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You Own the Land. So Why Does the Government Act Like Your Landlord?
The little-known Crown Grant most Canadian property owners have never seen.
You paid for it. You maintain it. You pay taxes on it. Yet someone at City Hall can still tell you what you can build, cut down, or do on your own land.
There's an original land document most homeowners have never even looked for. And it may contain historical terms, reservations and exceptions worth understanding before your next property dispute.
Your Certificate of Title is only the beginning of the story.
Mark Smith · Founder of Cheq Yourself
Start with the records
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The diagnosis
The questions you would rather
answer before a problem.
“I already have my title. Isn't that enough?”
Your current title describes today's registered record. Predecessor titles, subdivisions and historical plans may sit behind it. Following those references is a separate research task.
“I'll worry about it if something happens.”
A boundary question or land-use dispute can leave you reconstructing generations of records while someone is already asking for answers. Start with preparation.
“Where do I even start?”
One title points to another. The survey adds a different layer. The Crown Grant may be held in another archive. The task is to connect the pieces.
“I found the document. Now what?”
Which land did it cover? What reservations or exceptions appear? How does today's parcel trace back to it? One old document is only part of the file.
“I know I saw that document somewhere…”
A title in a drawer, a survey in another folder and correspondence buried in email are difficult to use together. Build a file you can return to.
The real problem
You don't have an
“old document” problem.
You have a property-file problem.
Problem first. Research second. There is a more prepared order: research first, evidence ready.
“Concern is rational.
Panic is not a plan.”
Build the documentation. Build the evidence. Do the due diligence before you are forced to.
The three-layer land file
Three records.
One property story.
Certificate of Title
The current record and the predecessor references that begin your research.
Survey
The recorded parcel, its boundary information and its relationship to the title.
Crown Grant
The original grant, including its terms, reservations and exceptions.
- Current title
- Predecessor records
- Survey / plans
- Crown Grant
- Analysis
- Documentation
- Organized file
A Crown Grant is not a magic shield. The title and survey each tell part of the story. The value comes from connecting them.
The documentation service
What Cheq Yourself Actually Does.
We follow the available property records, connect the title, survey and Crown Grant, and prepare the documentation described in your written scope.
Six work areas. One organized property file.
Chain of Title Discovery.
Trace predecessor references through the available property records.
Crown Grant investigation.
Locate and examine the original grant, its terms, reservations and exceptions.
Current title and survey review.
Review the current record and the survey together, within the agreed scope.
Creation of a working metes-and-bounds description where records allow.
Prepare a working boundary description from available records. This is not a new survey.
Acceptance Documentation.
Prepare the acceptance documentation described in your written scope.
Constructive notice documentation to government and community.
Prepare the notice documentation in the agreed scope; you complete the required signing, mailing or publication steps.
Standard record allowance
5 Certificates of Title
1 Survey
1 Crown Grant
Subject to available records and written scope. Additional title and survey copies are requested and paid for separately by the client directly from the Land Registry.
A working metes-and-bounds description is not a new professional survey and does not replace a licensed land surveyor. Notice documentation covers the applicable public/private notices in your scope; you complete the required signing, mailing, service and publication.
Built from the paper trail
We start with the records
that actually exist.
Certificate of Title
Predecessor titles
Registered survey plans
Crown Grants
Historical legal descriptions
Parcel references
Registry records
Archival records
Records may be unavailable or incomplete. The research follows the available evidence; no missing history or legal outcome is invented.
The process
From a fit review
to an organized property file.
Request a property fit review
Tell us your province and relationship to the property. Staff review the scope and arrange a fit call where needed. A request is not a confirmed booking.
Agree the scope and next steps
Review the included work, available records, applicable taxes and full terms before deciding. After approved, verified payment, provide the required property intake and records you hold.
We trace and analyze the records
We follow available predecessor references, obtain or review the included records, investigate the Crown Grant and compare the survey information.
Your documentation is prepared
Receive the documentation described in your written scope. You review it and complete the required signing, mailing, service or publication. Typical turnaround is 30–90 days after required information and scope confirmation.
Bonus · included
First Nation
Proposal Letter.
Personalized and pre-filled for you.
As a purchaser, you also receive a pre-filled version of the First Nation Proposal Letter introduced in the Crown Grant webinar. Using the information you provide, Mark prepares a practical starting point if you choose to open a dialogue with the applicable First Nation.
A communication and educational document. No response, negotiation, agreement, conveyance of Aboriginal title or particular legal outcome is guaranteed.
The part people miss
Don't wait for the fight
before you find the paperwork.
You can do this yourself. Trace the titles. Order the records. Locate the survey and Crown Grant. Study the reservations and exceptions. Compare the descriptions. Prepare the documentation.
If you have the time, the webinar gives you the starting points. If you are busy running a business, raising a family, maintaining your home or farming your land, you can commission the preparation.
Is this for you?
For owners who
want to be proactive.
This may be for you
- You own a detached home, acreage, farmland or another privately held stand-alone parcel.
- You have a current title but have never followed its predecessor references.
- You want the historical records organized and preserved for your family.
- You understand that documentation supports preparation and does not guarantee a legal outcome.
Outside this service
- Property-tax elimination or removal of a mortgage, CPL or CRA lien.
- Guaranteed immunity from bylaws, foreclosure or litigation.
- Legal advice or representation.
- Resolution of Aboriginal title or a guaranteed Indigenous land patent.
Condominium and strata properties involve different underlying/common-property issues and are generally outside the core use case presented here. Active legal deadlines require appropriate professional advice.
