Africa Surveyors September- October Digital issue 2021

FEATURE
Cadastral Survey
A
Cadastral survey is a detailed land
surveying of the boundaries and metes of a
given country. A large number of countries
have undertaken Cadastral Surveys to record their
land boundaries and to allow easy access by legal
professionals for boundary disputes, land ownership,
and land boundaries among others. This allows a
layperson to see exactly what a land boundary is
according to a country’s civil law and to understand
what is an easement, a public right of way or a
private landowner’s right to occupy the land. It also
gives the public an idea of how much a particular
land or area is worth, and this is essential in selling
or buying land or properties.
Most people think of a cadastral survey as a purely
administrative task whereby land is surveyed to find
out the boundaries of properties. However, a cadastral
survey can also be a lot more complex. For example,
a town or city may want to know how many times
a street has been altered since it was last surveyed
so that they can plan future road improvements
accordingly. If planning permission is needed then
the town or city will need to apply for an addition to
the current civil law land survey to enable them to
do so.
Also civil law areas may require a survey to find
out if there are any underground utilities that may
affect the marketability of a home or block of flats.
If planning permission is required for any structural
changes then added to a civil survey could be vital
to avoid future problems with planning applications.
“The absence of defects in the record chain of title
and freedom from encumbrances are major factors
upon which the marketability of a land title is
generally considered to depend. Such encumbrances
and defects remain a clog on the title and an
impediment to its marketability,” says a marketing
representative at Geoinfotech Nigeria.
Geoinfotech Nigeria, further believes that, a properly
executed cadastral survey can add value to land
marketability in the following ways;
• It confirms the genuineness of the land or
building.
• Eligible access to insurance plans.
It grants security to land in terms of grappling and
such land or building has rights to compensation in
case of government’s policies and decisions. People
value security in Landed properties and as such, the
key factor to its marketability is assurance that the
property won’t be revoked or hijacked from them.
Fred Aboagye-Larbi, Managing Director at BEACON
SURVEY LIMITED, states that, “The accuracy of
cadastral survey increases the confidence in the
document covering the land or property.”
Additionally, when planning a building project, or
altering or extending an existing one to make it more
efficient, or perhaps to increase its marketable value,
a cadastral survey is essential for giving the planner
an accurate idea of how the property would look
16 September-October issue l 2021 www.africasurveyorsonline.com