Top 5 Reasons You Should Always Use a Registered Surveyor

1/2/2018

BOSSI (The Board of Surveying and Spatial Information of NSW), is the statutory body responsible for registration of land and mining surveyors. As well as managing any administration matters, BOSSI also investigates all queries and complaints against registered land and mining surveyors and has the authority to implement disciplinary action which may arise as a result of the investigations.

BOSSI also advises the Minister for Finance, Services and Property and the Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation on the practice of surveying, spatial information and all other matters in connection with the administration of the Surveying and Spatial Information Act 2002.

Qualifying as a registered surveyor in Australia involves tested knowledge and skilled education. A four year degree in Surveying or equivalent is required with a Certificate of Competency in NSW –either from the University of NSW or the University of Newcastle. You are therefore certain that you are getting professional quality work with a registered surveyor.

Below are the top reasons you should use a Registered Surveyor:

Registered surveyors have the qualifications to legally define land boundaries of new and existing developments. Registered Land Surveyors are responsible for the management and protection of the state and territory cadastre. This means that only a surveyor registered under the Surveyors Act 2007 (ACT) or the Surveying and Spatial Information Act 2002 (NSW) is legally accredited and qualified to perform a survey to identify or mark the boundaries of your land.
A Registered surveyor will locate and define your land boundaries and will provide a signed & certified plan that shows and legal description of the land and a sketch showing the marked boundaries.
Hiring a registered surveyor means that you will have insights from someone who possesses the required professional experience and industry affiliations as well as someone who will comply with regulations.
According to BOSSI (Board of Surveying and Spatial Information), it is illegal for anyone who is not a registered land surveyor to carry out any survey involving property boundaries, including the setting out of buildings at a stated offset from a property boundary. BOSSI is your assurance that a land surveyor’s work will be carried out competently, correctly and professionally.
It is critical to be aware that surveys prepared by non-Registered surveyors do not have legal standing and will not be recognised as evidence in the event of a boundary dispute. It’s not worth the risk, so make sure you only use a licensed professional to survey your land. Using a land surveyor who is not registered can expose you to serious and costly risks relating to building compliance and structural encroachments violations. Anyone who is not a registered land surveyor and undertakes boundary surveys cannot be insured against incorrect, defective or substandard work, as they are breaking the law.

Non-licensed surveyors are able to carry out many other forms of surveying including existing conditions surveys, engineering, construction, environmental and monitoring surveys. Always exercise due diligence when selecting professional services and be sure to take care with who you select for your next survey project.

Please get in touch if you’ve experienced any violations from work carried out by an unregistered surveyor. We want to help!

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14 Comments

Ridley link

20/7/2018 06:50:45 am

I can see why hiring a registered land surveyors is smart. Like you said, they have the experience and training to do the job right. We're going to build a home on a lot, so figuring out the boundaries is a must for us.

Eshavasthu link

18/9/2018 06:40:10 pm

Thanks for the wonderful article

Sarah Smith link

15/1/2019 06:24:45 am

I agree that it would be important to hire a registered surveyor so you know you are complying with regulations when you wish to subdivide a piece of land. My husband and I have been considering subdividing out property so that we could rent out sections and earn some more money. We'll keep looking into registered surveyors as we save up the money to make that change.

Jocelyn McDonald link

19/4/2019 02:34:36 am

My brother wants to build a house, and your article had some great point about why he should hire a registered surveyor before starting construction. I liked how you said that a register surveyor will be able to provide insights as someone who possesses required professional experience and industry affiliations. Thanks; I'll share this with my brother and hopefully he'll hire a surveyor for his building.

steele honda link

17/5/2019 11:05:41 am

Thanks for pointing out that hiring a registered surveyor means that you will have insights from someone who possesses the required professional experience and industry affiliations. My husband and I are thinking about hiring a surveyor before we sell out house because I think that it would make sure that the process with smoother. I also think that they could help give us information that could help sell our house or give us advice on what to fix to help sell our house which would be nice too.

1/8/2019 03:39:25 am

Thanks for your advice to find a registered surveyor. I would like to make sure everything is done legally. It would be wonderful to have my house built and not have to worry about anything else.

Jenna Hunter link

20/12/2019 09:46:22 am

My dad is thinking about building a shed and a little play area so that the grand kids can have a nice place to run around and all the dangerous tools can be in the shed while they play. He doesn't know exactly where his property line is and really doesn't want to go over it. Getting a professional to help him find out where the border is could be really nice. It was interesting to learn about how he can get a certified and signed plan from a licensed professional so that if there is a boundary dispute they will be recognized.

Land Surveyor Charlotte NC link

22/6/2020 02:53:43 pm

Great job keeping the public informed about hiring a registered land surveyor than non-licensed surveyors. We do property surveying in Charlotte NC.
- James, Charlotte Land Surveyors

Patrick Ross link

16/7/2020 11:01:56 pm

I like what you said about hiring a surveyor so that you can insights from someone with industry affiliations. My sister wants to make sure that she buys the right property in the coming months. I'll share this information with her so that she can look into her options for surveyors who can help her with this.

Surveyors Newcastle link

17/7/2020 04:30:41 pm

Nice blog. Thank you for sharing this blog. Keep it up!

Linda Wilkerson

10/10/2020 12:06:24 am

How do you find out if a surveyor is registered?

Where is Karla Going link

21/11/2020 06:09:53 pm

Thanks great blog posst

Jeremy Hara link

20/9/2021 10:42:09 pm

What an exquisite article! Your post is very helpful right now. Thank you for sharing this informative one.

Victoria Addington link

18/1/2022 12:06:20 pm

Thank you for explaining that registered surveyors have the qualifications to legally define land boundaries of new and existing developments and are responsible for the management and protection of the state and territory cadastre. My friend is building his property and he wants to make sure that he's following all the necessary guidelines. I better advise him to hire registered building surveyors since they are the people qualified to assess his property legally.

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