New neighbors - grrrrr

[farmmom]

My old neighbor sold his trailer and land to some new people. The problem is that they want to use my driveway to access their property rather than cut the grass on theirs. Since the beginning, they have been turning their cars around on my grass, not that its that great, but it's mine. They have owned the place 2-3 months. Yes, I have spoken to them about it.

Well, yesterday, I'd had enough, so I put a t-post on either side of the driveway, right on my property line, and a few along the side of the property, and ran a simple rope fence. I put a "No Trespassing sign by one of the posts. I figure, this gives a pretty good idea that they're not allowed to use my property. Maybe???

Sometime last night, one of the posts was run over and the sign thrown in the driveway. I put it back up today, and posted a notice on their door that the driveway was no longer available for their use and that "no trespass" ordinances would be enforced. I also took pics of the fence and the notice on the door. I'm curious to see what happens now. I've about had it with them.

I am also going to contact the sheriff just to let them know I've had a problem, and to get any further advice that they have. Any ideas from you?

[mammabooh]

Good luck. I'd guess that it's not going to get any better.

[Kmac15]

I'm so sorry, now you are officially at war with you neighbors.

[EDDIE BUCK]

I feel sorry for you and offer my condolences,but don't know the answer to your problem. EB

[michiganfarmer]

I have a jerk for a neighbor, but at least he stays on his own side of the fence

[7thswan]

I'm sorry here too. Dh and had planned to build on our 21 ac. after we sold the house. We bought a huge 5th wheel new to live in while building with our big doggs. Everything had to change because of the people we sold the house to. It was awful, hunting on our land, shooting while we were tending our cattle. It went on and on, guess it didn't help that he was a case-a-day kinda guy. We moved away and sold our land down there. Best of luck for you.

[Danaus29]

I really feel for you. Yes, war has been declared. What the next step is I don't know. Maybe some barbed wire laid along the drive.

We have a similar problem with old neighbors. Our next step is nails in the yard. And YES, I did check to see if it was legal to "forget" about that board with nails in it that silly forgetful me left laying in the yard.

[texican]

Sounds like it's fencing time.

Short t-posts... about six inches tall, sorta sharpened, with the 'wire nubs' ground off, are very very hard to pull up. Yet, when they kiss a tire, the tire gets all puncture'y.

---------------------------------------------
Sorry for your disfortunes, but you have abrogated quite a few of your complaining rights, by not purchasing the neighbors place when it came up for sale.

Never wish a bad neighbor to go away... unless you plan on buying the place... otherwise you may invoke bad neighbor rules, and get an even worse neighbor.

I have standing offers of purchase with all my neighbors... unfortunately, they'll never sell... their heirs might though!

[ronbre]

they have been warned..war is war..

make sure you do everything to document every single thinig you do and let them know you are documenting..send them a copy of the photos that you are sending the police with a note that the police have received a copy..

sometimes people think that you are bluffing..esp those ones who grew up as kids with warnings that were never followed through with (i hate parents that do that..warn but don't follow thru, they create horrible adults)

i think i would have my post hold diggers out and be putting posts in concrete in the ground a good 4 '..and some decent wire fencing..or wooden fencing just inside my line

[SquashNut]

be apsolutely sure where you property line is.
My brother and his freind bought and split a piece of property from my step father.
The freind started tearing up the road going into the 2 properties. the road legally belonged to my brother, so he fenced off the use of it from him. he gave the guy 6 monthes to build his own road before fencing it.
i guess there was some other fencing besides the road done too, by my brother. the day they went to court, my brother was told to move the fence over 6 inches. While he was out there moving the fence the other guy came over and there was some dispute and the guy shot and killed my brother. over 6 inches of land.
i hope the cops there where you are take the situation more seriously than the ones in the small town where this happened. i wasn't there so i don't know what really happened, the other guys wife and son were but didn't testify. the guy got off on self defence. And it's possible that is true, but it still seems sad over 6 inches of land,.

[coup]

i hope it doesn't get worse........most times not.........
i recently saw a news show,i think the name was trouble on the mountain.
if you could get a copy and watch it and then mail it to the neighbor it might help.......

i have seen some people agree to get a survey and the one wrong pays for it.
the longer you let them use it the worse for you.

[farmmom]

Originally Posted by texican

Sorry for your disfortunes, but you have abrogated quite a few of your complaining rights, by not purchasing the neighbors place when it came up for sale.

The place was sold before I knew it was even for sale. The neighbor that sold it, lives on the other side of me in an old family home and sold it on the spur of the moment for back taxes. He's regretting it too. It was never advertised.

Also, I do know exactly where the line is. I just had the survey done about a month ago.

