BC Real Property Report (RPR)

RPR vs. title insurance, in 1 sentence each

RPR = a current surveyor diagram showing where the property’s legal boundaries actually are and where every permanent improvement sits relative to those boundaries. Up-front disclosure tool. Cost: $750–$1,500.

Title insurance = an indemnity policy that compensates you (post-closing) for losses arising from undisclosed title defects, including some types of boundary + encroachment issues. After-the-fact indemnity tool. Cost: $250–$500.

They solve different problems. Title insurance is the cheaper post-closing safety net. The RPR is the up-front leverage that lets you negotiate price, demand a fix, or walk away cleanly. On any meaningful Lower Mainland detached, prefer the RPR.

Worked examples

Frequently asked questions

• What is a Real Property Report (RPR)?

  A surveyor-prepared diagram showing the property's legal boundaries and the location of all permanent improvements (the house, garage, fence, deck, shed, etc.) relative to those boundaries. In BC the document is most commonly called a "Building Location Survey" or "Survey Certificate"; the term "Real Property Report" is more common in Alberta but is widely used colloquially in BC. The RPR also discloses easements, rights-of-way, and any visible encroachments. Lenders typically require a current RPR (less than 5 years old, often less than 2 years) on detached properties before releasing mortgage funds.

• Who pays for the RPR — buyer or seller?

  In BC, the seller traditionally provides the RPR if one is required by the buyer's lender or if the buyer requests it as a subject. If the seller does not have a current RPR and refuses to provide one, the buyer may need to commission their own (typical cost: $750–$1,500 for a Lower Mainland lot, depending on lot size and complexity). Best practice: include "subject to receipt + review of an acceptable RPR (or title insurance accepted by the lender in lieu)" in the offer. The lender determines whether title insurance can substitute; some accept it on resale detached homes, others require the actual RPR.

• What's the difference between an RPR and title insurance?

  An RPR is a current surveyor diagram of physical reality. Title insurance is an indemnity contract that compensates the insured for losses arising from undisclosed title defects (including some types of encroachments + boundary issues). Many BC lenders will accept a title insurance policy in lieu of a current RPR, which is faster + cheaper. BUT title insurance covers post-closing surprises only; it does not show you the encroachment in advance, which means you cannot negotiate price, demand a repair, or walk away. The RPR is the up-front-disclosure tool; title insurance is the after-the-fact-indemnity tool. They solve different problems.

• What encroachment issues commonly appear on BC RPRs?

  Three patterns dominate Lower Mainland detached. (1) Fence misplacement: most common. Either the seller's fence is 1–3 feet onto the neighbour's lot, or vice versa. The fix is usually a written easement or fence relocation; rarely material if the encroachment is small + longstanding. (2) Eaves over the property line: the house's roof eave projects 6–18 inches past the legal property line into a neighbour's yard or a municipal right-of-way. Often a longstanding non-issue but lenders may require a permanent easement filed on title. (3) Unpermitted addition: a deck, sunroom, garage extension, or basement-suite work that was built without a building permit. The municipality can require remediation (removal or retroactive permit) — sometimes a five-figure fix. Always cross-reference with municipal building permit history before subject removal.

• My lender said title insurance is acceptable instead of an RPR — should I still want the RPR?

  Often yes. Title insurance covers your downside post-closing but the underwriter's premium is calibrated to the insurer's risk, not yours. If the property has a 2-foot eave encroachment that title insurance covers, you still inherit the property with the encroachment — and the next buyer may demand a price discount when they negotiate against the same disclosure. The RPR gives you the negotiating leverage in advance. On a $2.5M+ Lower Mainland detached, the $1,000 RPR cost is a rounding error against the negotiating leverage it preserves.

• When in the closing timeline should the RPR be delivered?

  Best practice: BEFORE subject removal. Default practice in BC: 48 hours before completion, after the buyer's lawyer requests it during the pre-completion title search. The default leaves the buyer in the worst possible position — funds committed, mortgage approved, deposit at risk, moving truck booked, and now the RPR shows an unpermitted addition. The fix is to negotiate "delivery of acceptable RPR before subject-removal date" into the offer. Most BC sellers will agree if asked; few buyers ask. This is the single most actionable item in this guide.

• What if the RPR shows an unpermitted addition that the seller didn't disclose?

  You have several options depending on contract status. (1) Pre-subject-removal: most powerful. You can demand the seller obtain a retroactive permit, demand a price reduction, or walk away cleanly. (2) Post-subject-removal but pre-completion: more difficult. You may have a misrepresentation claim under the Property Disclosure Statement if the seller answered "No" to a relevant question; consult your lawyer immediately. (3) Post-completion: hardest. Title insurance may cover some scenarios; PDS misrepresentation litigation is available but slow + expensive. The Property Disclosure Statement is a legal document — if the seller knowingly answered "No" to "Are there any unauthorized accommodations?" when there is one, that is actionable misrepresentation.

• Do I need an RPR on a strata property?

  Generally no. The strata corporation owns the common property + boundaries; individual unit owners own air-space rights inside their unit boundaries (or in some cases, a defined parcel for townhouses). Lenders typically do NOT require an RPR for strata units. The strata's Form B + Strata Plan provide the boundary information. Townhouse stratas with bareland-strata structures occasionally require RPR-equivalent surveys, but this is rare. Confirm with your lawyer if you're buying a bareland-strata or duplex-conversion property.

What to read next

• · BC closing process — buyer timeline — where the RPR-delivery clause sits in the broader closing sequence
• · Buyer due diligence (BC) — the full subject-removal checklist that the RPR review fits inside
• · BC closing costs — the title-insurance vs RPR-survey tradeoff that shows up on every closing-cost statement
• · Builders Lien (BC) buyer risk — the most-frequent reason a clean title check turns up between subject-removal and completion
• · BC Property Transfer Tax — PTT registration and RPR delivery happen in the same lawyer's-office hour on completion morning
• · RPR, PDS, title insurance, builders lien, and LTSA — the five glossary entries every detached-home buyer should know
• · Closing-day cash calculator and affordability calculator — budget the RPR survey ($1,000-$2,500) and the title-insurance line
• · Fort Langley and Glen Valley — older-survey detached-home submarkets where RPR encroachment issues surface most
• · Codex — Property Disclosure Statement
• · BC Real Estate Codex