What is a location certificate?

The location certificate# is a document containing a report and a plan in which the land surveyor expresses his professional opinion on the actual location and condition of an immovable property. He thus paints a portrait of an immovable property in comparison to the titles of ownership (sale, assignment, declaration of transmission, letters patent), the cadastre, as well as to the laws and regulations which can affect it (municipal regulations, flood-risk areas, heritage property, housing complex, etc.).

This certificate is usually necessary at the time of a real estate transaction and can be required by a creditor, a notary, an advocate, a real estate broker, an appraiser or a municipality. It can be asked just as much by the seller than by the purchaser.

This document is private and the land surveyor remits same to the client and only to the designated stakeholders. It is necessary to note that the location certificate shall in no case be used to try to establish the limits of real estate properties or to undertake works in connection with these. The certificate carries then an express mention to this effect. As for these actions, the land surveyor will rather realize operations of staking or of implementation according to the needs of the parties.

The location certificate is a document governed by the Regulation Respecting Standards of Practice for Location Certificates of the Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec.