Reasons Why You Might Need to Hire a Land Surveyor

The idea of buying land is both exciting and stressful. There are several things that you need to adhere to. Some of this includes the land regulations set by the municipal council and neighborhood rules. You might wonder how to go about it. But worry not. This is where a land surveyor comes in handy, and you need to hire one.

A land surveyor handles all matters of land that are beyond your capacity. This includes  

  • Laying out your land’s boundaries on a plan
  • Revealing rights of way, easements, and neglected roads
  • Highlighting existing improvements
  • Identifying water bodies
  • Subdividing land
  • Identifying Underground Energy, Sewer, and Cable Lines

Let’s discuss more why you need a land surveyor. 

1. Identifying Property Boundary Lines

There are things you can’t handle on your own as a landowner. For instance, you can’t tell where your land boundaries lie. So, you need help from a professional surveyor. Land boundaries and corners are tricky, especially on an undeveloped piece of land. Chances are you might encroach your neighbor’s land in the absence of a land survey plan.

When you hire a land surveyor, he determines all the boundary lines and corners of your land. The surveys can take one day to a week, depending on the land size. Furthermore, the professional surveys show if you are operating under the right/wrong boundaries. They save you time, money, and the risk of being on the wrong side of the law due to trespass. The surveyor gives you a boundary certificate. This permits you to erect posts within your land boundaries.

2. Highlighting Existing Improvements

Suppose you bought your piece of land ten years ago and now you want to sell it. By now, the neighboring community will have developed by a high percentage. You might also have added some buildings and structures on your land. 

So, you need a surveyor to help you identify and print an updated Real Property Reports and title deeds. The surveyor will also check if the developments are as per the law.

3. Help In The Identification Of Water Bodies

Some landowners boast of land near ponds, rivers, creeks, lakes, and even streams. If this is your case, you might not know exactly if the water bodies lie on your piece of land. 

Your land can also have some underground waters or wetlands that you might not know of. But when you hire a surveyor, he identifies all underground water bodies. Again, he will also determine if the waters are under the municipality council or belong to you. 

4. Identifying Underground Energy, Sewer, and Cable Lines

You can identify anything that lies above your lands, such as posts, trees, and cables. But it is difficult to tell what lies beneath your piece of land. You could have treasures you can tell with your eyes. So, you need to hire a professional land surveyor. 

It would help if you had such an expert to reveal all the cables, sewer lines, and energy ways beneath your land. This is an important measure if you intend to construct new buildings on the land. Utility companies may also wish to use some part of your land to upgrade their utility lines. Before doing this, they will need you to engage a land surveyor. 

5. Subdividing Land

Do you want to subdivide your land and don’t know how to go about it? Well, then you need to hire a professional subdivision surveyor. Subdividing your land is a noble move to make your property and asset management easier.

A subdivision surveyor subdivides land by the municipality’s regulations and required sizes. He also notes: 

  • Survey disclosures
  • Corner marks
  • Smallest street width
  • Registration issues
  • The process needed to dedicate your land certificates/ title

6. Revealing Rights of Way, Easements and Neglected Roads

It is hard to know what the land law requires of you as a landowner. If you are not a surveyor, then you’re not familiar with the conditions imposed on your piece of land. A land surveyor exposes all the bylaws under your land that reflect on your title report. 

He can reveal easement agreements that permit your neighbor to make a way in your yard for them to access the road. More may have an obligation to back your neighbor’s driveway through the maintenance of your own. This can lead to boundaries issues the surveyor can clear up by backing you up with legal documents.

Final Thought 

As per the information above, a land surveyor is important in land matters. He ensures that your title deed and plan get updated with changes in development. It’s therefore critical to hire a qualified land surveyor.

Did you find this article informative? Please let’s know in the comment section below. 

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