Do I Need A Boundary Survey?

Owning land, particularly when it includes your home is one of the most exciting and important investments a family can make. There are many things to consider when making this major investment especially if it is your first real estate investment. A real estate agent or land appraiser can advise you about the value of the property, an accountant or bank manager can advise you about financing and a lawyer can confirm the quality of the title that you will be obtaining.

However, one aspect of land ownership that is often overlooked is the preparation of a land survey to determine the exact quantity and exact location of the boundaries of the land being purchased! Unless the property has been surveyed it is wrong to assume that the description used in the deed accurately depicts the current extent, or the limiting features of the property boundaries. An Ontario Land Surveyor using approved survey practices can provide you with this information.

What Is A Professional Land Surveying?

Professional Land Surveying is defined in the Surveyors Act as "The advising on, the reporting on, the supervising of or the conducting of surveys to establish, locate, define or describe the lines, boundaries or corners or parcels of land covered with water"

Professional land surveying demands of its practitioners a well-developed knowledge of the legal aspects of the ownership of land and resources, together with a good academic background in the mathematical and scientific fields related to the measurement and presentation of geometric and physical features of the earth.

The Surveys Act provides that no survey of land for the purpose of defining, locating, or describing any line, boundary or corner of a parcel of land is valid unless made by an Ontario Land surveyor, or under the personal supervision of an Ontario Land Surveyor.