Selling · Certificate of location · Kirkland
In Kirkland, the 1992 house almost always has a pool the 1992 certificate never saw. Here is what the surveyor checks, what it costs and when to order it.
In Kirkland, the certificate of location is the document the notary and the lender require to close a sale: prepared by a land surveyor, it describes the current state of the premises (boundaries, buildings, servitudes, encroachments, compliance with by-laws). The seller provides it at their expense if it is outdated or inaccurate; the law sets no expiry date, but notaries and lenders in practice require a certificate of about ten years at most, with no change since. Kirkland is a city of single-family homes built between 1975 and 2005, on lots where an in-ground pool, a deck, a shed and sometimes an extension were added over the years: each of those additions makes the certificate of the time outdated, however carefully it was kept. Servitudes along boulevards Saint-Charles and Brunswick, Highway 40 and the new REM station also appear on the certificate. Count $1,200 to $2,500 and 4 to 8 weeks, more for a large rural lot that needs staking.
It is the land surveyor's report describing the current state of the property: lot boundaries, position of the buildings, servitudes, encroachments and compliance with by-laws. In a sale, the standard rule of the brokerage forms (clause 10.1) requires the seller to provide, at their expense, a certificate that reflects the current state of the premises; if it is outdated or inaccurate, the new one is on the seller. The law gives it no expiry date: the test is accuracy, but notaries and lenders in practice require a certificate of at most about ten years with no change since (pool, shed, extension, fence, cadastral renovation). The full detail is on our page certificate of location in Quebec.
Kirkland (QPAREB's West Island North sector, a 760 000 $ median house in the second quarter of 2026, 42 days) was almost entirely built between 1975 and 2005: cottages and bungalows on 500 to 800 square metre lots, along crescent streets. The typical case is the builder's certificate, kept for thirty years, while the in-ground pool, the deck, the shed, the fence and the closed carport were added since: the certificate no longer reflects the state of the premises and the notary requires a new one. The surveyor checks the setbacks of those additions against Kirkland's zoning by-law, the position of shared fences and the public utility servitudes in the 1980s streets. Near the Kirkland REM station and Highway 40, non-access or noise servitudes are registered on some lots. In a market at 42 days, a certificate ordered at the decision to sell avoids a six-week wait at the offer to purchase. See real estate broker in Kirkland and selling a house in Kirkland or Beaconsfield.
| Ouest-de-l'Île-Nord (QPAREB, Q2 2026) | Median | 1 year | 5 years | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $760,000 | 1% | 22 % | 42 |
| Condo | $418,500 | 2% | 27 % | 57 |
Count generally $1,200 to $2,500 depending on the property and the region, and above all 4 to 8 weeks of delay. That is the number one reason we ask our sellers to order it as soon as they decide to sell, not at the promise to purchase: a certificate that arrives late delays the notary, and a certificate that reveals an encroachment at the last minute derails the sale. The shed on the neighbour's line or the pool too close to the boundary are discovered here, not after signing.
If it is less than about ten years old AND nothing has changed (no construction, extension, pool, fence, cadastral operation or new by-law), it generally passes with the notary and the lender. Otherwise, plan on a new certificate.
The seller, under the standard clause of the brokerage forms, if theirs is outdated or inaccurate. If their certificate reflects the current state of the premises and the buyer or their lender demands a new one anyway, it is on the buyer.
4 to 8 weeks in 2026 depending on the workload of the region's land surveyors. Order it as soon as you decide to sell.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 7, 2026 by the Loaa & Manseur team, the number 1 team at RE/MAX Platine in 2024 and 2025, 6th RE/MAX team in Quebec, 15th in Canada and in the global top 50 according to the official RE/MAX ranking. Tell us about your project.
Équipe no 1 de RE/MAX Platine en 2024 et en 2025, 6e au Québec, 15e au Canada et dans le top 50 mondial au classement officiel RE/MAX. Réponse en moins de 24 heures, sept jours sur sept.