William
D. Marriott & Associates Ltd.
The Surface Land Compensation Database provides comprehensive and reliable information on the compensation paid for
surface access for oil and gas well sites and pipeline easements in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
The
service would be comparable to the "MLS" Multiple Listing Service for
residential real estate. The intention is to capture virtually all surface
transactions (including Rent Reviews, Board Orders and Consent of Occupant) by
having oil and gas operators, their agents, or landowners provide data to be
published in the database. William D. Marriott & Associates Ltd. as
database administrator maintains the confidentiality of data sources and
provides reports which contain aggregated non-identifying information.
There is widespread belief that better information
will expedite the negotiation of surface leases. The database
significantly reduces the administrative and other costs of researching
'comparables' for operators, land agents and land owners. Further, more
information in the marketplace will increase the efficiency of the market and
lead to more competitive pricing. Five areas where the service would directly
benefit operators, land agents and property owners are:
- as a complete information source for specific areas,
- as a comprehensive information source when moving into a new area,
- as a starting point for the preparation of evidence for the Surface
Rights Board,
- as an information base for rent reviews,
- as a background information source prior to direct negotiations.
Currently, there are nearly 36,000 leases on the
database with 28,200 in Alberta and 7,800 in Saskatchewan.