Buying, or unsure where your pegs went? An identification survey compares what's on the ground with the boundaries on your title. Torrens Survey Co puts you in touch with an independent Licensed Surveyor who quotes you directly.
A property survey in Adelaide usually means an identification survey: a survey of the existing boundaries of a block, done to check that the house, sheds, pool and fences sit where the title says. Buyers use it before they commit, and owners use it when the pegs are gone or a fence is in doubt.
Torrens Survey Co is an advertising and introduction service. It doesn't survey and holds no surveying licence. Call (08) 5550 3814 and say what you're trying to check and you'll be put in touch with an independent Licensed Surveyor, who quotes and contracts directly with you.
The point is to compare the house, sheds, carport, pool and fences with the boundaries, so a problem shows up before you sign or build, not after.
In South Australia only licensed surveyors can undertake a boundary survey or place a survey mark that defines a property boundary, so that's who you're introduced to.
Under the Survey Regulations 2020, a surveyor doing an identification survey must comply with the Lodgement of Boundary Identification Surveys Code.
The Code has surveyors publicly record identification surveys by lodging a Plan for Information Purposes. Ask what document you'll receive when you get the quote.
Agree which structures are checked, whether marks are placed and what you get back before the job starts. This page lists the questions to ask.
The price depends on the block, the evidence on site and the survey type. The surveyor quotes you directly, so ask whether the figure is incl. or ex GST.
The Survey Regulations 2020 define an identification survey as a cadastral survey of the existing boundaries of land, where a plan is not otherwise required to be lodged with the Lands Titles Registration Office. In plain terms, a Licensed Surveyor works out where the existing boundaries are and marks them on the ground. Because it's a cadastral survey done for a fee, the Survey Act 1992 reserves it, and the placing of boundary marks, to licensed surveyors or people working under their supervision.
The Code has surveyors publicly record their identification surveys by lodging a Plan for Information Purposes. The Lands Titles Registration Office doesn't examine those plans, but they are certified as carried out in line with the Survey Act 1992. What you receive, and how the structures on your block are shown against the boundary, is part of the scope you settle in the quote.
If your question is about a neighbour and a fence, read boundary surveys as well. If your designer wants levels rather than boundaries, that's a feature and level survey.
An identification survey isn't a building inspection. It says nothing about whether the roof, slab, wiring or drainage is sound, so it doesn't replace a pre-purchase building inspection. It's not a valuation either, and it won't tell you what the property is worth or what a discrepancy would do to the price.
It's also not a legal ruling. The Surveyor-General's Cadastral Survey Guidelines say pegs placed on identification surveys represent the surveyor's opinion of where the boundary is, and are subject to errors of survey or judgement. What a discrepancy means for your purchase, and what to do about it, is a question for a conveyancer or solicitor.
A fence line, an old title plan, online mapping or an aerial photo doesn't show the legal boundary. SA Government says the boundary can only be determined by a licensed surveyor.
SA Government describes an encroachment as a structure that intrudes onto another person's land by crossing the legal boundary. It can include buildings, driveways, eaves and balconies. Its advice is to hire a licensed surveyor to mark the legal boundary and confirm whether an encroachment has occurred. Encroachment disputes go to the Supreme Court, and section 4 of the Encroachments Act 1944 lets both the adjacent owner and the encroaching owner apply to the Land and Valuation Court for relief.
The Surveyors Board of South Australia warns that a boundary dispute can turn into expensive litigation, particularly if major improvements need to be removed or relocated. It also says major discrepancies between boundaries and fencing are not uncommon and can be very difficult to rectify. That's why buyers look before they sign, while it's still a negotiation and not a claim.
Easements are a title question first. Your conveyancer can tell you what is registered on the title. Ask the surveyor whether the job will show them against the structures on site, because that's a scope item, not something to assume.
Before you agree to a quote, settle these points in writing:
If you're buying, talk to your conveyancer about where a survey fits against your contract dates before you book anything. That's their call, not ours, and this page doesn't give legal advice.
Check the surveyor as well. The Board says to confirm the firm uses a surveyor licensed in South Australia, and that surveys by unlicensed practitioners have no legal standing. Find a surveyor on the Board's public register, or ask the Registrar on (08) 8212 0343.
We don't print a price for an identification survey, because none of the Adelaide firm pages we checked publish one. Surveyors quote each job, and the price depends on the block, the evidence on site and the survey type. Ask for the scope in writing and whether the figure is incl. or ex GST. There is more on this at land surveying cost in Adelaide.
That's your decision, and your conveyancer can advise on it. The Surveyors Board says that when you're buying or selling you should be aware of any encroachments involving neighbouring properties. If a shed, carport or fence looks close to the line, a survey is one way to find out before you commit.
Only licensed surveyors, or people working under their supervision, can carry out a cadastral survey for a fee or place a survey mark. The Board publishes a list of licensed and registered surveyors, updated in the Government Gazette each July and again in January. To check one person, call the Registrar on (08) 8212 0343 or email registrar@isasa.org.au.
Under the Fences Act 1975 a neighbour has 30 days to serve a cross-notice after a notice of intention to build a fence, and the Magistrates Court can decide the line of a fence. The Legal Services Commission says a court is unlikely to order a fence moved if the deviation from the boundary is minor. A survey can be included as a fencing cost if it is reasonably required, but a neighbour may object, so get advice from the Legal Services Commission or a solicitor first.
No. SA Government says that by law you can't move or remove a survey mark, and doing so can result in legal action and fines. For permanent survey marks, fines of up to $2,000 per mark apply if one is disturbed, damaged, moved, removed or destroyed. If you think a mark is in the way, tell the surveyor who quotes your job.
Tell us what the survey is for and get a written quote.
