Identification Surveys

Buying a house? – Protect your investment with an Identification Survey which is required to identify existing buildings and improvements on a parcel of land. An Identification Survey can only be undertaken by a registered surveyor.

When is it needed?

The purchaser’s solicitor will normally obtain an Identification Report as a matter of course to protect the client against any problems which can only be detected by the surveyor. Vendor Disclosure Legislation requires obligatory warranties and other statutory information from the vendor. The Identification Survey can supply the required information and speed up the sale.

Why it is needed?

An Identification Survey makes sure that the purchaser is not inheriting problems which may make the property difficult to sell in the future. More importantly it ensures that the property that has been shown is the one being bought and will often reveal defects which may devalue the property or require expensive repairs. The principle of ‘Caveat Emptor’ (let the buyer beware) applies to all land transactions. The Identification Survey is one of the necessary steps needed to ensure that unforeseen problems do not arise in future.

What is included

We measure the site to determine the exact location of buildings on or adjacent to the land and also the fences. Easements, covenants and restrictions on land use are checked for compliance. Special attention is paid to any encroachments on or by the land. Where a residence is involved a report is prepared in compliance with the Local Government Ordinances regarding distances of walls, eaves or gutters from the land boundaries.

Other advisable checks

An Identification Survey would normally be accompanied by building and pest inspections. The purchaser’s solicitor might see the need for other necessary checks to be made to protect the purchaser before final settlement. For example there are some areas where it would be prudent to check for flood or fire risk – another area within our expertise.