Yours, Mine, and Ours: Everything You Need to Know About Property Lines
Thursday, July 24, 2025
By Wendy Helfenbaum for REALTOR.ca
The poet Robert Frost once famously said, “Good fences make good neighbours,” but this only holds true if that fence is in the right place. Most homeowners don’t actually know where their property begins and ends, says Chris Kamarianakis, CEO of ProtectYourBoundaries.ca.
Most buyers do their due diligence by hiring a building inspector and getting a notary or lawyer to do a title search. But Kamarianakis says it’s also important to get accurate dimensions of the property you’re about to purchase so that you’re aware of the rights and limitations associated with your land.
Here’s what you need to understand about property lines and boundary rights.
Location, location, location: it goes beyond the street address
“The problem is, people think a property line is wherever the fence is, but our research in Ontario has shown that 99.7% of fences are not on the property line,” says Kamarianakis. “The property line says, ‘this is where my property ends and somebody else’s begins’. People spend all this time looking for the house itself, but they forget what they’re actually buying is land that happens to have a building on it.”
Knowledge is power
Luckily, it’s fairly easy to obtain an accurate land survey that confirms the property line. The sellers might even have one. Kamarianakis’ company offers a comprehensive online database of existing survey plans across Ontario, which are available for $200 to $500. Other provinces offer similar options, as well.
If a current survey doesn’t exist, a licensed professional land surveyor can create one for about $3,000 or more, depending on the location and size of the property, says Kamarianakis.
Regulations vary from province to province
“Buyers and sellers get themselves into trouble when buying and selling an asset without a full investigation as to where this land asset starts and ends,” he says.
In a hot seller’s market, some buyers might be reluctant to request a boundary inspection as a condition, because it can take several weeks to get one done, and they fear the seller taking another offer, adds Kamarianakis.
“The key on the buying side is to do your due diligence before you put the bid in,” he suggests.
The rights and wrongs of a right of way
“On the selling side as a listing agent or seller, not disclosing an easement that affects your property, or on the buying side, not investigating to see if there are easements that affect the property you’re bidding on can cause untold levels of misery after the fact,” he says.
For example, Kamarianakis warns never to assume you can park your car on a shared driveway, put in a pool, build an extension, or plan to tear a house down and rebuild without first confirming the property line.
When selling your home, including a survey plan in your listing can help ensure you’ve disclosed everything about the extent of title and avoid trailing liability after the sale, says Kamarianakis.
“When buying a home, a survey helps ensure that your intended use of land can actually be satisfied, and that you won’t end up with a nasty surprise where the property’s narrower than you thought,” he adds.
Finally, if you’re planning exterior renovations, surveys enable you to understand what you can and cannot legally do with your property.
Because your property is likely the single biggest investment you’ll make, knowing what you’re buying is a key step in the process. When you work with an agent from The Brian Kondo Real Estate Team, we make sure to gather all the information you need so you can to make the right decision for your family.
If you are thinking about buying, selling or both this year, please reach out. There is over 100 years of experience on the Brian Kondo Real Estate Team.
Using our proven Home Selling system, we help our clients sell their homes fast, for top dollar, in the least amount of time, using our expertise to make it a smooth and pleasant experience.
Using our exclusive Home Buying System, we help our clients find the home of their dreams!
To find out more, please call me at 905-683-7800. You can also email me at brian@briankondo.com.
Thanks for reading today’s BLOG!!!
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Brian Kondo
Sales Representative / Team Leader
The Brian Kondo Real Estate Team
Re/Max Hallmark First Group Realty Ltd.
905-683-7800 office
905-426-7484 direct
brian@briankondo.com
www.BrianKondo.com
www.BrianKondoTeam.com
Wendy Helfenbaum's article was initially published on Realtor.ca. You can find it by clicking here.
| REALTOR.ca is the most popular and most trusted real estate website in Canada. Owned and operated by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), REALTOR.ca provides up-to-date and reliable information that makes finding your dream property easy and enjoyable. REALTOR.ca is popular with sellers, buyers, and renters and is accessible online and on mobile devices. |
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Wendy Helfenbaum |
About the Author Wendy Helfenbaum is a Montreal-based journalist, content strategist and TV producer who covers real estate, architecture, design, DIY, travel and gardening. Her work has appeared in publications including Style at Home, Country Gardens, realtor.com, Garden Collage, Canadian Gardening, Canadian Living, Renovation Contractor and more. @WendyHelfenbaum |
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