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Old 03-18-2012, 10:14 AM
 
1 posts, read 19,481 times
Reputation: 19

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My house currently has a chain fence between my neighbors house and mine which was put there by the original owners of both houses some 30 yrs ago. Recently I decided to put a wood fence up at my expense and also learned after locating my original survey that my neighbors fence is encroaching on my property at one end by 3.5 feet.
After telling my neighbor that I intended to put the new fence up on the correct property line he now is threatening to sue me if I do so. He's claiming my land belongs to him because I never did anything about it 20 years ago when I bought the house and stated it's called adverse law.
Does anyone know what the law is in Houston and does he have rightful claim to take property I have been paying taxes on all these years?
Any advice would be appreciated on this matter?
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Old 03-18-2012, 02:29 PM
 
833 posts, read 1,885,106 times
Reputation: 845
Do not know the law but not a very good way to get along with your neighbor.
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Old 03-18-2012, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
2,239 posts, read 3,228,861 times
Reputation: 1180
Your neighbor is a total BEEP- hole!

I say, build the fence and let him sue you. He's calling a bluff. He's not gonna spends money on lawyers and courts fees for 3.5 feet of fence that he knows doesn't belong to him.

Also, if he steps on your 3.5 feet, tell him you will press Trespass charges.

What a moron that neighbor. Some people are just plain rotten.
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Old 03-18-2012, 03:28 PM
 
42 posts, read 161,738 times
Reputation: 20
Situations like this don't really apply to adverse possesion. If you install a fence, make sure it is COMPLETELY on your side of the property lines (generally, there will be metal rods in the ground) and let him have it. He will spend more time making an ordeal about it than anything else. If he sues you, it will be a small claims court issue and you can counter sue for legal fees. He really doesn't have much of a claim.
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Old 03-18-2012, 06:46 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
8,895 posts, read 19,990,094 times
Reputation: 6372
I am pretty sure that if an encroachment exists for x number of years, your property goes to the person who currently has encroached on it. You may be out of luck unless you just have a nice neighbor, which doesn't appear to be the case here.
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Old 03-18-2012, 07:13 PM
 
42 posts, read 161,738 times
Reputation: 20
Quote:
Originally Posted by texas7 View Post
I am pretty sure that if an encroachment exists for x number of years, your property goes to the person who currently has encroached on it. You may be out of luck unless you just have a nice neighbor, which doesn't appear to be the case here.
This isn't correct. The whole arguement is the encroachment arguement. You do not by law have to erect a fence on YOUR property line. You can place it anywhere in side of your property. Common practice is the fence will be on the side that first erects it, but it isn't always the case.

If you were to erect a fence 10' inside your property line on all sides, that doesn't mean that someone else now owns your property.
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Old 03-18-2012, 07:18 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
8,895 posts, read 19,990,094 times
Reputation: 6372
But if you allow someone to fence in part of your property, I think that is where the issue may arise, if you let them keep their fence on your property.
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Old 03-18-2012, 07:19 PM
 
Location: A little suburb of Houston
3,702 posts, read 18,208,805 times
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There is an excellent write up explaining Texas adverse possession laws at the Texas A&M website. Just Google Texas adverse possession law and look for the pdf doc at the tamu site. NYer75 had the right ides IMO, put the fence up at the proper location and let them challenge it. Chances are they will not as it involves quite a bit of expense to hire a lawyer and fight for it in court. It would not hurt or cost too much to consult an attorney which is probably the best advice anyone can give.
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Old 04-16-2013, 07:21 PM
 
9 posts, read 32,825 times
Reputation: 14
This is old but my atty in Houston says adverse possession doesn't apply in residential subdivision neighboroods
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Old 04-17-2013, 06:23 AM
 
914 posts, read 1,831,815 times
Reputation: 588
If you search adverse possession and fence you will find lots of information. You might want to consult a lawyer that specializes in real estate matters before you spend money on the fence. An ounce of prevention...
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