Karma for bad neighbors

Forget the fence, just take pictures when they trespass and call the sheriff. You have lazy neighbors who would rather use an existing trail on your property then build their own. I have the same type of neighbors. They asked to use my trails to get to state land on the other side of my property. I wanted to be a good neighbor and said fine. They tore then up with their atvs leaving huge ruts and hunted on my property when I told them not they were not allowed. They didn't pick up their shot gun shells so that gave themselves away besides the ruts. They lost their privileges right there. I ride my atv, skid steer and truck on my trails and have never made ruts on them like they did. I posted it no trespassing and told them why. Next time they used it I called the sheriff , they haven't trespassed again. At first I wanted the fence too but why I am I going to fork out money just to keep people off my property when law enforcement can do it for free and there is a record of it.

Not much cost for a good fence and it will last a long time.Use field fence 52 inches and put PVC pipe three inch in diamenter in swamp area.Six inch treated post on the corners with braceing. This will save you alot of head aches in the years to come.

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If you are still mowing the grass then the garden needs to be bigger

If they are just renting, what does the owner of the property have to say about all
this ?

Start a ATV trail service 50 dollars per hour. Charge them if they come.

Owner of property tells me to talk to wife since guy is a mean drunk and is usually drunk. He is getting his rent- which kept him from going bankrupt- and will be happy to sell to this guy whenever they get their financing together. Sure if someone swoops in and buys it he might prefer them to this guy but landlord needs his money. Owner also sold us our lot, and did not actively discourage the guy's activities until our objections. I think maybe he's afraid of the guy, or needs to keep him willing to pay his rent.

Sometimes wonder if owner actively plays up our differences- I had a prior matter of fish bones and garbage in my yard (and I was afraid someone was trying to kill my dogs) and I believe the owner's fishing buddies not the new neighbor did this, from the new neighbor's yard where the owner had just moved from. Not saying the owner TOLD them to do this and make it look like the new guy did it, but new guy has convinced me he and his son were not the ones who did it.

Waaah! All in all way too much heartburn for a blue star family- DD16 even had a nightmare about it all.

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US Army veteran, military retiree spouse, and military; civilian; British NHS; and VA doctor.

How about if YOU buy the property and rent it out to someone who will be a good neighbor?

RENT A LION!

See that gives you a good excuse to put up a nice 8 foot tall woven wire fence. Electrified preferably, just cause you are concerned about their safety!

ESPECIALLY the part about taking out trees!

Jenn, pray harder. It's not working so far.

I love the lion idea, and might tell DH if I get back to work soon that my next few year's pay will have to buy that property (or a lion) instead of the Lotus (and paved driveway needed for it) he has in mind. Sadly neither of our parents nor my brother is interested in that house; too far out of town for most of them and with a pool to take care of.

I still hold against the 'bad' neighbor that he knew he was trespassing in a large part of his ATVing, that he felt that was perfectly okay, and that he has been grumpy at me since I told them to stop in a way frightening to a blue star wife; even this one. However he said to me today when we spoke that they may move- getting out of the rent to own contract perhaps with some penalty against the landlord- since the property is so much smaller than they had been led to believe. Like them I didn't bother surveying BEFORE I was certain I was getting the place, but I didn't care so much about having a particular spot, just what was due me. Certainly whatever he feels the owner told them, the owner told ME he had told this family the gulley divided the property, and that gulley is about 30 feet away from the actual line. I wouldn't even have believed the surveyors had they not assured me they had found the pipe, and having roughly measured the other guy's lot and came up 10' into my property I wonder if his other neighbor has his fence too far over.

So as I have tried to at times I will continue praying the new neighbor and his family find happiness and contentment in their home here or elsewhere. Thanks everyone for sympathy and advice.

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US Army veteran, military retiree spouse, and military; civilian; British NHS; and VA doctor.

Jenn, you have a Constitutional right to "Quiet enjoyment of your own property." The law is on your side if you follow certain established steps which would include:
1 Record your survey in your appropriate court. In Virginia that would be my county Circuit court. The surveyor has to give you. A certified blue copy. He may be able to do this for you, you can do it yourself or pay a lawyer to do it for you. This step is a form of public notice even if your trespasser does not read it.

Then, based on the recorded survey, write a courteous letter to the legal owner of the trespasser's property with a copy to the trespasser and his wife and your local sheriff for his files. This should be served by certified mail or you can pay the sheriff to serve it. The letter should refer to your previous attempted reasonable verbal requests and state reasons why you object to the atv-riding including property damage for which you want to be "made whole.". If you want to make this a good scare letter, he may be doing some wetlands damage in the creek area so you could threaten appropriate officials and fines on him which in fact, if you don't do this, you might yourself incur as the landowner.

My advice would be to pay a good real estate lawyer to write this cease and desist letter. It will cost you a lot less than all the fencing which has been proposed above!

It may cost the trespasser $ to respond in a case which he will lose if it goes to court. I have found that perpetrators are more afraid of getting a court record than they are of fences since lawyers are very expensive and trespassing convictions show up when prospective employers check their background.

The lawyer can give you advice as to posting your property. As has been mentioned, trespassers tear down signs so you may be able to use orange or aluminum paint on trees.

As also has been suggested, cameras are good. They need to be hidden so he doesn't steal or disable them and positioned so they catch him riding where you have recognizably posted your property line showing he is inside it and have the date and time indicated.

Under NO circumstances should you set up booby traps! Your lawyer can explain why! Apart from the fact you could end up losing your property, it would bring bad karma on you! Two wrongs don't make a right, do they?

ATVers kept tearing down our "No Tresspassing" signs and any barriers we tried to put up. We did not buy this land to listen to their noisy engines all day every weekend! Wo we planted boards with nails sticking up and never had anymore problems. Now the woods have grown over to the point where they would have to use a machete to even get in there, in which case I will use my machete on their remaining tires.

I like your style Jan.