Guide · Land and title
Surveys, boundaries and buying the land you think you are
The extent in an advert is not always the extent the survey supports. Here is why a survey plan matters, and what it protects.
The extent stated in an advert is not always the extent the survey plan supports — which is why, on land, a survey is one of the cheapest and most important checks you can make.
Land is bought by the perch, and a perch is a precise thing. A survey is how you confirm the precise thing you are paying for is actually there.
What a survey plan is
A survey plan, prepared by a licensed surveyor, defines a plot’s exact extent and boundaries. It is the technical description of the land, and checking it against both the deed and the ground is how you confirm three things at once: that the land is the extent claimed, that its boundaries are where they should be, and that what is on the plan matches what is on the title.
Why the advert is not enough
Adverts round, simplify, and occasionally overstate. Paying per perch for perches that are not there, or discovering a boundary runs somewhere other than the wall suggests, are expensive surprises — and they are exactly what a survey catches before completion rather than after. For any serious land purchase, the survey is insurance against the costliest kind of error.
Access is part of extent
A plot’s value depends not just on its area but on how you reach it. A legal, documented right of way is not the same as a track people currently use, and land with no clear access is worth far less than land you can lawfully reach. Confirm access as carefully as you confirm the boundaries — it is part of what you are actually buying.
Boundaries and neighbours
Boundary disputes are among the more draining problems in land, and they are far cheaper to prevent than to resolve. A clear survey, matched to the deed and understood on the ground, is the prevention. Where a boundary is unclear or a neighbour’s use encroaches, it is far better to know before you buy than to inherit the argument.
The survey sits inside the legal check
A survey confirms the physical land; your lawyer confirms the legal ownership, including any encumbrances and that every co-owner consents. The two go together — the survey without the title check, or the title check without the survey, each leaves a gap. On land especially, do both, and buy the land you think you are buying rather than the one you hoped for.
Sources
- A survey plan by a licensed surveyor defines a plot's extent and boundaries; confirm it against the deed and the ground.Standard surveying and conveyancing practice
Questions people ask
What is a survey plan?
A survey plan, prepared by a licensed surveyor, defines the exact extent and boundaries of a plot. Checking that the plan matches the deed — and the ground — is how you confirm you are buying the land you think you are.
Should I trust the perch figure in the advert?
Confirm it with the deed and, for anything serious, a licensed surveyor — the extent stated in an advert is not always the extent the survey plan supports. Paying per perch for perches that are not there is a costly and avoidable mistake.
How important is access to the property?
Access is critical and frequently overlooked — a plot with no legal right of way is worth far less than one with a clear road frontage, however good the land itself. Confirm that the access is legally documented, not just currently used.
What is an encumbrance?
An encumbrance is a claim or liability attached to a property — a mortgage, a court case, a right of way — that can limit or burden ownership. A title check is partly a hunt for encumbrances, because you inherit them if they are not cleared before you buy.
What is a perch?
A perch is the unit land is measured and priced in across Sri Lanka: one perch is about 25.29 square metres, or roughly 272 square feet. There are 160 perches in an acre and 40 in a rood.
What if a property has several owners?
Co-owned or inherited land needs every owner's valid consent to sell, and missing or disputed consents are a frequent source of trouble. Your lawyer confirms that whoever is selling has the right to sell the whole of what is on offer.
When should I get a survey?
Get a licensed surveyor to confirm the extent and boundaries against the deed before you complete, especially for land. It is cheap relative to the purchase and it catches the discrepancies that are expensive to discover afterwards.
Are title checks more important out of area?
They are always important and never less so at a distance — an independent lawyer confirming clear title protects you whether the property is next door or across the country. Distance is a reason to be more careful, not less.