You may have an excellent relationship with your neighbor until one day you or your neighbor decides to erect a fence or replace the existing one. Suddenly you find that you are at odds regarding where the boundary of your property actually is.
This can be an incredibly stressful time and is certainly something that you need to resolve quickly.
Here’s what you need to do:
Talk To Your Neighbor
You live next to your neighbor; your life will be much easier if you can find a way to resolve this issue but neither of you wants to give ground.
The first step is actually simply to talk to your neighbor and make sure your tone remains civil. You may think you know the issue but until you hear them say it you can’t be sure.
Just talking it over and cause a solution to arise and the problem to be resolved. All it starts with is you asking what their issue with the boundary is.
Have A Survey
If you’re lucky the general chat will resolve the issue. However, if it doesn’t at least you’ll know what the issue actually is.
The next step will be to commission a company specializing in construction surveying. They should be able to survey your land and determine exactly where the boundary is.
You can then present a copy of this information to your neighbor to confirm why you’ve positioned the fence where you did.
This is also the time where you may need to apologize to your neighbor as they were right about the boundary line.
Get A Mediator
If you have presented your neighbor with the survey results and justified your position on the boundary dispute and they are still disgruntled then it’s time to ask them if they would like to have their own survey done.
There is no reason for you to pay for this survey; it may simply help them to realize you were telling the truth.
Of course if they are now just being stubborn then it is unlikely that this will have any effect.
Therefore the best step is to get a professional mediator in. They will probably see you separately and then speak to you both together in a neutral setting. The idea is that you can reach some common ground or agree a compromise that keeps both of you happy.
While you may not feel like giving any ground it is important to remember that you could be living next to this person for many more years; it is far better for this to be harmonious.
Court Action
If the mediator is unsuccessful and the neighbor is still protesting against your positioning of the fence or you have issues with where they have put their fence; then you’ll need to look at court action. This is a slow and fairly expensive option and should always be seen as the last resort.
It is very unlikely you’ll be able to have a friendly relationship with your neighbors after you’ve been through the courts.
