Surveying for builders in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Buying land and building a house: which survey you need and when

Before buying, for the building application, before construction starts and after you move in: surveying plays a part at four points when you build a house. Here you can see what is due when, what is mandatory and what it costs.

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No obligation · cost estimate in advance

  • Publicly appointed surveying engineers
  • Everything from one source, from site plan to building survey
  • Throughout Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Two surveying engineers with a total station in front of a new building with scaffolding and a crane

The key facts

When do I need a surveyor?
For planning and the building application, before construction starts for the setting out, and after completion for the official building survey.
What is mandatory?
The site plan for the building application, the initial setting out (the builder's task) and the official building survey after completion.
What does it cost?
Official services according to the state fee regulation, site plan and setting out according to quote. A cost estimate in advance is possible.
Where can I save?
Site plan and setting out from us: the official building survey is then 10 % cheaper.

Before buying: eight questions about the plot

You have found a plot, and the purchase contract and building are coming up. Clarify these points first.

  • 1. May I build here the way I want?

    The development plan (Bebauungsplan) or local bylaw of the municipality gives you an idea. A preliminary enquiry to the lower building authority gives a binding answer. You can find the development plans in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern free of charge on our map (in German).

  • 2. What is in the land register?

    Private charges such as rights of way or utility easements: ask the seller or the notary and look at the extract from the land register (Grundbuch).

  • 3. Are there public easements?

    Duties under public law to allow or not to do something are in the register of public easements (Baulastenverzeichnis). They also apply to you as the new owner. The lower building authority lets you look into it.

  • 4. Where are the boundaries?

    Only officially determined boundary points are legally secure. A boundary record held by the owner shows whether they are determined. We can also check this in the real estate cadastre (Liegenschaftskataster) and check the boundary markers on site.

  • 5. Is the existing building surveyed?

    Buildings erected or changed in their ground plan since 12 August 1992 must be surveyed. This duty lies with the owner at the time, so after the purchase with you.

  • 6. Are the boundary points marked?

    In new development areas, boundary markers are often only set after the roads and services are built or after the house is built. This final boundary marking (Schlussabmarkung) is often ordered by the seller, because the seller also applied for the division into plots. Who pays should be clear from the purchase contract.

  • 7. Are you buying only part of a land parcel?

    Then the part must first be surveyed and formed as a separate land parcel. With the notice of update from the cadastre (Fortführungsmitteilung), the notary can arrange the change in the land register.

  • 8. Is the purchase price right?

    Include buildability, charges, boundaries, roads and services and surveying costs in your calculation. The standard land value (Bodenrichtwert) gives a first idea of the land price (see the questions below).

Our service package for builders

A detached house usually needs three surveys, at three points in time.

  1. Plan

    Topographic survey plan for your planning office, clarifying the boundaries, site plan as a building application document. More

  2. Set out

    Before construction starts: rough setting out, height reference points and precise setting out, documented in the setting-out plan. More

  3. Survey the building

    After completion: official building survey, on request a boundary certificate for the bank. More

Request the service package

Step 1: Plan

The basis for your architect and your building application

Your planning office needs a topographic survey plan (Lage- und Höhenplan) to place the house on the plot. It shows land parcel boundaries, buildings and ground in position and height, the height of the road, the ridge heights of the neighbours and the rules of the development plan. On request it also shows the utility lines.

For the building application, this becomes the site plan as a building application document with the planned building, heights, parking spaces and setback areas. If buildings or setback areas come closer than 0.5 m to the boundary, an official surveying body must draw it. If setback areas reach onto the neighbouring plot or there is no access, we prepare the documents for the public easement (Baulast).

All details are on the page Site plan for your building application.

  • Topographic survey plan as a basis for planning
  • Advice on the boundaries: are they determined, are the distances enough?
  • Site plan as a building application document under § 7 BauVorlVO M-V
  • Documents for a public easement, if one is needed

Do you need a site plan for the building application?

Request a site plan
Site plan for a building application with planned building, distances to the boundary and setback areas

Step 2: Set out

So that the house stands where it is approved

For the earthworks, we roughly set out the main points and mark them with wooden pegs. We also set up height reference points and hand them to your construction company, so that the height of the house also matches the permit.

The initial setting out (Erstabsteckung) is your task as the builder, not the task of the construction company. Often we also set out all axes and points the construction company needs, to within a few millimetres: with nails on wooden pegs or on the batter boards (Schnurgerüst), which the construction company or we put up. If the boundary points are determined, we can also mark the corners of the plot temporarily on request.

We document every setting out in a setting-out plan (Absteckungsplan), check it and hand the plan to you and your construction company.

  • Rough setting out for the earthworks
  • Height reference points, handed to the construction company
  • Precise setting out on pegs or batter boards
  • Setting-out plan for you and the construction company

Is your construction start date fixed?

