How can surveys help prevent legal disputes in property development?
posted 27th September 2024
Property disputes are an exceptionally unpleasant experience for property owners and neighbours. They don't only strain your relationship, but can result in an expensive legal battle. An effective way to prevent legal disputes in property development is having a thorough survey completed. Land surveys are essential in identifying property boundary lines, resolving disputes, and providing a clear understanding on property rights and ownership.
Property Boundaries
One of the main purposes of a land survey is to accurately identify property boundaries before starting your property development, ensuring you do not encroach on your neighbours property. Property boundaries are often ambiguous, especially when properties have been subdivided or changed ownership numerous times over a course of a few years.
A combination of expertise and state of the art equipment is used when carrying out a survey, helping to define boundaries with accuracy, providing an understanding on where the one property ends and the next one begins. This helps prevent the risk of a property dispute.
Property Disputes
When you are unsure of your exact boundary lines, conflicts may arise between you and your neighbours. The disputes can range from minor disagreements regarding encroachments to serious issues, such as easement rights or ownership claims.
Land surveys have proven effective when it comes to resolving property disputes. With accurate measurements and detailed maps, these surveys provide an objective view of your property boundaries, helping to settle disagreements and prevent the risk of further legal action.
Existing Documentation
It's not uncommon when purchasing a property to be given incomplete or outdated documents, making it hard to understand the property boundaries, or how to make a decision regarding how to use the property. When the documents do not accurately reflect the current property state, it can result in future disputes.
Surveying confirms the accuracy of your existing documentation, with an updated understanding of your property. This ensures you have reliable and accurate information when making property development decisions, while preventing the risk of legal issues.
Property Valuation
Property valuable is essential when it comes to any real estate transaction, whether buying, selling, or refinancing a property. When you have inaccurate information regarding your property, it can result in inaccurate valuations, resulting in financial losses and legal disputes.
Surveys establish accurate measurements, along with property descriptions, offering you accurate information that can be used in valuing the property. This helps to minimise the risk of legal issues that may result due to property valuable discrepancies.
Access Rights
Access rights are commonly seen in property disputes. Surveyors can determine the extend of access rights on your property, along with your neighbours access rights. This is useful when it comes to shared driveways or easements.
When you clarify your rights, surveys help to prevent disputes, ensuring a equitable use of any shared spaces.
Conclusion
Property disputes are time consuming, draining, and expensive for everyone involved, so you want to prevent them as much as possible when it comes to your property development project. Surveys help avoid legal issues, providing accurate measurements, property descriptions, and boundary information. At MB Survey Solutions we provide objective evidence to help settle disputes and confirm existing documents. Give us a call today to discuss your surveying needs for your upcoming property development project.