block survey ?

[dzcook]

ok just seeking some advice here
my block ( odd shaped ) corner block has no fences except for the boundary fence between nieghbours and i ( side neighbours none at rear) yesterday was working out where fences should be and found that block is even more odd shaped than i was thinking

appears that i mught have extra 10 to 15 mtrs of backyard the block measurements are shared fence 51 mts front 73 mts side fence 84mts rear 28mts as said odd shape

if take the one and only right angle off side fence the front fence on my block is on the front of hse ie no frt yard at all

if take verge measuremants and measure from kerd to front of where i think fence should be ( same distance as next door hse ) works out where the letterbox and water meter is then i appear to have long side fence cutting thru the middle of shed in back yard and ends in the middle of side st and shared fence ends up at a angle some 6 mts into my yard at (their ) back fence line so a real muddle


so what do u guys suggest
go to coucil and ask them what is going on ?
get it surveyed and see where everything ends up and then go to coucil ?
sell up fast and get rid of it ?

am at stage dont knoiw what to do hope you blokes can get what i am talking about and any suggestions would be good shed in backyard would hate to have to move it and "new " land at rear is full of rubbish and rocks i thought my block finished level with back wall of shed but now appears not to
anyway thks for any input

[echnidna]

the only safe way is to get it surveyed

[bsrlee]

Wot echidna says. And make sure the surveyor is fully licenced & insured, so if he stuffs up you have some comeback with his professional insurance - don't go the cheapo 'I can do if for a slab on me days orf' deal.

[Carry Pine]

You should be able to get a plan from council that will have some sort of reference mark somewhere near your property. Go from there and get a better idea for yourself before bringing in the big guns.

Carry Pine

[Bleedin Thumb]

In my experience the Councils plans aren't that accurate. I'd go the surveyor but beware that once you know where the boundaries and you sell the property on the basis of an old survey...the purchaser could have a comeback.
How long have you had the property? What survey plan was the property purchased under? Have you any comeback (if you have a problem) to the old vendor?

[masoth]

I'm assuming you have recently purchased the land so amongst the paperwork you should have been supplied a copy of the land title - now this may, or may not, include a diagram of the land. There should be, at least, a description with angles, dimensions, compass bearings, and any easements.
With that iinformation finding the survey pegs should be a bit easier - if you don't have this you'd be foolish to erect ANY building until a licensed surveyor has measured-up and pegged out the block according to the sub-division plan which should be available from your local council, or the Land Titles Office.

soth

[dzcook]

bought the land about 2 yrs ago with house on it

only got a lot plan in the paper work which shows plan of block ,length of fence lines and thats all no compass bearings etc

absolutely no survey pegs anywhere and no mention of any landmarks to take bearings from

have managed to get a 1942 block map that dose have compass bearings on so will look at that first only thing is with taht , is block is measured in something other than feet as the 86 mt side is 400 and something long

but will still be able to use the compass bearing to work it out ?


think part of problem is that the maps show side street as angleing off main rd straight but the road thats there now has a nice curve in it that seems to be taking it very close to where the back fence should be


really think i will just get a rough idea of where its all supposed to be and then will go to the coucil and see what they say

[pawnhead]

I built an extension on my sister's house and since I was building right up to the minimum 900mm side boundary set back, I got a surveyor in before I turned a shovel. It turned out that the opposite neighbour had pinched a foot of my sister's land, and she had pinched a foot from the neighbour where the extension was going. The sub division dated back to when there were cows roaming in a paddock.
So after a six month delay, with the surveyor trying to get the boundary formalized, it turned out that everyone had 'squatters rights' because the fences had been up for so long and no one had complained. So the moral of the story is, if someone puts a fence up on your boundary, you'd better check it or you might be losing a bit of land, never to be returned.

It also reminds me of a story that my old man once told me about a block in the city. I don't know if someone told him a tall tale, or if he read it somewhere.
Anyway, a bloke started putting up a building right on his boundary, and his neighbour came along with a surveyor and told the bloke that he'd pinched an inch of his land and he wanted it back. The first bloke tried to buy the inch of land off him for a reasonable price, but the guy was an 4$$hole and wanted a fortune for it because he knew it would cost the first bloke a fortune to tear down what he'd already built. The first bloke wouldn't pay, so he just tore down what he'd built and started again. But here's the clever bit. He moved it back two inches, not just one.
So when the second bloke came along and slapped up his building hard against the first bloke's building, he ended up having to pay the first bloke a fortune to buy an inch of his land.
Even after paying to demolish and re-build, the first bloke made a profit out of his 4$$hole neighbour.

It might be BS, but it's a good 'karma' yarn anyway. :U

[ausdesign]

dzcook the measurements will be in links - 1 link = 201.168mm
by all means check it out yourself as much as possible but at the end of the day get a professional survey done.
murpheys 5th law [translated] states - if you do nothing you will get bitten on bum !

the council will most likely will not be of assistance. they would normally come back to you suggesting you to get a survey.