Behind the preparation
A more organized workflow.
The same property-specific review.
As described by Mark, AI-assisted internal workflows help organize intake information and structure repetitive administrative work. They support the research-preparation process.
AI assists the workflow. It does not replace the property-specific review.
The research, judgment, record review and final documentation remain tied to the actual property and the records available for it.
Decision time
Which file would
you rather return to?
Before the research
A collection of separate pieces.
Today’s title in a drawer. A survey somewhere else. Predecessor references unexplored. No organized historical file.
After the scoped work
A connected property file.
Available history traced and reviewed. Records connected as the evidence allows. Working description where possible. Acceptance and notice documentation according to scope.
A description of the commissioned work, subject to record availability; not a promise of a legal outcome.
Your next step
Be the guardian of the land.
Know the records behind it.
You have seen the records, the six work areas and the service limits. If you want to delegate the preparation, request a property fit review. Review the written scope and full terms before approved payment.
Chain of Title Discovery
Supplied estimate: $450–$500 for research, plus approximately $100 for five title copies.
Crown Grant retrieval + analysis
Supplied estimate: approximately $70 retrieval plus 4–5 hours of analysis at $150/hour.
Working metes-and-bounds preparation
Internal estimate: 3 hours at $150/hour, where records allow.
Acceptance documentation
Internal estimate: 1 hour at $150/hour.
Newspaper legal-notice documentation
Internal estimate: 2 hours at $150/hour. Publication is the client's responsibility.
Private notice documentation
Internal estimate: 2 hours at $150/hour, according to written scope.
Estimated standalone value
$2,420–$2,620 CAD
Standalone-value estimates are based on service-provider quotes, registry costs and internal labour estimates supplied by Cheq Yourself. They are comparative estimates, not a guarantee of prevailing market rates. These estimates are not independently verified market valuations.
Be proactive. Build the evidence. Guard the record.
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR FIRSTFrom clients
What clients say.
Terry
“I have been working with Mark since 2023, when I took the "Protect Your Land" course with him. Mark has extensive knowledge of property rights and has helped me immensely in fighting a battle with overreaching government bodies. Mark is organized, clear and understandable with his thought process and very detailed in documentation. If it hadn't been for his dedication to me and my situation, the outcome for us would have been very different. I highly recommend Mark to anyone who is interested in protecting their assets.”
Saige
“After I was forced to remove several tiny homes during a housing crisis, I then became a target for continued harassment by bylaw officers. This is when I contacted Mark. He prepared the appropriate documentation for my land, and after it was complete, I was ready to defend myself. Several bylaw officers tried entering buildings on my land. With Mark's help, I was able to stop them. And since then, they have left me alone.”
Published with permission. These are individual client experiences, not a promise of a similar legal or regulatory outcome.
The service policy
You Have 14 Days to Change Your Mind.
Cancellation and a refund are available within 14 days of purchase, subject to the written service terms. Review the service scope and refund policy before payment.
This policy applies to purchases of the documentation package, not to requesting or booking a consultation.
Review the written scope, included work, applicable taxes, estimated turnaround, registry-document allowance and full service terms.
No legal outcome is guaranteed. You are purchasing the research and documentation work described in the package and your written scope.
Before you decide
Quick answers
before you assert your Crown Grant.
Can I do this myself?
Yes. You can trace title references, obtain the records and prepare your own file. The free webinar gives you the starting points. This package is for owners who prefer to have the research and documentation prepared.
Is my Certificate of Title the same as my Crown Grant?
No. Your Certificate of Title is the present registered record. The Crown Grant is a separate historical grant further back in the property's history.
Does a Crown Grant mean bylaws do not apply?
No automatic conclusion should be assumed. The historical grant needs to be understood in context with the property history and applicable law. This service does not promise immunity from government rules.
Will this eliminate property tax or remove a mortgage, CPL or CRA lien?
No. This is not a property-tax elimination or charge-removal service. Registered and legal matters may require separate statutory or court processes and qualified professional advice.
Will this stop foreclosure?
No. No foreclosure or litigation outcome is promised.
Does this resolve Aboriginal title?
No. The package does not extinguish or resolve Aboriginal title. The personalized proposal letter is a starting point for dialogue; no response, agreement or legal result is guaranteed.
Is this legal advice?
No. Mark Smith and Cheq Yourself provide educational research and documentation support. Obtain appropriate professional advice for property-specific legal questions or active court or statutory deadlines.
What records are included?
The standard allowance is five Certificates of Title, one Survey and one Crown Grant, subject to record availability. Additional title and survey copies are requested and paid for separately by the client directly from the Land Registry.
How long does it take?
Typical turnaround is 30–90 days after the required information or documents are received and the written scope is confirmed.
What happens after I request a fit call?
Staff review your requested scope and arrange a fit call where needed. A request is not a confirmed booking or a commitment to buy. Agree the scope and terms before approved payment and property intake. After your inquiry is saved, choose a consultation time through Tymeslot. A booking requires Tymeslot confirmation.
What if I change my mind?
Cancellation and a refund are available within 14 days of purchase, subject to the written service terms. Review the included work, taxes, record allowance, turnaround and full terms before paying.
Privacy, contact and full terms
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Read our Privacy notice and Terms. The refund summary is subject to the full written service terms. Use the contact form for service or privacy questions.
An informed next step
Ready to discuss
your property file?
Request a property fit call. Share a non-confidential summary, provide your contact details and, after your inquiry is accepted, choose a consultation time.
An inquiry is not a booking, purchase or commitment to buy.
WATCH THE FREE WEBINAR FIRST