As a homeowner, it is your right to know all there is to know about your property. But many Australians have no idea of who a surveyor is and what they do.
Surveyors are tasked with preparing construction sites and updating property boundary lines. They provide builders and homeowners with data relevant to the contour and shape of the surface of the Earth amongst other things.
Only survey maps made by licensed surveyors can efficiently define your property. One of the most important steps before buying or selling landed properties is to survey the said property to know exactly what you’re getting into.
There are a variety of reasons to hire a surveyor, including:
Define Boundary Lines
One of the most common reasons for hiring a surveyor is to define boundary lines. It’s generally a good idea for you to know the location of your property’s boundary lines before commencing any sort of construction or improvements.
You’d be surprised by the number of neighbours operating under false assumptions regarding the placement of boundary lines between properties.
2. Determine Easements and Rights-of-way
There are situations when your property might be blocking or hindering your neighbour’s access to the road or street.
In such cases an easement might come into play, giving your neighbour the right to make use of small parts of your property to gain access to the road.
3. Certify Existing Improvements
A surveyor can be called upon to certify whether buildings and improvements made at the time of the survey are in violation of building codes and local ordinances.
More often than not, there are restrictions on buildings such as height, limits on suburban fences and the like.
4. Draft Property Map
Surveys are necessary for drafting precise property maps, informing you of everything within your property.
Property maps also help you know the exact shape, size, orientation and boundaries of your property. This information is important when making decisions concerning construction and improvements.
5. Inspect Building Plans
In order to ensure that your building plan conforms to all the relevant local building regulations and ordinances, you need a certified surveyor to inspect and give your structure the green light.
There’s nothing worse than being forced to tear down parts of or entire structures because of failure to comply with building guidelines.
6. Issue Development Certificates
Before you can begin constructing a building on your property, you must first obtain a construction or development certificate.
A development certificate certifies that your construction specifications and plans are consistent with that of the Building Code of Australia.
Surveyors are there to pre-inspect your building plans.
7. Locate Underground Utilities Structures
Surveyors inform you about important utility structures, such as underground cables, pipes and manhole covers.
Before undertaking any important excavations or landscape changes, it’s important to know what may or may not be under your property in order to avoid headaches in the future.
8. Property Valuation
More often than not, mortgage companies require a survey taken on properties before lending money.
For homeowners, it’s always a good idea to know the exact value of your property. For home buyers, surveying a potential property is important before making a purchase.
9. Prepare Homebuyers Report
For most people, purchasing a landed property is the largest amount of money they’ll ever spend on a single purchase.
A large number of potential home buyers go for the cheapest property surveys in order to secure a mortgage on their property, but this has proven to be a very bad idea.
Home buyers reports are used to assess whether or not a property is a reasonable purchase at the agreed upon price.
10. Evaluate Property Structure
Before purchasing a property, it’s important to check the general condition of the building. Any significant faults that can affect the building’s value should be accessed by your surveyor.
A structural evaluation should be carried out in most houses. They are a very important step in buying or selling a property.
When you evaluate the structural integrity of a building, you can make informed decisions concerning finances.
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