Title Re-Establishment Surveys
Find out where your boundary legally sits, not where the fence happens to be. We research the title and historical records, survey the site, and put marks back in the ground across Melbourne and Victoria.
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Licensed Surveyor Certified
Your plan is prepared and signed by a Victorian Licensed Surveyor, so it stands up when it matters.
Full Record Research
We research neighbouring survey records as well as your own, because a boundary is defined by everything around it.
Marks Back in the Ground
Pegs, rivets or nails placed on site where they can be, so you can build or fence to a physical line.
The Fence Is Not the Boundary
Most people find out their boundary is somewhere unexpected at the worst possible moment. Here is where it usually goes wrong.
Original Marks Are Gone
On older Melbourne blocks the pegs placed at subdivision were removed decades ago. Without them, the boundary has to be reconstructed from the title and surrounding survey evidence.
Fences Have Drifted
Fences get rebuilt by agreement, by eye, or by whoever was there at the time. Two or three replacements later they can sit well off the legal line.
Building Too Close
If your design sits near a boundary, a small error becomes a wall in the wrong place. Moving it afterwards costs far more than the survey would have.
Buying Without Knowing
Encroachments, structures over the line and occupations that do not match the title all become your problem once you settle.
How We Re-Establish Your Boundary
Boundary re-establishment is evidence work. We gather everything available, then test it against what is on the ground.
Title and Historical Research
We obtain your title and the historical survey information behind it, then research the survey records of the neighbouring properties as well.
Detailed Field Survey
Our surveyors locate every relevant physical mark and occupation on site, including anything surviving from the original survey.
Cadastral Analysis
We analyse the evidence against the title dimensions and established surveying principles to determine where the boundary legally sits.
Marking and Documentation
Boundaries are marked on site where marks can be placed, and you receive the plans and documentation supporting the re-establishment.
What You Get at the End
Everything you need to build, fence or negotiate with confidence about where the line actually runs.
Boundary Marks On Site
Marks located or reinstated where appropriate, whether that is pegs in the ground, rivets in concrete or nails on a fence.
Survey Plans and Documentation
The plans and supporting documentation for the re-establishment, prepared to the standard your designer or building surveyor expects.
Advice You Can Use
A clear explanation of what we found and what it means for your build, your fence or your purchase.
Trusted By Businesses Across Australia
- Luke Vearing Construction Manager at Speedpro Civil
Speedpro has had the pleasure of working alongside Outright Surveying for over 10 years, and we are always thoroughly impressed with their level of expertise, professionalism, accuracy, and reliability.
- Rowan Bird Project Survey Manager at Seymour Whyte
I’ve been working with Outright Surveying on several projects. The team consistently deliver with reliable and easy to deal with Surveyors, making the projects run smoothly.
- Nevil Sabu Alex Construction Manager at John Holland
Outright Surveying has been my trusty surveying partner for close to a decade. The service I have received from their surveyors and management team has been second to none.
Start Your Project With Confidence
Infrastructure surveys, building setouts, 3D scanning, aerial mapping and more. Our experienced team is ready to help. Tell us about your requirements and we'll respond as soon as possible.
- Phone 0408 007 453
- Address 4/20 Duerdin St, Clayton
Melbourne Cadastral
- Phone 0400 751 199
- Address 4/20 Duerdin St, Clayton
Melbourne
Title Re-Establishment Questions
Most standard suburban blocks fall in a predictable range, and we quote a fixed price up front rather than charging by the hour. What moves the number is the amount of historical research required, how much of the original survey evidence survives, and how difficult the site is to access. Send us the address and we will price it properly.
Yes. If the original marks are still there we will find them. If they are gone, which is common on older blocks, we re-establish the legal boundary from the title and surrounding evidence and place new marks where appropriate.
If your proposed building sits close to a boundary, it is strongly recommended and your designer or building surveyor may require it. It prevents disputes and it prevents the far more expensive problem of discovering a wall is over the line after it is built.
Not necessarily. Many fences sit on or near the legal boundary, but they are not evidence of where it is. Fences get positioned by historical construction methods, informal agreements between neighbours, or simple error. Only a cadastral survey by a licensed surveyor establishes the legal line.
The field work is usually a single visit. The research and analysis behind it take longer, and that is where the accuracy comes from. We will give you a realistic timeframe when we quote, and we work to settlement dates and build programmes where they are tight.
Yes. Our cadastral team covers metro Melbourne, and we work across South West Victoria and Gippsland from our regional bases. Call us with the address and we will tell you straight away whether we cover it.
Title Re-Establishment Surveys Across Melbourne and Victoria
What a Title Re-Establishment Survey Actually Does
A title re-establishment survey determines the legal position of your property boundaries using the title dimensions, historical survey records and the physical survey evidence still present on site.
It is not a measurement exercise. Two surveyors measuring the same fence would agree with each other and both be wrong. The work is in reconstructing the boundary from the cadastral record, which is why it has to be done by a licensed surveyor.
When You Need One
Before building, fencing, or putting up a retaining wall anywhere near a boundary. Your designer or building surveyor will often ask for one, and on tight infill blocks it is effectively mandatory.
Also before buying land where the occupation looks questionable, and any time there is genuine uncertainty about where the line runs.
Why Neighbouring Records Matter
A boundary does not exist in isolation. It is part of a cadastral fabric built up over more than a century of subdivision, and the evidence that fixes your line is often found in a survey of the property two doors down.
This is where surveys differ in quality. Working only from your own title is faster and cheaper, and on a contested boundary it is not good enough.
What Happens If There Is a Problem
Sometimes the survey shows a structure over the line, an occupation that has crept, or a genuine conflict in the historical record. Finding that out before you build is the entire point.
Where a boundary is genuinely in dispute we can provide independent evidence and expert reports for mediation or legal proceedings.
Learn more about boundary dispute surveysSurveying and Setout Together
Because we also do construction setout, the same firm that establishes your boundary can set out the building against it. That removes the gap where a boundary survey gets handed to a different surveyor and something is lost in translation.
Learn more about residential building setout