property survey nyc closing
This is the survey most people mean when a lawyer or title company tells them they need one before a closing. It shows the lot as described in the deed, the footprint of what is built on it, and the relationship between the two - setbacks, projections, and anything on either side of the line that should not be there. In New York City the findings that hold up closings are consistent: a rear extension that was never legalised and sits closer to the line than the record allows, a shared driveway with no recorded easement, a garage that straddles a lot line, a stoop or areaway projecting into the sidewalk beyond what is permitted. None of those are unusual and none of them are fatal, but they all need to be on paper before an underwriter will insure the title. Getting the survey moving early is the single most effective thing a buyer can do to protect a closing date.
When a closing attorney or a title company says you need a survey, this is almost always the document. It shows the lot as the deed describes it, the footprint of what is built on it, and the relationship between the two - setbacks, projections, and anything sitting on the wrong side of a line. The scope is narrower than a full boundary survey, which is why it is faster and cheaper, and it is drawn in the format underwriters expect.
The list is short and it repeats. An unlegalised rear extension. A shared driveway with no recorded easement. A garage straddling a lot line. A stoop, areaway or cellar door projecting further into the sidewalk than the record permits. None of these are fatal and most get resolved, but they all have to be on paper before an underwriter will insure. The single most useful thing a buyer can do to protect a closing date is order the survey the week the contract is signed rather than the week before the closing.
In Brooklyn and Queens the finding is usually the rear extension. In Manhattan it is more often an easement or vault question surfacing from the title search than anything physical. In Staten Island, with genuine side yards and setbacks to measure against, it is fences, sheds and additions in the side yard. the Bronx splits between the two depending on whether the house is attached. Over the city line in Yonkers and Mount Vernon, the record sits in county rather than city files, which changes the research route but not the drawing.
Commercial transactions want an ALTA/NSPS survey instead. If the property is in a mapped flood zone the lender frequently asks for an elevation certificate alongside this.
How long does it take? Ordinarily the fastest of the survey types we produce, because the scope is defined and the research is narrower than a full boundary survey. Deadline-driven - tell us the closing date first.
These are usually asked for on the same transaction:
Establishes where the record property line runs and what sits over it - fences, extensions, stoops and a neighbour's addition.
Learn More →The national standard commercial lenders and title underwriters require on a transaction. Defined content, not a general drawing.
Learn More →The FEMA form that determines flood insurance rating - common on Staten Island, the Rockaways and low-lying south Brooklyn.
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