The signed contract controls the transaction
The current Florida Realtors/Florida Bar residential contract contains survey and title-defect provisions. Its Standard B says a buyer who wants to rely on a survey issue must deliver written notice and the survey within five days after receipt, but no later than closing. Use the signed form and its actual dates; another contract may allocate the work differently.
Find the old survey now
Locate the signed survey from an earlier purchase or refinance and note later changes: fences, pools, screen enclosures, sheds, additions, seawalls, drives, or access routes. Send it to the title company and buyer's side. An old survey can be useful without being acceptable for the new transaction.
Issues that justify earlier boundary work
- A waterfront description, seawall, dock, or uncertain waterward line.
- A fence, pool, enclosure, or addition close to a boundary or easement.
- A legal description that does not match the property being marketed.
- A known neighbor disagreement or visible encroachment.
- A split, combination, or other parcel change since the prior survey.
A flood-zone question may call for an elevation certificate rather than a boundary survey. Ask the requester for the exact product so the seller does not order the wrong work.
Order work from the right professional
Florida Statutes Chapter 472 governs land surveying and mapping. Its seal provision requires final professional drawings, plans, plats, or reports to be signed, dated, and sealed. Ask the closing professional what product is needed, then have the surveyor define a scope that answers that request.
Before accepting a closing date
Ask who is responsible for ordering, whether the old survey can be used, and what contractual notice dates apply if the survey reveals a problem. Schedule any new work before the file becomes urgent.