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Section 60(1) of the Land Registration Act 2002 states that the boundary of a registered estate as shown for the purposes of the register is a general boundary unless shown as determined under the section, and section 60(2) confirms that a general boundary does not determine the exact line of the boundary. That is a deliberate design choice in the registration system, not an accident of mapping.

The practical effect is that a title plan cannot be scaled to settle an argument about a few centimetres, and that two neighbouring title plans can both be correct while the fence between them sits somewhere neither of them quite shows. It is also why a surveyor asked to advise on a boundary will want the deeds, any pre-registration conveyance plans and the physical evidence on the ground, rather than the title plan alone.

Section 60 is part of the land registration system for England and Wales. Scotland registers land through Registers of Scotland and Northern Ireland has its own arrangements, so a Scottish or Northern Irish reader should check the position with their own registry rather than assume this section applies.

HM Land Registry requires three things with an application to determine a boundary: supporting evidence, such as certified copies of the deeds to your property from before the property was registered, or an expert's report; a completed exact line of boundary (DB) form; and a boundary plan prepared by a chartered land surveyor showing the determined boundary line. The plan requirements themselves are set out in the boundary agreements and determined boundaries guidance.

The application costs £90, on top of the surveyor's and the solicitor's fees. If your neighbour disagrees, HM Land Registry assesses whether the objection is valid; where it is, you and your neighbour are given the chance to reach an agreement, and if that fails the matter goes to the tribunal, where you may have to pay your neighbour's costs if your application is rejected.

One point is worth weighing before starting. A determined boundary stays valid if you or your neighbour later sells, which is the reason people go through the process rather than relying on an informal understanding. The alternative route, a boundary agreement with the neighbour, is cheaper and less confrontational but depends on both parties cooperating.

Survey fees are driven by area, the density of detail to be recorded, the accuracy specified, access and vegetation, and the deliverable format the designer needs. A topographical survey of a small rear garden is a morning; the same garden with mature planting, changes of level, a right of way and a neighbouring structure to record takes considerably longer and produces a bigger drawing. Boundary work adds research time on deeds and title documents. Where the job is a determined boundary application, remember the £90 HM Land Registry fee sits on top of the surveyor's and the solicitor's charges.

LokalMatch is the introduction step and stops there. Describe the survey you need once, with your postcode, and surveyors covering your area contact you. Homeowners are not charged; the professionals pay for the requests they receive. LokalMatch does not carry out surveys, does not set fees and does not vet, rank or recommend anyone, so agree the accuracy and the deliverable with your designer before you instruct.