You have lived in your home for many years. You had wonderful neighbors, and everyone respected each other’s property. You didn’t have a fence then, because you didn’t feel that your privacy was being violated.
When your neighbor moved and a new family came, you were shocked by the difference. Their children would play outside and leave toys in your yard. You’d have guests over and be unable to enjoy yourselves, since they’d just run over and interrupt you. You decided that it was time to put up a fence, so that you could get your private space back.
That’s when the problems started. You hired a team to put in the fence, and they installed it over a weekend. It looked fantastic, and you didn’t have to worry about toys or children being on your property unsupervised. Unfortunately, your neighbor came to see you and asked why you built the fence on their land. They were furious that you took away from their property.
This boundary dispute could get out of hand, but there are steps you can take to handle it
To start with, it’s a good idea to find out what the issue is. Is it really that your neighbor is mad that you put up a fence on their property? Are they offended that you’ve blocked out their children? Sometimes, it’s not as much a problem with what you did as much as it is a miscommunication that seemed like a slight.
If they do have a sincere concern that you built on their land, then it’s important for you to talk to them about the land boundary. Don’t be combative. You can say that you’ll look at your deed and make sure that the land boundary is correct.
If they are willing to do so, you may want to ask if they’d like to share the cost of a property survey. That would be an excellent way to identify if your fencing is in the wrong area or if it was placed correctly.
If you did a survey, show it to them. They may have other documents that suggest that they have more land than they do. If there is conflicting information, then you may end up needing to go to court to have a judge decide where the boundary lines of your properties are. In the meantime, you may want to talk to your attorney to verify that you were in the right and to work on resolving the issue.
