FAQs

What information does a property survey provide?

• Location and evidence of boundaries including survey markers found or placed at the property corners.
• Direction and distances along boundary lines.
• Buildings and structures located on the property as well as structures on adjoining properties located near the common boundaries. Building ties to the nearest boundary are also shown.
• Reference to existing survey plans of the subject property and adjoining properties.
• Reference to Land Registry or Land Titles documents showing current ownership of the subject property and the adjoining properties.
• Location of any easements or rights of ways that may encumber the property.
• Location of utilities.
• Location of driveways or lanes used to access or cross the property.

What’s another name for a property survey?

Once a survey is completed you receive a final document providing the information the surveyor has gathered regarding the property that has been surveyed. Depending on the province, the information shown on the plan may vary slightly, but the concept remains the same. Below is a list of the various names that property surveys are called in the provinces:

• Surveyor’s Certificate (SC):  PEI
• Surveyor’s Location Certificate (SLC):  NS
• Surveyor’s Real Property Report (SRPR):  NL, NB, ON
• Certificat de localisation:  QC
• Building Location Certificate (BLC):  MB, BC
• Real Property Report (RPR):  SK, AB, NT.

Regardless of what it is called, this document can provide you with peace of mind regarding your property and your rights.

Does Title Insurance cover boundary and encroachment issues?

The answer can be either yes or no depending upon the circumstances:

• Title Insurance does not cover problems that would only be discovered by a new survey (eg. property smaller than originally thought).
• Title Insurance does protect against loss or damage from liens, encumbrances or defects in title or actual ownership of the property, errors in existing surveys & public records.

How does one go about finding a land surveyor?

Professional Surveyors carry a license to practice but this is restricted to the province or territory where it is issued. You need to consider where your property is located to select a surveyor. For instance, a surveyor licensed in Ontario cannot survey a cottage in Quebec. Each Licensing body carries a full list of all surveyors licenced in their jurisdiction. Follow this link to access the any of the eleven surveying regulatory bodies in Canada.

FAQs – Licensing & Career Information

FAQs – for surveyors