Does the Title Company Order the Survey for Homebuyers

No, the title company typically does not order the survey for homebuyers. The buyer, the buyer's real estate agent, or the mortgage lender is usually responsible for ordering the survey, while the title company reviews the finished survey to remove the survey exception from the title insurance policy. Some title companies help coordinate the order with a licensed surveyor, but the responsibility and the cost usually stay with the buyer.

The buyer's responsibility makes more sense once you see what the survey does for each party at the closing table. Below we cover who orders the survey, why lenders and title insurers want one, who pays, when to order it, what it reveals, how long it stays valid, and when a Florida buyer can skip it.

Does the Title Company Order the Survey for Homebuyers?

The title company does not order the survey for homebuyers in most transactions. The title company's job is to search the title, issue the title insurance policy, and review the survey once it arrives, not to commission the survey itself. In practice, the buyer or the buyer's agent picks a licensed surveyor, and the title company receives the finished survey along with the lender.

The lender, the buyer, the agent, the surveyor, and the title company each touch the survey at a different point. The table below shows who does what.

The title company row is where buyers get confused, because coordination looks a lot like ordering. On every home purchase we handle, we bring the buyer, the seller, the lender, the agents, and the surveyor together so the finished survey reaches every party that needs it.

Who Is Responsible for Ordering a Survey of Property?

The buyer is responsible for ordering a survey of property in most residential purchases. The buyer, or the buyer's agent acting for the buyer, places the order with a licensed surveyor, and the contract usually confirms that the survey is obtained at the buyer's expense. The lender can make the survey mandatory, but the lender rarely places the order itself.

The buyer's responsibility comes straight from the purchase contract. Florida's standard residential contract lets the buyer have the property surveyed at the buyer's expense, and it ties anything the survey finds back into the title process. That link between the survey and the title explains why the title company cares so much about a document it did not order.

Does a Title Company Require a Survey?

A title company does not require a survey to issue title insurance. Without a survey, the title policy simply carries an extra exception that excludes anything an accurate survey would have shown. Clear Title of Northwest Florida explains that surveys are not required for title insurance, but a policy issued without one includes an additional exception for those survey matters.

Survey matters are exactly the problems that live on the ground rather than in the records. A title search reviews deeds, mortgages, judgments, and liens in the public records, but it cannot see a fence built two feet onto a neighbor's lot or a pool deck sitting inside a utility easement. Only a survey measured in the field catches those issues.

What Is a Survey Exception in Title Insurance?

A survey exception in title insurance is a standard exclusion in the title commitment and policy that removes coverage for matters an accurate survey would disclose, such as encroachments, boundary line disputes, overlaps, setback violations, and unrecorded easements. The exception stays in place until a satisfactory survey is delivered to the title company.

The title company delivers that coverage gap to the buyer in writing, inside Schedule B of the commitment. A buyer who closes with the survey exception still in place owns a policy that will not pay for a boundary claim, even though the claim might be the most expensive problem the property ever has.

How Does a Survey Remove the Survey Exception?

A survey removes the survey exception when the title company reviews a current survey, confirms the improvements sit inside the boundaries, and issues coverage without the general survey exclusion. In Florida, lenders commonly require the Florida Form 9 endorsement, which insures against certain violations of restrictions, encroachments over easements, and building or property line problems.

Florida Form 9 coverage depends on what the survey shows. Clear Title notes that the endorsement removes all survey exceptions, but only when a current survey shows all improvements, encroachments, and easements, plus building setback lines and access. That dependency turns the survey into the foundation of stronger title insurance for both the lender and the owner.

Do Lenders Require a Survey?

Yes, most lenders require a survey for a financed home purchase in Florida. The lender wants a current survey so its loan policy can carry the Form 9 endorsement and protect the collateral against boundary and encroachment problems. Barnes Walker reports that most Florida mortgage lenders require a current survey as a condition of closing.

Current, for lending purposes, usually means recent. Barnes Walker notes that lenders typically define a current survey as one completed within 60 to 90 days, though some lenders accept an older survey when the property has had no significant improvements since it was drawn. The lender's definition controls, so the buyer should ask the loan officer early rather than late.

Lender rules also explain why surveys appear at almost every financed closing. Barnes Walker states that no Florida law requires a survey at every closing, yet most closings include one because lenders require it or because the title company needs it to issue a policy without survey exceptions. Across the residential closings we work on, the lender's survey requirement is usually the first deadline the buyer feels.

