Who is a Registered Surveyor? Do I need to use one?
A Registered Surveyor is someone who has been assessed as having the correct qualifications and being competent to perform surveys by the Surveyors Board of Queensland. Surveys performed by Registered Surveyors are carried out in a professional, competent manner meeting the appropriate current legislation, standards and guidelines. Registered Surveyors with a Consulting Endorsement can consult with the public and they have been assessed in business practices and carry the appropriate professional insurances.
Registered Surveyors are required to adhere to a Professional Code of Practice and are also required to demonstrate their competency each year through continual professional development.
TerraModus Surveying is a Consulting Cadastral Surveyor and carries all the appropriate insurances (including professional indemnity and public liability) to perform cadastral (land boundary) surveys.
By using a Registered Surveyor you know they have been assessed by the Surveyors Board of Queensland as being competent in their area of expertise. Today to be deemed competent surveyors are required to complete a four year Bachelor of Surveying Degree (or similar) and further complete a number of surveys/projects to demonstrate their competency (usually takes a minimum of two years) as well as have a professional interview with the Surveyors Board.
You may have been told you need a Licensed Surveyor - this term is no longer current in Queensland. The correct term, by legislation today, is a Registered Cadastral Surveyor or a Consulting Cadastral Surveyor but these qualifications are the same as the old term Licensed Surveyor. The term Registered was introduced to also recognise the other surveying specialties such as Engineering, Mining and Hydrographic. Land Surveyors or Cadastral Surveyors are still the most commonly Registered Surveyor.
Only Cadastral Surveyors can legally place property boundary marks, and when they do they must prepare a survey plan to record those marks. If you are not receiving a plan for a boundary survey then you may not be using a Cadastral Surveyor which means you do not know the accuracy or quality of the survey work. It also means that the person is unlikely to be insured for land boundary work.
Your builder or certifier may request certification that the building is within your property when construction is on or near a boundary. As Cadastral Surveyors are legally the ones who define boundaries, in many instances you will require construction set-out to be perform by a Registered Cadastral Surveyor. The Surveyors Board of Queensland have created a guideline about property boundaries which states:
If a certification is required regarding the location of any building, improvement, or utility in relation to a property boundary, this must be provided by a Registered Cadastral Surveyor. This includes a Form 12 certification in relation to boundary clearances of a building per s18 of the Building Regulations 2006 relating to the Building Act 1975.
Ensure you use a Registered Consulting Cadastral Surveyor! This ensures the job is performed professionally and the work is insured. Surveying Associates are not Registered Surveyors and cannot perform boundary related surveys.
Check any surveyors’ registration status with the Surveyors Board of Queensland.