Do I need a survey when buying a home in Ontario?

A survey (formally an Ontario land survey or plan of survey) shows the exact boundaries of a property and the location of structures on it. It confirms that the house, fence, deck, and other improvements are actually within the property lines and not encroaching onto a neighbour's land or onto a registered easement or right-of-way.

Lenders used to require a current survey as a condition of mortgage financing. Today, most lenders accept title insurance in lieu of a survey because title insurance covers losses from boundary and encroachment issues that a survey would have caught. As a result, buyers typically do not obtain a new survey on a resale purchase — new surveys in Ontario can be quite expensive.

However, title insurance is not a substitute for knowing where your property lines are if you plan to build, fence, or make changes near the boundaries. If you intend to add a pool, build a garage, or erect a fence, you will want a current survey before you break ground. For new-build purchases, the builder provides a real property report or a grading plan, which gives some boundary information but may not be as detailed as a formal survey.