The number of foreigners on temporary work or student visas buying homes won't be known until at least next May, because the data being collected is inaccurate.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) has released the tax residency and property transfer numbers for the September quarter, which show 3 percent of properties sold in the quarter were bought by people with overseas tax residency.
But its deputy chief executive, Russell Turner, said some of the data it was collecting was inaccurate.
LINZ believed home buyers were misinterpreting its questionnaire and were providing inaccurate answers, he said.
"What we don't have clarity on is the information on the proportions of people which have student or work visas and their intentions," Mr Turner said.
The agency would change the question that it suspected was being misinterpreted from January.
Mr Turner again emphasised the information it was gathering was "not a register of foreign buyers".
"What this data shows you is that 3 percent of the transfers are to people who are foreign tax residents, or who have claimed a foreign tax residency - that's all it tells you."
