Q: A new neighbor hired a surveyor. Now my decade old fence put up by a previous owner, is 5 ft over the new boundary?
The title of the property was free and clear when it was bought. Negotiating with this neighbor doesn't seem to be an option.
A: You will have to hire a competent OR attorney who engages in real property litigation. Your argument is that the boundary has long been acquiesced by all adjoining landowners for a long time. The suit will be a boundary dispute, which is basically a declaratory judgment action. You will need title searches on both tracts, and start putting together witnesses to the boundary for several decades. If you have only had a fence in that location for ten years, you will probably lose. You may have clouded the title when you put up the fence without a survey.
1 user found this answer helpful
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.