[Darcy888]

Anyone know how much a boundary survey would cost for an average suburban block (straight lines and no easements)?

[ptc]

cost me $850.00.

[Darcy888]

cost me $850.00.

Really that much? Thought it would only be half a day's work at most for a suburban block.

[Tools]

It would only be half a days work, but they need an assistant, and need to do title searches etc as well.

Tools

[dzcook]

well i think that the new neighbours have started survey their block anyway as i have had a survey post found in the corner of my yard that was about 4inches underground and it wasnt me digging it up is a round metal plague says something like offical survey peg and is in line with where i thought that my front fence should be

thing is they havent said anything about starting a survey for their fences and never said taht they where looking either but the one peg really dosent help me that much as none of my corners are square anyway but dose give me a start

Now when i start the fences should my fence post go alongside the survey peg or inside of it or where ?

[Cliff Rogers]

cost me $850.00.
Cost us about $400 on a small block in Cairns 10 years ago.

[bitingmidge]

OK I know this is an old thread, but...

I buy property as part of what I do for a living.

I ALWAYS have an ID survey done before doing any work, and if I have any doubt at all regarding the location of the boundaries (or the site), before I settle the purchase.

It's not about what the cost of the survey is, it's about the cost of buying the wrong block of land, or demolishing half a building, or spending a fortune on consultants before finding the building won't fit on the site.

One particular solicitor of my acquaintance in a small coastal town, would not do any conveyencing work for a new client if they were buying land from a particular developer. It was not unusual to find the actual block contracted was some kilometres from the one inspected!

In suburbia, things like carports are often well over boundaries and it is useful to fix all of that before you actually settle.

So, just put the cost of the survey down beside stamp duty as something you really need to do.

Cheers,

P
:D

[journeyman Mick]

Just to reinforce what Midge said, two actual cases I know of:

Local project builder builds house. Owner of block turns up and says, umm that's my block, would you mind terribly just taking your house away.:doh: Project builder offers to swap blocks, owner doesn't accept.
Project builder offers house at a reduced rate, owner doesn't accept.
Project builder knocks down almost complete house.:o
Project builder takes a long time to recover from finacial setback.

Developer buys city building block, just across the road from the newest, largest and most popular shopping centre.
Knocks down existing building in preparation for new 3 story commercial building.
Neighbouring business, who owns building and business outright gets his boundaries surveyed as a precaution.
Work commences and neighbour notes that the building will encroach on his block.
Neighbour informs site supervisor who impolitely tells him to mind his own business.
Building is finished and surveyed for strata title purposes.
Building is found to be nearly a metre over the boundary.:doh:
Developer meets with neighbour to discuss, neighbour tells them he was aware of problem but was ignored.
Developer offers to buy x M2 off neighbour at currrent valuation, less subdivision costs, fees, taxes etc. Neighbour would get grand sum of $1800 and lose almost 1 M off the side of his driveway. Neighbour sells tyres and moves a lot of cars around so needs his driveway, besides he wasn't really pleased with initial response from supervisor.
Neighbour uses the same impolite terms the supervisor initially did to turn down offer.:U
Developer is forced to demolish entire wall at great cost.:o

Mick

[Purpleheart]

Funny isn't it.

Many people will pay for a building inspector, or a pest inspector to look at the house they are going to buy, yet don't want to pay for a surveyors report.

People will get a mechanic (or a mate, proported to know about such things) to look at a car before they buy it, yet who needs to know where their fences are in relation to the boundarys, or if that new swimming pool in the back yard is built over a drainage easement.

Whenever buying a property it is a must. Make sure your solicitor organises it, or organise one yourself. If you are selling, there is no law to say you can't have the survey done, and include it in the contract. It can make the whole process move along more smoothly at a time when many people are stressed enough.

Oh, and next time you see a surveyor working in the street, go up to him and try one of these.........

"Hey mate, wadda ya doin.....some surveying or something are ya ?"

"Hey mate, are we gittin new kerb-n-gutterin are we ?"

"Wadda ya surveying that for mate, its all been surveyed before ya know !!"

If that doesent work......try this one.........

"Hey mate....20 to the left.....HA HA HA HA HA".

Trust me, surveyors love that stuff.............NOT !!!!

[Bloss]

As as been said - get a survey.

Mostly available for between $500 & $800 with a full report unless there is some special problem that they have to deal with.

There is s recommended fee structure published by the Institution of Surveyors http://www.isaust.org.au/, but I think they are available only to members.

The rules vary by State, but in most places the survey cost (like fences) must be shared by your immediately adjacent neighbours (unless it is public land). Of course this can be a issue if you see a need for a survey and they don't - but they too run the risk of any problems if the alignments are incorrect. A gentle first approach once you have a good idea of costs is the way to go.

The "possession is 9/10ths" has in almost all cases been subsumed by statute law - so getting the boundaries right with a survey (with pegs and a report) is the safest way to go. Most now include GPS references.

[dan76]

i recently got a simple survey of my 16 ha block near hervey bay qld done for $770