Offline Website BuilderI cover the whole of the UK. I have covered Lowestoft, Stranraer, Bangor, Folkstone and The Lizard in recent time.
This said, the logistics of reaching the more remote areas adds to costs so I may struggle to compete for the smaller projects in remote areas. For Northern Ireland and the various islands I need to charge for ferries / flights, also any accommodation, so I am likely to only offer competitive prices for larger projects, such as providing lease plans for whole blocks of flats or office buildings.
Typically a little over a week from ordering, subject to access being available at a time convenient to me.
I try and rationalise my appointment schedules to reduce the time spent travelling instead of surveying, hence I typically can offer a choice of appointments on one or two days in the coming week. If access is only available on specific days then I usually need about 2 weeks notice so that I can schedule other site visits around this.
My work is prioritised by order date, not appointment date, so an earlier appointment does not ensure an earlier return. If you really need a plan urgently (under a week) I can sometimes offer an priority turn around but this is likely to incur additional travel costs and a premium on time.
I initially deliver draft copies by email as pdf files ready for proofing. It is important that these are checked against written documentation and confirmed with other interested parties. This avoids delays and confusion later.
Final versions are issued once proofing has been completed and our invoice settled.
The plans do have date and version numbering, however it is good practice for you to destroy any final plans which have since been updated - obsolete versions of plans can appear and cause problems years later.
I generally provide quotes for the work as specified (with a modest amount of tolerance).
Where time is to be billed, this is based on a rate of £60.00 / hour of productive work (bundled into this is allowance for additional admin time and equipment costs etc).
I usually either require payment up front (by end of the day of the site survey), or for established customers within 7 days of invoicing (which is from the date the first draft supplied).
I routinely offer a prompt payment discount of 10% for payment within the terms.
Interest is billed at 1.5% per month or part thereof beyond due date. Compounded, this is an AER of 19.56%.
I am not VAT registered, this saves individuals money when paying direct.
Most of our plans are sized to print on A4 or A3 colour printers.
Ideally use a good grade paper and clean print heads (no streaky dropped lines).Check in the printer properties that you are printing at the intended size (100%), not allowing the printer to be "smart" and squeeze the plan onto a sheet with its own preferred margin width. Exact terms vary, but "re-scale to fit media" is a common option that needs de-selecting. Re-scaled plans are the main reason that Land Registry rejects plans!
You can check your printed copy is correctly scaled by measuring the scale bar - it should be exactly 50mm in most cases (usually it will state the intended length above); another cross check for smaller sites is the location plan which will be in a box exactly 80mm x 80mm.
I can send printed copies, but I charge for these and it will introduce extra delay as I do not have easy printer access.
Typically to accurately document and record the ownership of a piece of land or building, thereby protecting the owner from other claims.
Legally all land transactions in the UK need to be registered (HM Land Registry in England and Wales, The Land Register of Scotland in Scotland). For freehold transactions and longer-term freehold arrangements these need to include accurate mapping showing the location and extent of the property. This provides a record of what the original transaction was, and protects interested parties from spurious claims and boundary creep over time spans where memory becomes an unreliable witness. The Land Registry provides a minimum set of specifications for these plans, appropriate for them to carry out their duties. I routinely work to higher specifications to ensure the plans provided meet the needs of supporting your legal contracts properly.
The Land Registry specifications have been upgraded in recent years to reflect the better quality surveying that is now achievable. This particularly impacts leaseholds where older hand drawn plans no longer meet the requirements.
I am also finding that financial institutions are requesting that documentation be upgraded to meet current standards, this is to ensure they can clearly define the asset which is security against money leant. Typically this occurs when re-mortgaging a property, especially one which is set up for multiple occupancy.
In almost all cases the answer is no.
Lease and title plans should record the buildings and grounds as they are, not as they were planned to be.
Pre-existing plans are normally drawn to suit a specific purpose, and without detailed specifications and drawing dates it is hard to establish their reliability short of checking them on site (which usually is often slower than re-surveying).
