When you purchase a home for the first time, it’s easy to get lost in the decorating, renovations, and plans for its future. However, this one important document is often overlooked during the planning process. A property survey outlines the exact boundaries of your land and gives you a legal report of precisely what land you own.
Meridian Surveys provides services in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, ensuring your property surveying is well-documented and compliant with all regulations. If you’ve recently purchased a home and are planning a new project, this guide will cover everything you need to know about property surveys.
What Is A Property Survey?
A property survey is a precise legal layout of land conducted by a licensed land surveyor. It identifies the location of property lines, including existing structures, easements, and encroachments on the property. A legal land survey is unlike descriptive plans and title insurance. A legal land survey is a documented snapshot of your property at the time of survey.
When you have a legal survey, you’re less likely to experience disputes with neighbours or others over your land and property rights. A property survey gives you written evidence to protect your land title, help settle any disputes, and avoid costly mistakes on your property.
What Does A Full Property Survey Include?
Everything included in the survey will give you a clear, legal preview of anything that affects your property. Here is what you can typically expect when you call for a full property survey:
Exact boundary lines: A clearly laid out and field-checked measurement that matches what your land title describes.
Existing structures: Locations of permanent structures on the property, like the house, garage, sheds, fences, and driveways
Encroachments: Anything that crosses over a property line, like a misplaced fence or shed
Identifying easement: Utility corridors, access routes or drainage areas that will affect land use.
Legal certification: A certified survey plan according to provincial regulations.
Accuracy and clarity are key to property surveys in Western Canada, whether you’re buying, building, or selling. Our surveyors are certified across each province they practice in and have local experience supported by nearly 60 years in the industry. You’re in competent hands, no matter the size of your project.
Why It Matters When You Buy Or Sell
Relying only on title insurance is not enough; while this can offer some protection in regards to boundary issues, there are no guarantees things are where they should be. Getting a full legal property survey is reliable and gives you the precise data you need. These are a few reasons why having a property survey is useful:
- Many home buyers, or realtors, want an up-to-date property report.
- Some cities or provinces need a real property report (RPR) or Build Location Certificate (BLC)
- In the past, descriptive plans were cheap and quick, but inaccurate because they were not necessarily confirmed on the ground.
Meridian works closely with you to ensure the accuracy of the surveys. Our precision allows you to address any fences, garages, or even houses built in the wrong spot and avoid costly headaches in the future.
How To Get Your Property Survey Done Right
Getting a property survey is a straightforward process. But to get the best results, we recommend you follow these steps:
Hire a licensed land surveyor: Only a surveyor registered in your province is authorized to establish and define property lines.
Have a clear scope of work: Not every survey will be the same; it’s important to know the type and which ones will benefit your situation.
Book your survey early: A timely survey prevents last-minute delays or costly mistakes.
Protect your property the right way with a trusted local licensed surveyor. You’ll get clear answers, accurate maps, and peace of mind for years to come. Whether you have plans to build, sell, or just want clarification about your land, Meridian’s licensed land surveyors are ready to help so you can move forward with confidence. Call to learn more about our property survey services and book a consultation today.