Can a lot be checked for septic before I buy it?+
Yes. A good share of the answer is in public records: the parcel's size and shape, nearby creeks and wells, slope, mapped soils and land-use rules. The free Lot Snapshot shows the surface risks on one page. The Property Research Report compiles everything on record. What records cannot tell you is what is in the ground, which takes test pits.
What does the free Lot Snapshot show?+
A location plan and a site plan of the lot and its neighbours, with creeks, lakes, wetlands, licensed water intakes and registered wells marked, contours to show slope, and a short list of the risks found. It does not measure setbacks or say whether a system will fit.
Why does a well on the neighbour's lot matter?+
A septic dispersal field has to be set back from every well, not only your own. On a narrow lot a neighbour's well near the boundary can take a large bite out of the area you have to work with. The snapshot highlights neighbouring lots with a registered well so you know to ask where it is.
How long does the report take?+
Usually within 5 business days. Most of it is compiled in minutes; the wait is for the health authority to search its records for any septic system already filed on the lot, and the report is delivered once that is in.
Is the $299 report written by a person?+
No. It is AI-driven: software compiles it from online public records, and it is priced accordingly. It tells you what the records say and what ground like yours usually ends up with. The one part a person handles is the records search with the health authority, and the report is delivered once that reply is in. A Professional Geoscientist looks at your lot individually at the on-site assessment.
Should I add the title search?+
Yes, in most cases. Covenants, easements and rights of way registered on title can decide where a septic system is allowed to go, and they do not appear in any map layer. With the $79 add-on, the title is pulled and every charge that bears on a septic system is listed in your report.
What does a design cost after that?+
One package, starting at $3,490 plus GST for SPM-compliant residential jobs, subject to exclusions: the sealed design, drawings and report, the filing with the health authority, installation oversight while the system is built, and the Letter of Certification. It is paid up front. The price is for a standard single-family system within 70 km of Port Alberni; commercial work and complex sites are quoted. The fee for the on-site assessment comes off it.
Do I need the owner's permission?+
Not for the snapshot or the research report, which use public records only. An on-site assessment means digging test pits, so it needs the owner's written permission. Buyers usually arrange that through the listing agent as part of the offer.
What does the on-site assessment cost in total?+
The assessment is $1,249 plus GST within 70 km of Port Alberni, and includes drone mapping of the lot. Test pits need an excavator, which is billed at cost or supplied by you or your contractor, and sites farther away carry travel. You get the total in writing before anything is booked.
Does what I pay count toward the next step?+
Yes. The $299 report comes off the on-site assessment if you book it within 30 days, and the on-site assessment comes off the design fee if you go ahead, because it is the same field work a design starts from.
Which areas do you cover?+
The Lot Snapshot and the Property Research Report are available for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. On-site assessments are done within 250 km of Port Alberni.
I'm a realtor. Can I run these for a listing or a client?+
Yes. Agents use the snapshot to answer the first septic question on a rural listing, and the research report when a buyer wants more before writing an offer. Up to five PIDs can be run in one request, free. Choose Realtor on the form and the snapshot is addressed to you.
