Boundary Surveyor

afm_2

Yes, I have

Land_Registry

afm - where the exact legal boundary lies and who is responsible for and/or owns the boundary are separate issues. A surveyor can help you to both understand the information and relate any plan to the reality on the ground. The RICS are the accredited body for surveyors and you can search for them online and find a surveyor local to you.

Our online guidance explains some of the issues faced re title plans and boundaries.

It may also help others if you could explain on what basis the neighbour thinks the boundary is theirs and what you mean by 'legally we need more' ?

The 'Transfer plan' will have been used to define the extent being transferred and may be drawn on a site map or a copy of a title plan of course. I suspect from your explanation that it is a site map used by the builder to define the size of each plot and also the responsibilities re each boundary as appropriate.

princeofpounds

Yes, look at RICS

You might also find the following site and forum useful. The design is rubbish but lots of info on boundary issues.

http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/boundaries.html

bigadaj

It woudk be interesting to know what country the OP is from for comparative purposes. I know in countries like Germany and Switzerland there are boundary surveyors, but it's normally less of an issue in the uk, one of the reasons being that often the plans and documents themselves aren't that accurate, the line width for example can be significant.

Rics surveyors come in many flavours, what you really need here is a topographical surveyor to set out points and or a line based on the available information and using either gps or a total station.

Would also be useful to know what the specific issue is as this could also be pertinent.

Edit - OP the issue in the UK may not be cut and dried and there are many cases where boundary issues have gone to court with people accruing huge legal fees so just be aware if this as well.

afm_2

Apologies for the delay in replying.

I've just noticed that my initial post may have led people to think that when I said "around here" I was referring to the UK. I am sorry for not being clear enough: I meant here in the area where I live, not the UK as a whole.

I have read a lot about this subject and checked all documents I could get hold off, and all seem to indicate that we own the boundary feature and that our land extends (at least) up to that feature.

Our transfer document shows two thin lines on one boundary. The external line has 'T' marks, which are mentioned in the text as responsibility for the feature.

Land Registry representative They just believe it is theirs, even though I haven't seen a single document showing their land extending over the feature. I think they assumed that because we have a fence, the fence marks the extent of our land. There are no other physical features in the area apart from these two, so I can only think that the two thin lines in our transfer document represent these two boundary features. Are there any other "things" that would be indicated as a continuous line?

bigadaj How can I make sure that the surveyor is the right one?

I know I won't find answers online, that's why I need the surveyor. I don't care what the outcome is. I just want to ensure that all the information in the documents is respected and to establish definitely who is responsible for the feature.
Thank you!

Land_Registry

When plans are mapped a solid line will normally represent a physical feature of some sort.
A pecked line denotes a change of feature below a certain height succh as a line of kerb stones.

It is important to remember that plans are mapped to reflect the physical features on the ground inc walls, hedges, buildings, roads etc etc. A surveyor is in effect interpreting those features in unison with the gradient and lie of the land, which for obvious reasons cannot be reflected in a one-dimensional plan.

There is no way of making sure that the surveyor is the 'right one' as that is a subjective view. In my experience you would look for an official accreditation (RICS in this case) and then a personal recommendation. If you do not know anyone who has used and can recommend a surveyor then ask them for references or names/addresses of someone you can contact to confirm if they are the 'right one'.

I guess it is similar to getting the right plumber, right electrician and so on

afm_2

Both lines are solid so they must represent physical features and there are only two on the ground.

Thank you very much for the detailed explanation. It helps a lot and reassures me that I am not missing anything when looking for a surveyor (like getting a plumber that does not have a gas safe certificate to replace the boiler )

DaftyDuck

If it's of any help, I know the RICS website allows you to search for surveyors who specialise in boundary issues and disputes. At least that might narrow the field rather.

afm_2

Thanks! I knew there was a search but wasn't aware that I could narrow it down. Thank you very much for that!