Selling · Certificate of location · Saint-Laurent
In Saint-Laurent, the 1962 semi has a garage and an extension the 1962 certificate ignores, and the 2008 Bois-Franc house has a deck the builder's certificate ignores too. Here is what the surveyor checks, what it costs and when to order it.
In Saint-Laurent, 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 The seller provides it at their expense if it is outdated or inaccurate; the law sets no expiry date, but notaries and lenders in practice require a certificate of about ten years at most, with no change since. Saint-Laurent is a borough of 1950s to 1970s bungalows, semi-detached homes and duplexes around Côte-Vertu Boulevard and Decelles Street, often extended with garages and carports, and of a newer sector, Bois-Franc, delivered with builder certificates that decks and fences have since made inaccurate. Transmission line and railway servitudes touch part of the lots. 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the seller to provide, at their expense, a certificate that reflects the current state of the premises; if it is outdated or inaccurate, the new one is on the seller.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.
Saint-Laurent (QPAREB sector 5, a 988 750 $ median house in the second quarter of 2026, 43 days) is the largest borough on the island after Pierrefonds, with three built environments. Old Saint-Laurent and the streets near Côte-Vertu sell pre-1950 homes on irregular lots, where porches and garages sometimes encroach on the neighbour. The 1950s to 1970s neighbourhoods (Norgate, Chameran, the streets north of Thimens) sell bungalows and semis on narrow lots, extended at the back, with garages, closed carports and sheds whose setbacks and shared fences the surveyor checks. Bois-Franc, built since 1995, was delivered with builder certificates: fifteen years later, decks, spas, fences and sunrooms have made them inaccurate. Hydro-Québec line, CN and CP railway and airport (height, noise) servitudes are registered on many lots and appear on the certificate. See real estate broker in Saint-Laurent.
| Saint-Laurent (QPAREB, Q2 2026) | Median | 1 year | 5 years | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-family | $988,750 | 22 % | 12 % | 43 |
| Condo | $482,290 | 2% | 16 % | 58 |
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.