Does the Buyer Usually Pay for the Survey?

Yes, the buyer usually pays for the survey. The survey fee is a buyer closing cost in most Florida purchases, and it appears as a line item on the buyer's Closing Disclosure. Barnes Walker confirms that the buyer typically pays and that the charge shows on the buyer's closing statement.

Buyer-paid surveys follow the same logic as the order itself. The buyer and the buyer's lender are the parties the survey protects, so the contract assigns the cost to them. The parties can negotiate a different split in the contract, and a seller who must cure a survey-related title defect sometimes pays for the follow-up work.

Follow-up work and timing both depend on how early the order goes in, which brings the calendar into the picture.

When Should You Order a Survey When Buying a House?

You should order a survey right after the purchase contract becomes effective, because the survey needs time for fieldwork, and the contract gives the buyer only a short window to object to anything it finds. Barnes Walker puts typical survey turnaround at 7 to 14 business days, with longer waits in peak season.

1. Order the survey as soon as the contract is signed. Ask the seller first whether a prior survey exists, then contact a licensed surveyor and mapper with the property address and legal description.
2. Tell the surveyor who to certify the survey to. A closing survey is usually certified to the buyer, the lender, and the title company so each party can rely on it.
3. Allow 7 to 14 business days for fieldwork and drafting. The surveyor locates the corners, measures the improvements, and prepares a signed and sealed map.
4. Send the finished survey to the title company and the lender. The title company compares the survey with the legal description and the title commitment, and the lender confirms it meets loan conditions.
5. Review the survey and send written notice of problems on time. The standard Florida contract gives the buyer a short window, typically 5 days after receiving the survey and before closing, to report encroachments to the seller in writing.

The last step is where timing matters most. A survey that arrives in the final week leaves almost no room to cure an encroachment before closing. Ordering early also lets the title company finish its review alongside the title commitment, which we turn around in 24 to 48 hours on each residential purchase file.

What Does a Survey Show?

A survey shows the exact boundaries of the property and the location of every improvement relative to those boundaries, along with the easements, setbacks, and encroachments that affect how the land can be used. A Florida boundary survey typically shows:

• The property corners and boundary lines, tied to the legal description in the deed.
• The house, garage, pool, driveway, fences, and other improvements, measured to the boundary lines.
• Recorded easements, such as utility and drainage easements, that limit where the owner can build.
• Building setback lines and any improvement that sits inside them.
• Encroachments in both directions, from the property onto a neighbor's land or from a neighbor onto the property.
• The flood zone designation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) map.

Flood zone information carries extra weight for Florida buyers. Barnes Walker notes that Florida has more properties in FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) than any other state. Miami-Dade County has collected elevation certificates from builders since 1995 as part of the building permit, while owners of older homes may need to hire a surveyor to prepare one.

What Happens If a Survey Shows an Encroachment?

If a survey shows an encroachment, the buyer sends written notice to the seller, and the standard Florida contract treats the encroachment like a title defect that the seller has the chance to cure. The cure might be moving a fence, obtaining an easement or boundary agreement from the neighbor, or getting the title insurer to insure over a minor, long-standing issue.

Title defect treatment gives the buyer real options. The buyer can accept the property with the issue, wait for the seller to fix it, or cancel under the contract if the seller cannot cure it. That process runs in parallel with the other work that happens after the title search, so both reviews can land before closing.

What Is the Difference Between a Survey and a Boundary Survey?

The difference between a survey and a boundary survey is that "survey" is the umbrella term for any professional measurement of land, while a boundary survey is the specific type that locates property lines, corners, and improvements. Florida's surveying rules list many survey types, including boundary, condominium, elevation, and topographic surveys.

Boundary surveys follow their own rules under Florida Administrative Code Rule 5J-17.052. The finished map must be labeled "Boundary Survey," and when a different surveyor updates an earlier boundary survey, the property corners must be recovered or reset. Commercial properties often need a more detailed ALTA/NSPS (American Land Title Association/National Society of Professional Surveyors) survey, which is common in commercial closings but rare for a single-family home.

How Long Is a Land Survey Valid?

A land survey stays valid as a record of the property for as long as nothing on the land changes, but lenders and title insurers usually want a survey completed within the last 60 to 90 days for a closing. A survey does not legally expire. It simply stops reflecting reality once someone adds a fence, a pool, a room, or a shed.

