How to Prevent a Boundary Encroachment on Your Property

boundary encroachmentEvery real estate owner who doesn’t have sufficient knowledge of his or her property rights is in danger of infringements and boundary encroachments.

Although, these intrusions and disputes on properties are common, a lot of landowners still do not have the right information and tools to identify and defend their property from this situation.

In reality, the majority of these infractions occur because landowners have not performed a professional land survey on their estate and most of the time a boundary encroachment incident is just due to an honest mistake committed by their neighbors.

What are Boundary Encroachments?

Boundary encroachments are violations that transpire when another person, usually the owner of an adjacent land, builds something that protrudes into your estate boundaries. An example of these intrusions would be a neighboring structure that spills over your property lines, such as a pool, a fence or even a garden.

A property owner who has no knowledge of the boundaries of his or her property ultimately may lose part of their land and become victims of a boundary encroachment.

How to Prevent Boundary Encroachments

To prevent a boundary encroachment situation, a property owner should hire a professional land surveyor, like Godfrey-Hoffman & Hodge in Connecticut, to conduct an updated and accurate boundary survey on his or her land to be able to identify the areas that are covered by his property.

Performing a survey on your property is a necessary action needed to prevent any future circumstances and situations that may lead to boundary disputes.

What to do When a Boundary Encroachment Happens

When a boundary encroachment transpires, the first thing that you have to do is to politely request the owner of the encroaching structure to remove the part that intrudes into your land or work out some form of compensation for the land that was invaded. But if a dispute arises, then your next step would be to go to court and request for a removal or a court settlement decision for the encroached land.

Key Takeaway:

  • Boundary encroachments are violations that transpire when another person, usually the owner of an adjacent land, builds something that protrudes into your estate boundaries
  • Performing a survey on your place is a necessary action needed to acquire the required tool to prevent any future circumstances and situations that may lead to boundary disputes.
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