I find significant anomalies with almost all architects plans; what seem like trivial common-sense changes made at the building stage are rarely recorded, but may have a significant impact on final boundary positions; I also find that for minor alterations architects plans often summarise details quite crudely away from the area of importance to them.
Estate agent floor plans are rarely accurate enough, they are usually intended as no more than a rough layout guide.
Any existing standard Land Registry plan is of some interest as it shows what Land Registry believe the extent of the property to be; however these plans are typically based upon relatively crude OS maps.
If you actually have the original title deeds then these are useful; they are the most reliable source of information for boundary positions if they were actually created from a proper site survey. Keep them safely (I will work off a scan or photo), they usually remain as important as any new plan I create. I will check them against our site surveys to give you an idea of their accuracy and reliability. Often these plans are either held by the mortgage company, or have been destroyed. Land Registry does not universally hold them, and they are not normally part of their digital register, so it is rare for them to appear on a standard search.
In almost all cases the answer is no.
Ordnance survey mapping shows features, not boundaries. Boundaries shown may follow these features (such as walls, fences, streams), but it was not the intention of OS mapping to record these for the purpose of establishing boundaries.
OS mapping often simplifies lines where features co-exist; so you could find a ditch flanked by a wall with a hedge planted adjacent, then a stock fence erected to protect the hedge all marked by a single line. OS mapping is typically created from aerial survey, it has an accuracy of around 300 - 600mm typically, and the variation in errors is often expressed over short distances. In simple terms it is more common than not that either the length or width of you property is incorrectly shown by over 300mm (1 foot), and errors over 1 metre are not uncommon.
OS mapping is updated every few years for most areas, however most lines are left unchanged unless there is an obvious difference; in many towns the rear extensions to most properties are not shown.
OS mapping struggles to pick up features and changes under heavy tree cover.
The one occasion where OS mapping is appropriate can be field and farm transactions; for large blocks of lower value land bounded by well established hedges, old walls and roads the lower accuracy is likely to be acceptable.
Complex - if you need to know then speak to a lawyer.
In the UK we define land ownership by General Boundaries. This in effect means that the map is not gospel. It also makes for complexity when definitions are lost, vague, or relate to features that have long since disappeared. There is a system for defining boundaries precisely by grid co-ordinates down to cm precision, Determined Boundaries, (effectively making the mapping the absolute determinant), but it is rarely applied outside the most vicious boundary disputes.
The law on property ownership provides a framework for establishing ownership, however each plot of land will have been subject to transactions and contracts which determine the exact nature of the ownership subject to lawfulness. Therefore your first port of call is to look at your deeds.
Typically boundaries are originally defined to follow observable features, run a fixed distance from a feature, or run between (or beyond) points measured from observable features. For existing features there should be some description as to which side the boundary runs (or if necessary, along the median line). For unmarked boundaries there should ideally be a description of who is to erect the boundary, how it is maintained, who owns it, and on whose land it is to be built on, along with specifications of structure, maximum or minimum heights. It is generally simpler if one party takes sole responsibility and builds just within their land.
Rebuilding a boundary feature does not move the original boundary. Accurate original documentation will help establish where a wall or fence has been built along the wrong line, our plans will help you should this arise in the future. It is possible that fences were originally positioned incorrectly, so some complexity can arise when they are replaced even on the same alignment.
Adverse Possession covers cases where land has been occupied and used as part of an adjacent title for a prolonged period even though it is technically part of another title. This land can be claimed provided the original owner raises no objections and takes no steps to reinstate the original / legal boundaries. It often relates to cases of garden boundaries creeping backwards into alleyways or scrub land. You will need legal advise if you plan to make such a claim. We suggest you consider carefully the implications of making such a claim, it may alert a landowner to the infringement and loose you all use of the land, unless you have need of the land for access or building you might be better served by quietly enjoying the use of the land. We can provide plans to support adverse possession claims. In other cases our plans will show the legal boundary relative to the fences and other features; we do not highlight these areas on the plan, but there existence will be evident. You can not sell land you do not own, but unless it is critical for access to your land it should not hinder a sale as any new owner could still enjoy unofficial use of the extra land until such time as the true owner becomes aware and takes appropriate action.