Unchanged properties can sometimes close on an older survey. Stewart Title's underwriting guidelines allow the survey exception to be deleted in resales and refinances when an existing survey meets current minimum technical standards and the owner signs a survey affidavit confirming no changes. The underwriter and the lender both have to accept that route, and improvements made since the old survey usually require a new one. Buyers of new construction almost always need a fresh survey, since the house did not exist when the lot was first mapped.

Can I Get My Property Survey for Free?

Yes, you can sometimes get your property survey for free by asking the seller for the survey from their own purchase, or by checking the closing package from when you bought the home. Most owners who financed their purchase received a copy of the survey at closing.

A free copy still has to pass the lender and the title underwriter. An existing survey works best when the property has not changed since it was drawn and the lender accepts its age. When it falls short, the buyer orders an update, and the old survey still helps the surveyor find the original corners faster.

Do Title Companies Keep Copies of Surveys?

Yes, title companies keep copies of surveys in the closing file for the transaction they handled, along with the title commitment, the policy, and the settlement documents. A homeowner looking for an old survey can ask the title company that closed the purchase for a copy from that file.

The title company's file is often the easiest place to look, because residential boundary surveys are generally not recorded in the county public records the way deeds and plats are. The owner's own closing package and the title company's file are usually the two places a residential survey lives after closing.

Do You Need a Survey for a Condo in Florida?

No, you usually do not need a survey for a condo in Florida. The condominium declaration and the recorded plat define the unit's boundaries, so there is no separate parcel of ground for a surveyor to measure. Barnes Walker notes that condominiums usually do not require a survey for this reason.

Condo purchases still go through the title search, the commitment, and lender review, just without the boundary survey step. That difference shortens the closing checklist for the many condo buyers in Miami. Townhomes and villas are a different case, because many sit on their own lots, and a lender will often want a survey for those.

Lot-based homes, by contrast, keep the survey on every checklist, which is why we confirm the property type at the start of each purchase closing before anyone orders anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who Arranges the Survey When Buying a House?

The buyer or the buyer's real estate agent arranges the survey when buying a house. The agent often recommends a licensed surveyor and places the order on the buyer's behalf. The title company receives the finished survey and coordinates with the surveyor if anything needs to change.

Do Cash Buyers Need a Survey?

Cash buyers do not need a survey, because no lender is requiring one. Skipping it leaves the survey exception in the owner's title policy, which means boundary and encroachment problems stay uninsured. A survey is still a smart choice for a cash buyer purchasing a house on its own lot.

Do You Need a Survey to Refinance?

You often do not need a new survey to refinance, as long as the existing survey is acceptable to the lender and the title underwriter and nothing on the property has changed. Many underwriters accept a prior survey with a signed survey affidavit for a refinance. A new fence, pool, or addition usually triggers an updated survey.

What Is an Elevation Certificate?

An elevation certificate is an official FEMA form, prepared by a licensed surveyor, engineer, or architect, that records how high a building's lowest floor sits compared with the base flood elevation. Insurers use it to rate flood insurance. Section 472.0366 of the Florida Statutes sets requirements for surveyors who prepare these certificates.

Can the Seller Provide the Survey?

Yes, the seller can provide the survey from their own purchase, and it can save the buyer time when it is recent and the property has not changed. The lender and the title underwriter decide whether the old survey is acceptable. If either one requires a current survey, the buyer orders an update.

Is a Survey Required to Close in Florida?

No, a survey is not legally required to close in Florida. Lenders require one for most financed purchases, and title insurers need one to remove the survey exception. That is why most Florida closings on lot-based homes include a survey even though no statute demands it.

The Takeaway

The title company does not order the survey in most home purchases. The buyer or the buyer's agent orders it, the lender requires it for financing, and the title company reviews it to remove the survey exception and support the Florida Form 9 endorsement. Ordering early, certifying the survey to every party, and reading it before the notice window closes keeps a boundary surprise from turning into a closing delay.

A survey question is a normal part of buying a house in Miami, and it is easiest to answer before the contract clock runs down. To get the survey and the title work moving together, reach out to Liberty Title at +1 (305) 530-8998.

Questions about a survey that is already back with an issue on it are welcome too. You can contact us and we will walk through it with you.

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