Do I Need a Survey to Sell Rural Land in Ontario?
It depends. Whether a survey is needed to sell rural land usually turns on what your buyer, their lender and their lawyer will accept, and on how clear your boundaries and access are. An old or missing survey does not by itself decide the matter, but it often raises questions that are easier to answer before you list.
Rural land has some boundary issues that a survey tends to show. A cottage lot that fronts a shore road allowance, a strip 66 feet wide set aside in the 1800s, does not reach the water's edge unless the allowance has been closed and conveyed to the owner. On a Crown sale of a road allowance or shoreline reserve, the applicant pays for the survey, plan preparation and registration. If you are selling only part of a larger property, you generally need a consent under the Planning Act first.
Who pays for a survey on an ordinary sale depends on your situation and on what is agreed in your sale documents, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer before you commit to anything. Because lender and title requirements differ, ask your lawyer early what the buyer's side will want.
Key takeaways
- Whether a survey is needed depends on your situation, so it is worth confirming with a lawyer early what the buyer and their lender will want before you list.
- A cottage lot that fronts a shore road allowance does not reach the water's edge unless the allowance has been closed and conveyed to the owner.
- On a Crown sale of a road allowance or shoreline reserve, the applicant pays for the survey, plan preparation and registration.
- Selling only part of a property generally needs a Planning Act consent first, unless the land is already divided by something like a public road or railway.