They look identical in the ground, but legally, they are worlds apart.

We illuminate the critical distinction between a Witness Post (which testifies to the location of a specific corner) and an Offset Post (which marks a boundary line, but not a corner).

Key Study Points:

The Legal Difference: A Witness Post is tied to a specific point; an Offset Post defines a vector/line.

Plan Drafting: How to correctly symbolize and annotate both types on a legal plan so they are never confused.

The Exam Trap: Using an "Offset Post" to witness a corner, destroying the legal certainty of the intersecting boundary.

Sources & Required Reading:

ABCLS IB - Witness vs. Offset Posts

Survey and Plan Rules

06 - PRM Chapter 7 (Field Work)

07 - PRM Chapter 8 (Principles of Boundary Surveys)

Resources: IB PDF | Infographic | Quiz

What do you do when the true corner is in the middle of a river or inside a concrete pillar?

We shed light on the strict rules for "Witness Posts."

Learn how to properly monument, mark, and record a W.T. on your plan so future surveyors can find the invisible corner.

Key Study Points:

When to Witness: The criteria for when a true corner is "inaccessible."

Marking Requirements: The specific "W.T." stamping and bearing/distance inscriptions required on the post.

The Exam Trap: Placing a witness post too far from the true corner, violating the SPR distance limitations.

Sources & Required Reading:

ABCLS IB - Witness Posts

Survey and Plan Rules

06 - PRM Chapter 7 (Field Work)

07 - PRM Chapter 8 (Principles of Boundary Surveys)

Resources: IB PDF | Infographic | Quiz

You cannot build a strata on a shaky foundation.

We illuminate the mandatory requirement to fully re-establish the "Parent Parcel" before any strata plan can be filed.

Learn why cutting corners on the external boundary is the fastest way to a disciplinary hearing.

Key Study Points:

Full Re-establishment: Why the entire perimeter of the land must be surveyed and proven.

The Containment Rule: Ensuring the new building is 100% within the proven bounds.

The Exam Trap: Assuming a recently surveyed boundary by another firm allows you to skip tying into the legal monuments for your own strata plan.

Sources & Required Reading:

ABCLS IB - Strata Parent Parcel Requirements

Strata Property Act

Survey and Plan Rules

08 - PRM Chapter 9 (Strata Title Surveys)

07 - PRM Chapter 8 (Principles of Boundary Surveys)

Resources: IB PDF | Infographic | Quiz