Boundary Surveys
Property ownership isn’t always easy, especially when the dividing lines with neighbours aren’t as clear as you’d like.
It could be that you’re having an awkward disagreement with your neighbour, want to undertake a new project like installing a new fence, or just want to know where your land ends and your neighbour’s land begins. In any of these situations, you need an expert solution to prevent stress, avoid delays and bypass any chance of potentially costly court proceedings.
Alongside other land and building surveys, our team offers professional boundary survey services to establish the legal boundary of your land. With a precise and verified assessment, property owners and land owners can get the certainty they need to make informed decisions and proceed with confidence.
What is a Boundary Survey?
A boundary survey is a detailed investigation and measurement process carried out by an experienced boundary surveyor to define the official perimeter of a land parcel.
Instead of just measuring the perimeter of your garden, boundary surveys determine the precise location of the invisible line dividing one property from the one beside it based on the available boundary documentation and legal principles.
We provide various types of land survey and building survey services – including topographic survey and utility mapping services – but this one focuses specifically on the legal limits. The process is crucial for clarifying the property lines and property rights associated with the land.
A chartered land surveyor uses cutting-edge tools, including a total station for taking accurate measurements of the site. All data is then compared against the land registry title plan – as well as any relevant historical records and historical documents – and the result will confirm the land’s exact boundaries, corner boundary markers and existing physical boundaries like boundary fences and walls.
Boundary Survey Requirements
You will need a professional land survey any time the exact extent of your property needs to be officially and legally verified.
When it comes to a boundary survey, clients often need this service for one of two main reasons:
Boundary Disputes
If two or more parties disagree on the exact location of the boundary lines, a boundary survey is the best way to move toward resolving disputes. In fact, it is a fairly common issue and ignoring the problem only increases the risk of a potential boundary dispute escalating.
Each chartered surveyor in our team is a member of a recognised survey association and can act as a RICS-registered expert witness, offering a crucial professional opinion based on verifiable facts. By acting in a calm and professional manner, our consultants find the quickest path to a determined boundary and a formal boundary agreement, helping you to avoid disputes by providing clear boundaries on the property.
A survey provides the factual evidence needed under the Civil Procedure Rules to settle disagreements at the first instance before they lead to a larger impact on your or your neighbour’s costs for settling the boundary dispute.
Planning Projects
If you’re planning on building an extension or any structure near an existing property line, you need to know the level of accuracy needed.
Local planning authorities often require accurate measurements to ensure that the planning project doesn’t encroach on adjacent land. With help from a land surveyor beforehand, you can guarantee that you won’t face delays or redesigns if a neighbour objects to your build.
A boundary survey is especially important because your title plan shows a general boundary, as the land registry title plan doesn’t always provide the level of precision needed for construction. The results will help you make informed decisions and plot new boundaries.
Boundary Survey for Property
Whenever we’re instructed to establish clear boundaries for property owners, we ensure that the process is meticulous and systematic.
The accuracy of the final boundary mapping is crucial for all parties involved, so we make sure that your property documentation reflects the truth on the ground.
Process for Boundary Surveying
Here’s a breakdown of how our expert land surveyors go about confirming your legal boundary:
1. Document Review
Collecting and reviewing all available boundary documentation, including HM Land Registry records, title plans, legal documents, historical maps, the registered title and data from relevant past assessments, such as a topographical plan from a topographical survey.
Ordnance survey mapping is used as a general reference point, but even with that, there won’t be enough detail to show exact boundaries.
2. Site Visit
Conducting a comprehensive site visit of the perimeter and all relevant features.
Important elements include existing boundary markers, natural physical features and man-made features that may indicate the old property lines.
3. Accurate Measurement
Recording precise measurements of the land and present structures using cutting-edge equipment.
4. Data Analysis
Combining the physical measurements with the historical documents and title plans.
A digital overlay accurately brings the two types of data together to plot the limits of the property.
5. Report and Resolution
Producing a detailed report and – if the neighbour agrees – working with you to formalise the boundary.
The report is often necessary if you are going through the conveyancing process or if you or your neighbour sell a property.
Speak to Arbtech About Boundary Survey Services
With our team, we have many years experience in delivering trusted and expert surveys. Our surveyors are committed to providing clients with the highest quality service, providing it in a professional manner, and operating under the standards set by The Survey Association (TSA) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Whether you’re dealing with stressful boundary issues, need exact data for development works on your home or just want certainty around the dimensions of where you live, we can get the facts straight to you and fast.
How Long Does a Boundary Survey Take?
From the point of booking our services to getting your completed report, boundary surveys usually take between 1 and 4 weeks to complete.
The actual fieldwork usually only takes as much as one day to complete. Most of our time during the survey process is spent researching the historical papers and legal records, analysing the collected data, and preparing the boundary mapping report.
Although this estimation is fairly accurate, the timeframe can really vary depending on the complexity and the accuracy needed for the specific property, as well as the size of the site.
How Much Does a Boundary Survey Cost?
For any property or site, the cost of a boundary survey can differ. As an indication of the general price, the fee for an evaluation across a standard residential property would usually be somewhere between £1,500 and £3,000 plus VAT.
Based on the size of the plot, the complexity of the property’s boundaries, the amount of research needed to source historical records and the required level of detail, the cost will change from client to client and from site to site.
For more detailed information about how much a boundary survey could cost on your property at the first instance, speak to our team directly, and we will make you a bespoke quote.
Book a Boundary Survey Today
Choose to avoid letting boundary issues put your project on hold or cause you any unnecessary and avoidable stress.
We are here to give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your property lines are fully verified. If you’re in need of clear boundaries for your own records, planning project or to settle a neighbourly dispute, contact our team by completing an online quote form, calling us directly or sending us an email.
If you want a free quote from our team, make sure that you give us as much information as possible, as that will make our estimation as accurate as possible. Tell us about what you need the survey for and give us information about your property. From there, we will get back to you within one working day with a fixed quote for you to consider.
