When the line isn't where you thought it was.
A fence a few feet over. A driveway two families share. A right of way nobody remembers granting. Boundary and easement questions live where paperwork meets dirt, and they get resolved by getting both right.
The four shapes these disputes take.
Different fact patterns, same starting move: establish what the deeds and the survey actually say.
Encroachments
A structure sits over the line: a fence, a shed, a garage corner, a driveway edge. Sometimes it's been there thirty years; sometimes it appeared last spring. Both facts matter, differently.
The paperwork moveSurvey plus deeds first. Then the fix, which ranges from a recorded agreement to something more formal.
Easements
Someone else holds a right to use part of your land: a utility run, access to a back parcel. Easements commonly ride the land records from owner to owner, whether or not anyone mentioned them at your closing.
The paperwork moveFind the grant, read its scope. What it allows, and what it doesn't, is usually written down.
Shared driveways & rights of way
Two houses, one strip of pavement, and an arrangement that worked fine until it didn't: a sale, a dispute, a new fence. Informal sharing has a way of ending exactly when the stakes go up.
The paperwork movePut the arrangement in writing and on the record, so it survives both current owners.
Boundary-line agreements
When the deeds are ambiguous or the survey surprises everyone, neighbors can often settle where the line is by written, recorded agreement rather than by litigation.
The paperwork moveNegotiate the line, record the agreement. Court stays available; it just isn't the default.
Half of these surface during a closing.
Encroachments and easements are exactly what a title search exists to find before you buy. If one has turned up in your transaction, yours or the other side's, it becomes a closing problem with a deadline, and we handle those too.
Line questions.
What neighbors and buyers ask us.
My neighbor's fence is over the line. What now?
What exactly is an easement?
Can these disputes be resolved without going to court?
Does title insurance cover boundary problems?
This is general information, not legal advice. Every situation is different. Reach out to discuss yours.
We respond within one business day.
Tell us a few details about your transaction. A member of the team will follow up with next steps.
A line in dispute?
Tell us what's on the ground and what's on paper, or what you don't know yet. We'll tell you what to establish first and how these usually resolve.
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