Request setting out
Setting out a point with a prism and a red laser dot on a wooden board of the batter boards

Step 3: Survey the building

After you move in: the house goes on the map

When the house is finished, it must be recorded in the real estate cadastre. The official building survey (Gebäudeeinmessung) is mandatory for owners and holders of a heritable building right (§ 28 (2) GeoVermG M-V). If we have already done the site plan and the setting out, the fee drops by 10 %.

If your bank asks for proof that the house stands within the boundaries, we issue a boundary certificate (Grenzbescheinigung) based on the building survey. On request we also document the finished building and the outdoor areas.

  • Official building survey, 10 % cheaper after site plan and setting out by us
  • Boundary certificate for the bank that finances your house
  • Documentation of the finished building and outdoor areas

Is your house finished?

Request a building survey
Newly built detached house that is surveyed after completion

Costs

What does surveying cost when you build a house?

There are two kinds of costs. Official services such as boundary survey, official building survey and boundary certificate follow the state fee regulation (VermKostVO M-V). All official surveying bodies are bound by it. The fee is only fixed after the survey, but an estimate in advance is possible. We state the assumptions openly.

Freelance services such as the topographic survey plan, the site plan as a building application document, setting out and documentation of the finished building are engineering surveying within the meaning of the HOAI (Annex 1 no. 1.4), the German fee structure for architects and engineers. You receive a quote for them in advance.

Good to know

  • Cost estimate for the official part in advance, with clear assumptions
  • Quote for site plan and setting out before we start
  • 10 % less for the official building survey if site plan and setting out come from us
  • Compare estimates by their assumptions, not only by the total

Frequently asked questions

Construction

Which surveys do I need when I build?

Before construction starts, the building is set out on the plot and its height is fixed. Then the digger and the construction company know where and how high to build. During construction, check measurements show whether the foundation and base match the permit. After completion, the official building survey for the real estate cadastre (Liegenschaftskataster) follows.

Is setting out mandatory?

Yes. Before construction of a building starts, its ground plan must be set out and its height fixed (§ 72 (8) LBauO M-V). In contracts under VOB, the client also owes the construction company the initial setting out (Erstabsteckung) with the main axes and at least two height reference points (§ 3 (2) VOB/B).

Why is a check measurement during construction worthwhile?

Deviations are noticed at the foundation or base while they can still be corrected with little effort. Especially when building close to the boundary, the check prevents distances to the boundary from being too small or the building from reaching onto the neighbouring plot. This saves you disputes with your neighbour and trouble with the building authority.

What must I do after my house is finished?

New buildings and buildings with a changed ground plan must be recorded in the real estate cadastre after completion. The owner must arrange this official building survey (Gebäudeeinmessung) on their own initiative, even without a request from the cadastral office (§ 28 (2) GeoVermG M-V). The duty applies to all buildings erected or changed since 12 August 1992 and passes to the new owner when the property is sold.

Is the site plan for the building application not enough for the cadastre?

No, because the site plan shows the planned situation before construction. For the real estate cadastre, only the building as it was actually built counts, including the outer dimensions with insulation and plaster. Only publicly appointed surveying engineers (ÖbVI) or the cadastral offices may carry out the official building survey. Garages, carports and outbuildings are included.

Which services do I get from you when I build?

We supply rough setting out and precise setting out to the millimetre, height reference points for the construction company, a documented setting-out plan, showing you the boundaries on site, check measurements of the shell and the official building survey with entry in the cadastre.

Buying and costs

Who pays for surveying in a new development area?

Clarify this before you buy. Typical costs are forming the land parcel and the final boundary marking (Schlussabmarkung). If you buy with a finished house, the official building survey is added. The duty to mark the boundaries and to survey the building passes to the owner at the time.

So agree in writing, ideally in the notary contract, who pays which costs.

How can I tell whether the price of a plot is reasonable?

The standard land value (Bodenrichtwert) under § 196 BauGB gives a first idea. The expert committees for property values (Gutachterausschüsse) determine it. You can look it up free of charge in the land value information system BORIS-D (in German).

Also include buildability, charges, boundaries, roads and services and surveying costs. A market value report (Verkehrswertgutachten) is more precise. The lending value is usually determined by the bank that finances the purchase.

Is it worth giving all surveys to one surveying office?

Yes. If we have drawn the site plan for the building application and done the setting out, the fee for the official building survey after completion drops by 10 % (tariff item 13.1.3 VermKostVO M-V). We also already know the plot, the boundaries and the plans.

Also for investors and larger projects

What is often needed beyond the detached house.

Are you planning a building project?

Describe your plot and your project. We tell you which surveys are due and roughly what they cost.

Request a quote or call: +49 381 405 69-0