[Beeman]

I feel for you, I have similar problems. You're best to nip it in the bud as quick as possible as they will keep encroaching, it's their MO. Be sure you're in the right no matter what you do and try to keep it from escalating too far if possible. Most are like little kids that just need to be shown their boundaries and they are testing you.
The good news is usually you can outlast them. We just lost one this week! Most can't actually keep up payments on anything for long. Did the owner finance it to them? Get the whole neighborhood on your side and have everyone keep the hairy eyeball on them, they'll get the message.

[farmmom]

Originally Posted by Beeman

The good news is usually you can outlast them. We just lost one this week! Most can't actually keep up payments on anything for long. Did the owner finance it to them?

They paid $4000 cash for the place. It's about 1/4 acre with an old singlewide on it. They "fixed it up" and are trying to resell it for $25,000. I asked about owner financing, and they won't do it. I don't have enough equity in my home, as I just purchased it in October. Besides, the place isn't worth the price. The singlewide is too old to legally be moved, and probably can't be insured either. If I had been able to purchase it from the original owner for the $4000, I would have gutted the trailer and used it as a hen house or storage building. It still looks like a piece of junk on the outside.

[cowcreekgeeks]

We have trouble with the neighbor's daughter. She's incorrigible, uncontrollable and generally nasty. She pitches beer bottles in my yard. She and her friends buy and sell drugs on the drive behind our barn. She parked her car in my yard. I had enough. I waited all day long until she came back and told her that if she ever put ANYTHING on my land again...she'd lose it. I went on to explain her car would either be towed away or parted out and sold on Ebay.

I saw her dad coming home from work and I waited in the road for him. He stopped and I introduced myself and then explained the problems with his little demon. I let him know that I intend to live here whether they like it or not and I can be a durned good neighbor or I could give him nightmares. I also said that I knew at least four deputies in our county and I'd have the sheriff's department beating on his door everyday if I had to. The only thing he had to do was be a parent...instill a little discipline!

She has since calmed down a bit. Maybe it helped that we got a dog and trained her to hate the little demon. Everytime she walks past our place Bailey (the dog) carries on like it's Satan coming to get her. She may have even waved at us a couple days ago. Then again, she could have been saluting me.

[mldollins]

I cannot think of the law off hand but if they have been using this unimpeded for a certain number of years, they may be allowed by law to continue doing so. The law is at the tip of my tongue. But goes like this, if a person has used a portion of your property to access theirs for say 10 years, they have full rights to continue using that in the same manner. In some states its 20 years while others its 5 years. This is why I am very leary about allowing others unrestricted access to their property using mine because down the road, they will have unrestricted rights to do so and legally you can do nothing.

But the law also states that if you have notified that person or put some type of notice or put blockades within the number of years according to your state, it ends the so-called rights to ingress/egress.

[Narshalla]

Originally Posted by mldollins

I cannot think of the law off hand but if they have been using this unimpeded for a certain number of years, they may be allowed by law to continue doing so. The law is at the tip of my tongue. But goes like this, if a person has used a portion of your property to access theirs for say 10 years, they have full rights to continue using that in the same manner. In some states its 20 years while others its 5 years. This is why I am very leary about allowing others unrestricted access to their property using mine because down the road, they will have unrestricted rights to do so and legally you can do nothing.

But the law also states that if you have notified that person or put some type of notice or put blockades within the number of years according to your state, it ends the so-called rights to ingress/egress.

I read back, they have owned the place 2-3 months, so no legal right has been established.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by mldollins

I cannot think of the law off hand but if they have been using this unimpeded for a certain number of years, they may be allowed by law to continue doing so. The law is at the tip of my tongue. But goes like this, if a person has used a portion of your property to access theirs for say 10 years, they have full rights to continue using that in the same manner. In some states its 20 years while others its 5 years. This is why I am very leary about allowing others unrestricted access to their property using mine because down the road, they will have unrestricted rights to do so and legally you can do nothing.

But the law also states that if you have notified that person or put some type of notice or put blockades within the number of years according to your state, it ends the so-called rights to ingress/egress.

Real estate laws vary from state to state, but many states recognize the concept of adverse possession, and that of acquiescence. One needs to check with an attorney in their state to find out how that state deals with these issues.

[bloogrssgrl]

Originally Posted by Narshalla

I read back, they have owned the place 2-3 months, so no legal right has been established.

As Yvonne's hubby stated, the laws concerning real estate vary from place to place. In PA, prescriptive easement runs with the land and isn't necessarily tied to an individual owner. We access our property by that type of easement, which was established many years before we bought the property. We had to do nothing in order to keep it in place.

[tab]

It may be war but if you had let it go it would have been defeat. Document, document document. If they haven't sold in 6 months, maybe waving $4000.00 under their nose will convince them to lower the price. Sad when one has to buy out the neighbors because they can't be decent human beings. Maybe a visit from the sheriff will help. I agree with the boudaries thing, most people will push them as far as they can.