How it works
How LotSimple works
A lot report reads the public record against one lot and tells you, in plain English, what it says. Here's how it's made — and the ten things to know before you rely on one.
Type the address
Or the nine-digit PID. If the street name is in more than one town, you pick the right one.
We read the record against your lot
The zoning bylaw in force, the provincial maps for floodplain, streams, farmland and wildfire, and the local everyday rules — applied to your lot's size and shape.
Your report opens
On screen in about a minute, with a PDF to download. If your zone isn't written up yet, it comes by email instead.
Read before relying on any report
Ten things to know
- What this is
LotSimple is research. It explains what the public record says about a parcel, in plain language, with every finding cited to its source.
- What it isn't
It isn't a real estate service. LotSimple doesn't advise what to pay for a property, find property for you, or act in a purchase or sale. It isn't legal, planning, engineering, survey or financial advice either.
- It doesn't replace the professionals
A report is a starting point, not a substitute for a title search, a survey, a geotechnical or environmental assessment, or a pre-application meeting with the local government. It tells you which of those you'll need.
- The bylaw governs
The adopted bylaw, as interpreted by the local government, is always the final word. If a report and the bylaw disagree, the bylaw wins. Confirm anything you'll spend money on with the planning department.
- Dated, not live
Every report shows the date each document was read. Bylaws, permit areas and provincial rules change, sometimes quickly. A report is accurate to its date, not to the day you read it.
- Public sources only
Published bylaws and plans, local government records, provincial mapping and legislation. Nothing private, nothing from behind a login. If a public record is wrong or out of date, a report built on it will be too.
- Precedent isn't a promise
What council approved before shows how a request has been treated in the past. It doesn't bind a future council, and a variance or rezoning is never guaranteed.
- How it's made
The report is produced and checked automatically from the records already held, which is why it comes back fast. Where the published record can't settle something, the report says so, marks it "not confirmed", and tells you who can give you a firm answer. A feasibility study is where we make those calls for you and put the answers in writing.
- Corrections
Found something wrong? Send it to hello@lotsimple.ca with the report date. You'll get a reply within 48 hours, and corrected findings are re-issued free.
- Who builds this
LotSimple is built and run by a small team in Campbell River, BC.
Check your lot, free
Type the address. No card, no account.