A property line dispute with your neighbor has the potential to irreparably damage your relationship. Outside of that, it’s costly, tedious and can be incredibly time-consuming to deal with.
With that being said, you shouldn’t have to put up with part of your land being taken over by a neighbor when you know it to be yours. If you have a legitimate reason for believing that the part of your property your neighbor is occupying belongs to you, there are steps you can take to reclaim it.
Begin by researching
You’ll need to be able to present evidence that shows the land belongs to you. The first, and most important, thing to do is to take a look at your property deeds as these should show just exactly where your land starts and ends.
Property deeds are required to have what’s referred to as a legal description. The purpose of this is to give precise measurements of the location and size of a property. This legal description is important as it is used by both homeowners and insurers in proving just exactly what parcel of land belongs to you. A surveyor can also help, and it’s not uncommon to engage their services during boundary disputes.
Seek legal assistance
Your neighbor might accept that the land they’re using doesn’t belong to them if you can show this in the property deeds. If, however, that’s not the case you may seek to take legal action in order to protect your property rights.
This can result in litigation but it doesn’t always have to be the case. It is often possible to reach a settlement between parties. The legal professional you use will review all the evidence you can present and let you know what the next steps should be for you and your matter.