Top reasons you may find yourself in a dispute with your neighbor
In an ideal world, you and your neighbor will get along. You may even become friends. You’ll share dinners in the backyard or you’ll talk over the fence. Unfortunately, we do not always live in an ideal world. Many people end up having some serious disputes with their neighbors.
If you’re interested in why this happens, here are a few of the main reasons:
- You do not agree on where the boundary lines are. The dispute revolves around who really owns a fence or a piece of land.
- One of you has a pet that the other believes encroaches on their property or damages it.
- Your neighbor is either too loud, leading to calls to the authorities, or they file noise complaints against you. Even if you stay on your own sides of the boundary lines, you can drastically impact each other’s quality of life.
- You think that your neighbor is violating health codes and doing something that actively makes you unsafe. This could be improper handling of hazardous materials, for instance, or the use of unlawful substances, like lead-based paint.
- Your neighbor is violating the building codes. If he or she breaks fire codes, for instance, that could be a serious risk to you. This is only made worse if you live in a duplex or some other type of shared dwelling.
No matter why you find yourself in a real estate dispute with your neighbor, make sure that you understand your rights as a landowner and all of the legal options you have. These cases can be very frustrating and they can get quite complex.
