Boundary Disputes~2 min read

You may have bought real estate and never looked at your deed or survey, and now you have a boundary line dispute with your neighbor. He’s claiming that part of what you thought was your land is his, and he wants to put part of his new garage over it. You and your neighbor need to ascertain what’s yours and what’s his quickly. The real estate lawyers at Springer & Lyle might be able to help you resolve the boundary line issue without the burden and expense of litigation.

Prepare for an Informal Discussion

Whether a judge rules in your favor or not, you’re still going to have to live next to each other. You’ll both want to collect all information that you have, photocopy it, and then exchange it. You might be able to resolve the issue using documents at your kitchen table.

A Formal Discussion

If you’re unable to informally resolve the boundary line issue, you’ll want to talk with us at Springer & Lyle. Bring your documents along with your neighbor’s documents. We may also need to research your title history. With enough information we can give you our opinion of where the boundary line is. We can communicate that to your neighbor, and he can review our findings with his attorney. We’ll be pleased to work with that attorney on the issue. You and your neighbor might even agree to having a survey performed by a licensed land surveyor to settle the issue.

Litigation

If your neighbor starts construction work without resolution of the boundary line dispute, you can protect your rights and your land by retaining us to ask for injunctive relief to delay the construction until the dispute is resolved. You’ve now hit the litigation stage, and unless the case settles, a judge or jury will decide the boundary disputes. You’ll still be neighbors though, and both of you could end up being unhappy with each other and the judge’s decision.

Many real estate attorneys don’t go to court and litigate. Here at Springer & Lyle, we know real estate law, and we know how to litigate it too. We’re involved in litigation every day, but we also have neighbors. We want you to have a good neighbor too. Issues between neighbors can be resolved. If you’re involved in a boundary line dispute, contact Springer & Lyle. We’ll do everything that we can to amicably resolve it and keep you good neighbors.