In Victoria, surveyors are regulated by the Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria and only licensed surveyors are legally authorised to carry out land and property boundary surveys. Before engaging a surveyor for your cadastral work, always run a search on the “Check if a Surveyor is Registered” page from the website of the Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria.
Their online database will quickly show you if the surveyor is PRACTISING, NON-PRACTISING or if they license has EXPIRED. Some practising surveyors have conditions imposed on their license, so always pay close attention to the information in the search results.
To maintain the integrity of the property boundary system in Victoria (and to make sure you don’t get ripped off) we highlight the following three reasons for always using a licensed surveyor:
1. Your survey will be legal
Any cadastral survey (also known as a boundary definition survey) carried out by an unlicensed surveyor is illegal and has no legal standing. Apart from jeopardising the approval of your permits or development application, an illegal survey will have to be carried out again by a properly licensed surveyor. The money you spent on the original survey work will be wasted.
2. You’re protecting the integrity of the property market
When you only use a surveyor licensed by the Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria you are helping to protect and maintain the integrity of Victoria’s cadastre and property market. Licensed surveyors must be professionally educated and maintain their skills and knowledge through regular training. The Board sets and assesses these competency standards as well as enforces the professional conduct of all licensed surveyors.
3. You have recourse to complain
If you use a licensed surveyor who is registered in Victoria and you are concerned about their professional conduct, you can make a formal complaint. Whereas if you use an unregistered surveyor, you’ll have no such recourse. The Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria has a comprehensive complaints handling framework and there is no time limit for making a complaint.
Accessing a licensed surveyor at Nobelius
Don’t trust anyone but a licensed surveyor when you need to correctly subdivide your land, establish the boundaries of your lot or create an easement over your property. Nobelius Land Surveyors are registered and PRACTISING with the Surveyors Registration Board of Victoria and have the skills and professional experience to assist with all your cadastral surveying needs. Get in touch today.
REMEMBER: Architects, building surveyors, building inspectors, builders, fencing contractors, property developers, engineers, landscape gardeners, engineering surveyors, mining surveyors, marine surveyors, statistical or market surveyors, people who produce plans, people who produce maps, utilities tradespeople ARE NOT licensed for survey work.