On a beautiful and sunny Saturday working on your land, you are wondering about the boundaries of your property. You would like to see survey posts where you presume the corners of your parcel are. In fact, your neighbor recently completed his landscaping, which he takes very good care of very close to the line separating your two properties. Should you talk to your neighbor about your intentions? This is where the professional land surveyor can answer your questions, explaining the two main forms of property delimitation: staking and boundary marking.
In the field, staking and boundary marking are similar, since they both involve the installation of survey posts identified in the name of the land surveyor. However, the boundary marking procedure requires the production of a boundary report that summarizes the operations of the licensed land surveyor (title search, field work, deed …). In other words, the key difference between survey posts placed during a boundary marking process and a marker planted during staking is that there is a legal document that supports the boundary mark … and in addition, this document is public !
Indeed, once signed by the concerned landowners in presence of the professional land surveyor, the boundary report must be published at the Land Register of Quebec, just as a deed of sale. These elements strengthen the document, as the procedure endorses the agreement and, thanks to its publication at the Land Registry, it is expected to last over time, thus securing the property titles of all parties involved.
Finally, note that there are different types of boundaries setting. While some require the intervention of a court and the respect of certain legal procedures, others can be done amicably, through a simple agreement between neighbors. This does not make the boundary marking less reliable! In all cases, Géolocation’s licensed surveyors will guide you according to your specific needs and requests.