Make sure that you understand exactly what you are getting when you buy a home or property. You will also need to find out whether the survey plat is described by subdivision lots or by metes and bounds. Surveys have legal weight. You should discuss all of your options with the title company to make sure that you are covered against unreported liens, mining claims, water rights, disputes over boundary lines, encroachments and other issues that you might not be aware of. Example: If you bought the land not knowing that someone else had a right to the property and had to go to court, the insurance might cover some or all of your expenses. Your survey, however, may include additional symbols, or symbols that are defined differently. Secondly, you should check the type of the survey. Austin MLS, Bryan-College Station MLS, Central Hill Country, Central Texas MLS (New Braunfels, Seguin, Canyon Lake, San Marcos, Temple-Belton), Corpus Christi MLS, DFW MLS (NTREIS), El Paso MLS, Fort Hood – Killeen MLS, Highland Lakes MLS, Houston MLS, Longview MLS, McAllen MLS, San Antonio MLS, Tyler MLS, Waco MLS. For example, an attorney can present a licensed surveyor's work in court to settle a land boundary dispute between neighbors. Some encroachments are serious. Surveying Markers & What They Mean. Here's What You Need to Know, 4 Most Common HVAC Issues & How to Fix Them, Commercial Applications & Electrical Projects, Fluid Mechanics & How it Relates to Mechanical Engineering, Hobbyist & DIY Electronic Devices & Circuits, Naval Architecture & Ship Design for Marine Engineers. Here are some points that show the importance of land survey plat, and also the way to read the information provided on it. (You can’t build something that will block access to someone who has an easement.). Use the Survey Legend. You can make out the shape of your land, but a lot of the information shown is beyond your grasp. For example, John's neighbor Sandy moves his northwest marker 3 feet in so she can have her fence cross his land. Understanding the scaling used in the survey plate is very important. This is very essential point during the study of land survey plate: these documents are responsible for all the legal description of the land. See also Schedule 5 Surveying and Spatial Information Regulation 2017 'Conventional symbols and signs'. You should check any third party involvement in the land. Keep in mind one thing: if the survey plat is described by metes and bounds, the legal description will end at the point from where it starts, i.e., the end point and the beginning point on the survey plat will be same with respect to the legal description. A property owner should arrange for a licensed surveyor to survey his property if he thinks there's a problem with his markers to avoid breaking the law. This scale shows the ratio between the distance in survey plat and the distance of actual land. If the owner does not have a survey, the buyer typically pays the fee. They also have importance and affect legal rights to the focused land. Every line or symbol on the survey has a corresponding meaning to identify features on the land such as lakes, rivers, utility lines, elevation and depressions in the land, and even the type of vegetative growth on the land parcel, as well as boundary lines. A survey can tell you if the trees, driveways, bodies of water, power lines, fences and sidewalks are actually part of the property you are interested in buying. John may have to take Sandy to court to dispute the placement. Afterward, start the study using legal description provided with the document of transfer or title insurance policy. If there are encroachments, and you are considering buying, you should proceed with caution. You can find the type in the title of the survey. Plans lodged for registration in NSW LRS should comply with Clauses 27, 28 and 68 Surveying and Spatial Information Regulation 2017. Different measuring techniques and tools are used to represent the measurement of the land on a paper. These surveys are of different types and depict different information, such as American Land Title Association (ALTA) surveys that represent property lines, improvements, easements and utilities. Example: A local utility company that has to be able to get in to read a meter or even install a series of power-lines. The title company will require a survey before they will issue the title. Now, the procedure is divided into two different types. If it is described by metes and bounds, then you have to figure out the beginning point to understand the lengths, degree angles, and curves. You will require few things for performing this job, and these things are land survey plate, magnifying glass, ruler, copy of land transfer document, and title insurance policy. If the land is subdivided, you have to look at each boundary line and also the land around it. She has an extensive real estate and criminal legal background. This is to identify any borderline easements that may have been developed when subdividing the plat. Locate natural situations on the land. When you open the envelope you discover a report and a plan, covered in numbers, lines, text and symbols. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc.