Seller · Documents
It is the document that delays more closings than any other, for a simple reason: everyone orders it too late. Here is what it contains, the real validity rule, and who pays.
The certificate of location is the land surveyor's report describing the current state of a property: buildings, boundaries, servitudes, encroachments and compliance with regulations. In a sale, the seller must provide a certificate reflecting the current state of the premises; if it is outdated or the property has changed, the new certificate is at the seller's expense. Contrary to the myth, the law gives it no expiry date: the criterion is accuracy. In practice, notaries and lenders require a certificate of at most about ten years AND with no change since: a pool, a shed, an extension or a cadastral renovation makes it obsolete even if recent. Expect generally $1,200 to $2,500 depending on the property and the region, and above all 4 to 8 weeks of delay: order it as soon as you decide to sell, not at the offer to purchase.
Prepared by a land surveyor, the certificate includes a plan and a report: lot boundaries, position of the buildings, servitudes (Hydro, right of way), encroachments in either direction, regulated zones and zoning compliance. The notary uses it to guarantee title, the lender to secure its collateral, and the buyer to know exactly what they are buying: the shed on the neighbour's line or the pool too close to the boundary are discovered here, not after the signature.
The law sets no validity period. The legal criterion is that the certificate reflects the current state of the premises. The 10-year rule is a practice of notaries and lenders, not a right: a 12-year-old certificate can pass if nothing has changed, and a 2-year-old certificate is obsolete if you added a pool, a shed or a fence, extended the house, or if a cadastral operation or a new municipal by-law occurred. The right seller reflex: pull out your certificate before listing and ask honestly what has changed since. It is the question the notary will ask anyway.
The standard rule (clause 10.1 of the brokerage forms): the seller provides, at their expense, a certificate describing the current state of the premises. If theirs is outdated or inaccurate, the new one is on them. On the other hand, if the seller's certificate does reflect the current state and the buyer still demands a new one, that whim is paid by the buyer. The distinction avoids many last-minute negotiations at the notary.
According to recent industry compilations, expect generally $1,200 to $2,500 for a residential property depending on complexity, region and urgency; the reference published by the Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres for a single-family home sits at the high end of that average. The real issue is the delay: 4 to 8 weeks in normal times, more in high season. Add that to the other closing costs and the notary's calendar, and the certificate becomes the item to order first.
The losing scenario, seen every month: offer accepted, notary asks for the certificate, surveyor overbooked, signing pushed back six weeks, buyer's rate hold expiring. The winning scenario: certificate ordered as soon as you decide to sell, at the same time as the free evaluation and the preparation of the property. That is exactly the order of operations a broker from the team sets up with you, checklist in hand.
Generally $1,200 to $2,500 for a residential property depending on complexity, region and urgency. Plan above all for the delay: 4 to 8 weeks in normal times.
No, that is not a rule of law: the law sets no expiry date. The criterion is that it reflects the current state of the premises. Notaries and lenders require in practice a certificate of at most about ten years and with no change since.
The seller in almost all cases: the brokerage forms provide that the seller supplies at their expense a certificate describing the current state of the premises. The only exception: if the seller's certificate is accurate and up to date but the buyer still demands a new one, the buyer pays.
Also available in French: version française de ce guide.
Published September 1, 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.