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Neighbor's fence is 2 feet onto my property. Do I lawyer up or mediation first?
Stopped by a house in Bridgeport yesterday and saw a fence cutting right across the lot line. Owner says it's been there 12 years. Adverse possession claim or just a survey dispute?
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aaron88017d ago
Man, that's a solid point about the survey, I used to think you could just talk it out but you're right.
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colethomas17d ago
Got a survey done first thing before talking to anyone. Best move I made because it showed exactly how bad the encroachment was. Then I went straight to a lawyer, not mediation, since the neighbor wasn't budging and I didn't want to waste time. Ended up having to file a quiet title action, but the survey was the key piece of evidence that got it sorted. So yeah, get your own survey from a licensed guy, then figure out if the neighbor's willing to play nice or not.
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I get what you're saying about the survey being a smart first move, but I pushed back on that idea when I dealt with my own boundary mess. My neighbor and I actually had a decent chat before I spent money on a survey, and it turned out they were willing to shift their garden bed a few feet based on the old fence line we both remembered. If I had gone straight to a survey and lawyer, it would have cost me a thousand bucks and probably soured the whole relationship for nothing. Sometimes talking first can save you a lot of cash and headache, even if it doesn't work out every time.
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