Ethics of a Land Surveyor

Welcome back to our series on the importance of trust in business and how an individual or organization builds trust. Today, we look at an area that almost everyone has had a negative experience in – be it directly or indirectly – Land Surveying. Our focus is on Ethics of Land Surveyor.

In an article titled ‘Land Surveying: Ethics of a Land Surveyor’, posted by Dadeville Land Surveying, Alabama, the author said, “A surveyor should always start a project with fairness in mind. Your client, as well as every party involved in the project, is expecting you to be fair and just; so, make the best possible assessment with the evidence handed to you.

Before a project commences, the surveyor assigned to the project should come forward if there’s a possibility of conflict of interest. This is very important to preserve the surveyor’s relationship with the client. A surveyor should avoid professional impropriety by declaring involvement or any prior affiliations with any of the involved parties. It is also the surveyor’s responsibility to keep any information regarding the project, as well as the client, confidential even after the project is done.”

I recall, as a child, my mom’s frustration when one of our neighbours encroached on our property, erecting a fencing wall over two feet past the boundary mark on our property. The justification, according to them? “The law said you should step two feet in from the boundary when erecting a structure.” The chatter that my tiny ears picked up was that the then manager of a certain Corporation of interest and the neighbours were buddies. My mom’s complaints went unheard and unaddressed. It took a change in management at the Corporation to get her concerns resolved.

Although abuse of authority and impropriety have been around from the beginning of time, it appears to be worse now than it has ever been. I know of a situation that happened recently where someone attempted to fence part of their property. A neighbour called in an affiliated Land Surveyor to verify that the trench that was dug was within the boundary line. The Surveyor pulled a line, boundary to boundary and verified to the neighbour that the person was operating within the law. The fencing was erected. One month later, the neighbour had one of the boundary markers relocated about two feet beyond where it was originally located and began damaging the person’s fencing, claiming that it was erected on their land. Who relocated the boundary marker? Should boundary markers be relocated in absence of all involved? Do Land Surveyors operate in the interest of the law or their clients?

Until next week, I leave with you another of David Horsager’s eight pillars of trust – Clarity: People trust the clear and mistrust or distrust the ambiguous. Be clear about your mission, purpose, expectations, and daily activities. When we are clear about priorities on a daily basis, we become productive and effective.