Buying a property is the biggest financial decision that most people make.
Potential buyers hire realtors, lawyers, and home inspectors to ensure the investment is safe.
Consulting a land surveyor often gets disregarded until deemed absolutely necessary.
So why would a potential buyer want to talk to a land surveyor prior to purchasing?
Having dealt with these issues over a few years, these are the reasons that have often come up:
1.) Title description and charges on title
When purchasing a property typically a realtor or lawyer will examine the title as registered in the Land title office.
The title will show a legal description that includes the lot name/number and the plan that created it.
“Lot 1 Section 99 Township 2 Plan 1111” is an example of what you see on a straightforward title, the bolded part shows the critical components that may matter to the buyer.
Reference to one lot and a singular plan is what an ideal title should look like.
So here are a few things that may appear on title where a buyer should consider consulting a land surveyor:
a.) Exceptions on title
Contrast the simple title example to a more complex title “Lot 1 except part shown on Plan 2222 Section 99 Township 2 Plan 1111“.
The issue with exceptions is that there is no legal plan that explicitly confirms the lot area.
This area can often be calculated by a land surveyor upon a thorough examination of existing legal plans and or on site evidence.
b.) Unsubdivided lots
This is where your property has never been subdivided.
A typical description is “North West 1/4 of Section 25 Township 2 New Westminster District”.
These properties require a BC Land Surveyor to take a thorough examination of existing land title records and neighboring property evidence to determine accurate property lines and area.
b.) Charges on title
Often a realtor or a lawyer can explain there are charges on title(ie. Statutory Right of Ways (SRWs), Easements, Covenants).
However, are they able to illustrate how these various charges will affect what is on the property?
Would you know if something is currently built into a SRW or easement?
How would it affect what you plan to build in the future?
A plan created by a BC Land Surveyor would properly illustrate charges on title.
2.) Property Area
You see a realtors brochure showing lot area, but have you considered where this area is determined from?
Often they are taken from municipal GIS maps and or from BC assessment.
These sources then refer to the original legal subdivision plan that created the lot.
As an example we had a client who had purchased a property with the intention of doing a 2 lot subdivision. The property had some red flags that the client ignored.
a.) No legal plan that confirmed the lot area, so the approximation show on BC assessment/city map was relied upon.
b.) Lot was irregular in shape, with a cul-de-sac at one end.
Once purchased the client had us complete a survey only to realize he was a few hundred square feet short of the needed area.
Considering lot size & area makes up the largest value of each property, buyers should be wary of advertised lot areas.
All buyers should ensure there is a legal plan registered in the land title office that confirms the advertised area of the lot.
If that is not the case, then a BC land surveyor is then the most qualified professional to provide a legal opinion on your property area.
3.) Property lines
Imagine this scenario: You buy a property then you find out the fence is significantly into your property and or the fence is into someone else’s property.
Now you’re dealing with the neighbor and in our experience this often turns contentious.
Before buying a property ensure that the property corners and lines have been marked and potential encroachments assessed by a BC land Surveyor, perhaps this would be a good condition to put on the seller prior to the purchase.
A link showing how ugly these issues can get if unresolved. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/how-an-11-year-fence-feud-ballooned-into-43k-in-tax-bills-and-multiple-lawsuits-1.7358078
4.)Useable land
You’re planning to develop and or build on the land you purchase.
Whether that is as simple as adding on to the existing house and or tearing down and developing something larger.
Often there are some red flags for buyers to consider, some have already been highlighted in points above, so will stick to the ones not yet considered.
a.) Creeks and or natural water features on or near the property
Environmental considerations can be significant when planning on any property.
Often creeks and other water features can significantly impact the useable area of the property.
We would advise consulting a land surveyor and a Environmental Consultant to illustrate this properly on a plan.
b.) Trees on or near the property
Much like water features existing trees can affect what can potentially be done on the property.
This can include complications of shared trees, where then the decision of cutting a tree down requires consensus of both parties.
Tree locations with relation to property lines should be illustrated on a topographic site plan prepared by a BC land surveyor.
Buying a property can be daunting even to the most seasoned buyer.
It then makes sense to trust professionals such as lawyers, realtors, and land surveyors to assist in the process.
At Elevate Land Surveying we currently carry 3 registered land surveyors and are one of the fastest growing land surveying companies in the Lower Mainland.
We have a unique office model where we have our land surveyors directly picking up all client calls and general enquires.
This allows us to provide immediate qualified assessment and advice on the unique needs of our clients and their properties.
Reach out to us for your property needs.