Contact a Surveyor

If You Are Selling Property
You may have to provide your buyer with an up-to-date survey of your property in order to:

Allow your buyer to register the transaction at the land registry office
Give your buyer confidence in the purchase
Verify to your buyer the size and extent of the property
Avoid later legal disputes arising from inadequate or inaccurate property descriptions
Enable your buyer to make mortgage arrangements

If You Are Buying Property
You need to know what you're getting. Only a survey plan made by a licensed land surveyor can legally define what you've purchased. Your surveyor will undertake the necessary research, survey the property and prepare a survey plan that will reveal:

Whether other people are entitled to partial use of your property through easements for utilities or right-of-way
Whether fences, trees, buildings, gardens, embankments, driveways, walkways, swimming pools, house additions and other property improvements actually lay on your property
Whether your deed describes your property accurately
Your survey thus gives you a form of protection in addition to clarifying what you've bought, since it will reveal any encroachments or other irregularities that might be the cause of later legal disputes. In addition, your surveyor can mark the exact corners of your site with survey monuments.

Building Fencing or Adding On
Protect your investment. A fence, driveway or carport can cause legal problems. Before you build, let a licensed land surveyor determine your property boundaries, replacing missing stakes if necessary. Failure to comply with zoning By-Laws could result in the loss of a future sale if the purchasers have an up-to-date survey done.

Refinancing or Obtaining a Mortgage
Do the lot size, building set backs, pool and fence locations meet with local Zoning By-Laws? The mortgage company will require the survey to protect their investment. They want to be sure that the land and buildings on which they are lending money are as described in the documents which accompany the transaction.

What Will It Cost?
Fees for surveys are determined on an individual basis, depending mainly on the amount of time required for the research and the survey.

Your Assurance
In cases of dispute, your surveyor is an expert witness in court and assumes full professional responsibility for the accuracy of your survey.

Sale or Purchase of Land
If you are contemplating purchasing property, you should know as much as possible about the piece of land you are going to invest in. Obtaining a survey may be the most important thing you do before you close the deal on any purchase. It pays to know the boundaries of your land. The erection of a fence can be the source of expensive litigation and ill will between neighbours.