P&D Building Division Knowledge Test

Strata Lot (Bare Land)

A lot created under the Strata Property Act not comprised of part of a building but with an interest in common property

Strata Lot (Building)

A lot comprised of part of a building with an interest in common property. Commonly known as a condominium or townhouse

Subdivision

The division of land into two or more parcels, generally by deposit of a subdivision plan

Withdrawal

The act of withdrawing an application before it is registered, either voluntarily or in response to having received a Notice Declining to Register

Parcel Identifier (PID) / Parcel ID

The official description of a parcel of land that appears on the title. A unique number assigned to a specific piece of land

Explanatory plan

A plan that (a) is not based on a survey but on existing descriptions, plans or records of the land title office, and (b) is certified correct in accordance with the records of the land title office (i) by a British Columbia land surveyor, or (ii) by the minister charged with the administration of the Transportation Act

Reference plan

A plan that is prepared by a British Columbia land surveyor and is based on a field survey

Air Space Parcel

A volumetric, three-dimensional parcel that has upper and lower limits in addition to horizontal (side) limits contained within a single land parcel. May or may not be occupied in whole or in part by a building or other structure

Cadastral Fabric

The digital geographic representation of land parcels in BC, showing their legal boundaries, locations and spatial relationships. Includes property boundaries, survey monuments, legal documents, maps, and regulations that support registration of lands

Caveat

A warning or notice of a potential legal interest in land that appears on a land title

Charge

An interest in land (less than the fee simple estate) or encumbrance that is registered on the title by the LTSA's land title office. Charges typically fall into these categories

Common Property

That part of the land and buildings shown on a strata plan that is not part of a strata lot. Each strata lot includes ownership of a fractional share within the strata property, proportional to the ratio of the area of that strata lot to the total area of all strata lots

Two types of covenants

• Covenants or restrictive covenants • Section 219 covenants

Covenants or restrictive covenants

A restriction on the use of land recorded on the title. Requires the property owner to do something or restricts how the property can be used or developed. These limit what you can do on the land. Ex. prohibit building within a certain distance of a stream, or restrict the height of structures on a hillside parcel

Section 219 covenant

A registered legal agreement between a property owner and a local government, regional district, or designated agency that places permanent restrictions or obligations on the use of a piece of land

Covenant

A legal agreement registered on the title of a property that either requires or restricts something related to how that land is used

Positive covenants

Require the landowner to do something, such as maintain a shared access road or preserve a heritage feature on the property

Crown Land

Land owned and administered by a government, either federal or provincial

Federal crown land

• National Parks • Indian Reserves • Federal ports • Military bases

Provincial crown land

• Provincial parks • All ungranted land (wilderness) within the provincial boundaries

Demised Premises

A property or a portion of a property that has been leased to a tenant

Easement

The right to use land for a specific and limited purpose

generally grants someone other than the property owner a legal right to use or access a portion of the property for a specific purpose (ex. a shared driveway, access to maintain underground pipes or power lines)

Encumbrance

A judgment, mortgage, lien, Crown debt or other legal claim to or on land created or given for any purpose registered against a title, that may limit its use, transfer or ownership rights (e.g., a mortgage, lien, easement or covenant)

Plan (Survey) - Surveyor General Division

A graphical representation of a survey conducted by a BC land surveyor that shows the extent, area, corner monuments and generally the geographic location of an area of untitled land

Registered Owner

The person who owns an interest in land, either in terms of ownership of title in fee simple, or ownership of a charge. Recorded in the land title register upon registration.

Right of Way

A type of easement that grants right to have access to designated parts of land for a specific use, often granted to a municipality or utility company in order to provide and maintain services to parcels of land (such as underground cables or pipelines)

Sketch Plan

A preliminary plan

Statutory Right of Way

A right created by section 218 of the Land Title Act. Allows a public agency to access a private property. This agreement grants the right to use a portion of the property to install and maintain infrastructure needed for the delivery of a specific service or services

Lien

An interest in land claimed to secure the payment of a debt or the performance of some other obligation

Parcel

A lot, block or other area in which land is held or into which land is subdivided

Parcel Identifier (PID)

A nine-digit number that uniquely identifies a parcel in the land title register of British Columbia

Plan (Survey) - Land Title Act

A graphical representation of a survey conducted by a BC land surveyor which shows the spatial extent, area, corner monuments and generally the geographic location of a specific area of land for the purpose of: Establishing the boundaries of a new parcel of titled land, Defining an area of land that is being dedicated to the public or to close an area that has been so dedicated,