How Often Should You Have a Melbourne Boundary Survey Performed on My Property?

At Kennedy Setouts & Surveys, we are—among other things—a team of Melbourne boundary surveyors. Essentially, this means that we are qualified to survey your property and determine exactly where the boundary lines are according to your title deed.

A question we often hear from clients interested in this service is how often they should have boundary services performed on their property. Because boundary surveys tend to be one of the factors of property and homeownership that isn't discussed very regularly, most people are not aware of what the rules are in regards to regularity.

Determining When a Melbourne Boundary Survey Should Be on Your Calendar

The important thing to realise about property boundary surveys is that you don’t have to arrange at any particular date or time of the year. Some homeowners will have multiple Melbourne boundary surveys performed on their property during the period of ownership. Others might buy, own and sell a house—all without ever scheduling a proper survey.

There is a reason for this irregularity of scheduling, and it's that boundary surveys do not expire after any given length of time. Council, in other words, does not require homeowners to submit the paperwork from a new property line survey every year or two.

Instead, the events that tend to require a call to your local Melbourne boundary survey are self-triggered. If you are building an addition to your home that will run close to the property line, it's a good idea to check the exact location of the boundaries to make sure you aren't crossing them. The same goes if you are building an external structure (like a deck, shed, swimming pool, hot tub, garage or carport) or adding a fence along the property line. Across the board, your goal is to avoid the costs and legal headaches that come with building across your property line.

Melbourne boundary surveyors can also help if your neighbour build a fence or structure on their property that you believe encroaches across your property line. In such situations, determining the exact location of the property boundaries in accordance with your title should be the first step toward resolving the issue.

Other Reasons to Schedule a Boundary Survey

It's entirely possible that you could live in a home for a decade without wanting to build fences or additions and without having any boundary disputes with neighbours. If such is that case, then you may never have a pressing need for a formal boundary survey.

With that said, if you are planning on selling your house, you might consider a call to Kennedy Setouts & Surveys to hire one of our Melbourne boundary surveyors. Every bit of land counts in real estate transactions. As such, telling potential buyers that your property lines extend farther than they do is problematic, while accidentally marking your property lines a metre or two in from their actual locations can mean leaving money on the table. In either case, it's a good idea to schedule a boundary survey either when you sell or buy a new piece of property.