23 February 2017
Guideline – Surveys Relating to Property Boundaries
The Surveyors Board of Queensland has identified that there is uncertainty across both industry and the community in respect to when a registered cadastral surveyor is required to identify a property boundary. This guideline has been distributed to numerous organisations associated with the building and development industries.
You can access the guideline via the Board website, and you are welcome to print copies and promote it to your clients or other related parties.
The Board’s website also contains the definition of a cadastral survey and who can carry out a cadastral survey. It can be accessed here.
Marketing/Advertising Cadastral Surveying Services
The Board has become aware that web-based service providers are offering a contact service between the public and tradespeople. Some service providers include listings for surveying services including land surveying. The Board has noted that some persons who are not registered cadastral surveyors are listed as providing land surveying services. The Board will be writing to the web-based service providers to advise the legislative requirements, specifically that only registered consulting cadastral surveyors can market their services and charge a fee for a cadastral survey.
The Board is also aware that some surveying businesses are marketing the provision of cadastral services when the surveying business is not registered with the Board as a consulting cadastral surveyor (e.g. via their business webpage or the Yellow Pages). Under the Surveyors Act 2003, such businesses cannot provide cadastral surveying services to the public, which includes marketing, advertising or implying that they provide, or can procure, cadastral services.
When contacted by the Board, these surveying firms are advising that they refer any cadastral work to a registered consulting surveyor. Where a surveyor refers a person to a registered consulting surveyor for cadastral work, it must be on the basis that the person would become a client of the consulting surveyor, who would manage all future dealings with the client.