Before purchasing land, it is important to assess not only the documents but also actual soil conditions: signs of buried waste, excess moisture, a disturbed fertile soil layer, contamination or poor-quality fill.

When it is needed

a dispute over contamination or the quality of soil or the fertile soil layer;
a land, environmental, construction or neighbour dispute;
the need to prepare questions for court proceedings;
the need to check an existing opinion or laboratory test report;
purchase, lease, reclamation or restoration of a land parcel.

What can be established

The actual condition of the soil, signs of soil cover disturbance, a preliminary indication of the nature of contamination, the need for laboratory tests, the relevance of selected parameters to the dispute and the quality of a previous examination.

Important: the final set of parameters depends on the object, site history, disputed circumstances and the court's or Customer's questions.

A soil science inspection helps assess risks relating to earth materials, the fertile soil layer, material deliveries and traces of contamination. It supplements documents concerning the area but does not replace legal or cadastral checks.

Subject of examination

The site's soil cover and terrain
Fill materials and traces of previous use
Conditions of the proposed use of the area

Sample questions for the expert

Which signs of soil cover disturbance are visible during the survey?
Which risks require laboratory confirmation?
Do the properties examined suit the planned use?
Which inspection limitations are material to the decision?

The final questions are formulated according to the objects and circumstances of the particular task.

What to prepare

The site plan and area, and a description of proposed use
Available information on former owners and types of work
Photographs, soil delivery documents and existing tests
Access conditions and information on concealed or inaccessible zones

How the examination is conducted

Documents, observations and, where necessary, laboratory data are compared. The inspection plan is determined by the specific risks and accessibility of the area.

Scope and limitations

An inspection does not guarantee detection of all underground contamination. Land boundaries, rights, land value and engineering geological conditions require separate examinations.

What the deliverable records

The result records identified signs, properties checked and questions left open because of access or source-data limitations.

Inquiry

Describe the task

Specify the site area, address/district, what needs to be proved and which documents are already available.

Your nameContact phone number or email *Briefly describe the task *Documents, site photographs, records, plans and laboratory results I give consent to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of considering and responding to my enquiry.

How data is processed: Personal Data Processing Policy. Attach only materials relevant to the inspection; obscure unnecessary data about other people.

Leave blank

An initial estimate can be made from a description, documents, photographs and information about the land parcel.

Attachments: up to 10 files of up to 10 MB each, with a maximum combined size of 15 MB. If a file is rejected, the enquiry is not sent.

Checking a land parcel before purchase