Boundary Disputes: the simple advise is don't have them. They inevitably cost more than the land is worth, and too often are over trivial amounts of land. If your neighbour replaces a fence, and you notice it has crept an inch onto your land either ignore it or at most pay for your solicitor to write a polite letter pointing out the discrepancy, and asking that when the fence is next replaced that its original position be reinstated.
The Party Wall Act provides a framework for dealing with shared walls. In the case that you end up with a full blown boundary dispute you will find there are various options for arbitration and resolving matters away from lawyers and courts; The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors can point you to surveyors who can make legally binding decisions about boundaries at a far lower cost than the typical court case, and they will have the experience in dealing with such matters routinely.
Naturally this and other information here is offered informally as general guidance and does not constitute legal advice. We can accept no liability arising.
I primarily use a REVO-RT handheld laser scanner.
This is state of the art technology that provides me with most of the dimensions and shapes I require.
For title plans I usually use a survey grade GPS system. I use a hand-held laser tape measure for supplementary measurements. I use basic photogrammetry on some occasions to assist with recording high level details. I prepare plans in a standard CAD package.
On site I draw a sketch plan to ensure I have noted all features I wish to include in the finished plans; I will also take photographs to act as an aide memoire.
This varies with site size; for flats typically 1 hour each; for a GPS title plan survey I usually require 3 hours.
On site I will typically start by taking a look over the site and discuss where boundary positions are. I will then carry out the scan of the site, checking this has processed correctly. I will then make annotated sketches and notes. I will then carry out GPS surveying if required, and take a few photos as aide memoires. Finally I would discuss any matters arising.
I normally require access to all areas. When using the scanner we need doors and curtains open, and movements minimized.
Good enough that if you bulldozed the site, I could reposition a boundary wall or fence along the original line such that the boundary is within the thickness of that wall or fence.
Each drawing will differ according to the conditions of the site, however as a rule of thumb I measure with equipment that has 10mm precision or better, and I draw to 20-30mm precision (smaller than this and we are swamped with insignificant details such as uneven plastering).
My surveys usually have 20mm accuracy over short ranges, and 50mm accuracy over the extent of a typical site. When I use a GPS system to fix co-ordinates the accuracy is around 20mm.
Most OS sourced detailed mapping is accurate to 300-600mm, with variation in error of this magnitude often expressed across a single plot.
Accuracy figures given are for 2 sigma (95%) level.
Not if I can help it. I know you want a fixed price up front, so I provide inclusive quotes which I keep to.
My fees include travel for a single site visit, reasonable edits for 12 months from order date and location mapping.
However there are occasions where I do need to make additional charges; normally relating to extra costs incurred which are out of my control but were within your control, including but not limited to:
Failed appointments - either late cancellations, or re-visits required as arranged access was not available.
Major edits to plans - often as a result of building work; sometimes I can work from other plans, but if there is an impact upon the boundaries I usually need to re-visit the site.
Extra work added to the original brief, including cases where the original site was significantly misrepresented.
Inaccessible boundaries (e.g. heavily overgrown gardens).
Long access tracks and other titles and easements covering a wider geographic spread than might reasonably be anticipated.
Significant detours to collect and return keys.
Edits to plans beyond 12 months from the order date (we need to re-license the OS mapping data), or excessive re-editing within 12 months if proofing proceeds beyond 5 stages.
Revisits required to remap features altered since the original plans produced.
On occasions where extra charges are probable I will try to advise you quickly, and keep the extra cost to a reasonable level.
My standard terms and conditions can be found here.
Black coffee, one level sugar.
This website was created in October 2023 by Paul Mann.
It was last updated on 1st October 2023 by Paul Mann.
It supersedes old websites of floorplansnorth.co.uk, penninepropertystudio.co.uk, landregistryplan.co.uk and redlineplans.co.uk.
Whilst I have tried to ensure this web site gives correct information, I offer no guarantees in this respect, and accept no liability arising from inaccuracies. E&OE.
Offline Website Builder