part of Rosebank Road.

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/councilarchives

Phone (09) 307 7792



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• 1908 City of Auckland map• Burgess Rolls for the City of Auckland 1872-1873, 1882-1984 and 1890-

1992• Cemetery & burial records for Otahuhu and Waikaraka• Property and rates books for Parnel (1873-1875)l, Mt Albert (1867-1884)

and Auckland Ciity (1880)• Bicycle & Bootblack Register 1910-1918• Auckland City Council Engineers Department Register of Employees 1901-

1930•

City of Auckland Licensing District Register of Applicants 1901-1920• Lock Hospital Register Book 1883-1886• Publicans' Licences 1900-1962• Register of Licences: Drivers, Porters, Carriages, Carters 1895-1899• Valuation rolls: Eden Terrace (1883-1903), Karangahape district (1882-

1883), Orakei (1912, 1920), Otahuhu (1886-1908), Parnell (1897-1901),Ponsonby (1882-1883), Remuera (1898-1901), Tamaki West (1920),Newton (1886-1888)

• Auckland City Council Wage Book for Men in Service in World War I 1916-1919

• War Memorials and Honour Boards



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1905-1906 Avondale Rates Book



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Relatives of the family have comeforward since I first presented this talk

and confirmed that Albert Knight hadthe house at 1 Canal Road built in the1890s.



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Council valuation field sheets► Available to view at Council Archives

►The old Auckland City has comprehensivecoverage, but is restricted by time (from1912 at the earliest) and date of amalgamation of each area (Avondale, forexample, became part of the City in 1927)

► Varying amounts of information for otherroad board/borough areas

Mt Eden Borough Council

MEB 155 Valuation Rolls (from 1913) Valuation rolls list valuation number, occupier, name and address, descriptionand situation of property, owners name and address, and rateable value. Listsare in order by street names.

Mt Roskill Road Board / BoroughCouncil

MRB 112 Rate books (from 1915)Series contains rate books which records valuation roll number, occupiers nameand address, description of property, unimproved rateable value, consolidatedrate, water, refuse collection, and sanitation fees, and total. Rates are groupedby street name.In 1974 the Mount Roskill Borough Council converted to a computerised ratingsystem and annual printouts were not kept.



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Auckland City Council Valuation

field sheets

Hip-roofed villa

Weatherboard, iron roof

Approximately 50 years old as at 1945(estimate by valuer)

Outbuildings: garage, wash house

Subsequent building permits:4/3/1949 £80 to erect laundry

1 Canal Road is a corner site, with thehouse facing Rosebank Road, so could havefound on either file for Canal Road or file forRosebank Road. I found it under50 Rosebank Road. Later, it wasrenumbered to 136 Rosebank Road, andlater still, 1 Canal Road.

Watch for this happening with lists like postaldirectories over time.



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Auckland Council

Archivesaperture cards

andproperty plans

Property area conversions

For those of you from the metric age:

40 cubic perches = 1 rood

4 roods = 1 acre

I prefer to keep the old system of acres/roods/perches in place when writingabout property history, but you can convertto metric square metres, hectares etc onvarious websites, such as this one:

http://www.millarmerrigan.com.au/tool-kit



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Currency value conversions

Time and again I see histories where thewriter, seeing that someone was paid, forexample, 5 shillings a day in 1890, simply

either converts that straight to decimalcurrency (50 cents) or doubles it to $1.

Both methods are incorrect.



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Currency value conversionsThe government told you in 1967 that 2 shillings

became 20 cents, but that is the only time thevalues were like that.

Use an inflation calculator, such as the one

provided by the Reserve Bank on their website:

http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/0135595.html



Other leads / sources► Aperture Card collection, Central Auckland Research Centre, Auckland Library

► Postal directories: Wises, Leightons, Cleaves. Central Auckland ResearchCentre, Auckland War Memorial Museum Library have volumes and microfiche.

► Valuation rolls, some held in Council archives, most in Archives NZ

► Local historical societies, local histories, names and cemetery databases

► Historic photographs: Sir George Grey Special Collections, National Library inWellington, Auckland War Memorial Museum Library.

► Newspapers, especially the increasing (and most welcome!) coverage onPapers Past.

Thank you

for listening.My email:

[email protected]

property talk october 2012

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