“Good fences make good neighbors” is an old saying that many of our readers in Nevada have probably heard before. But, unfortunately, neighbors may not do the appropriate amount of research prior to building a fence, for example. This can lead to a good example of how a property dispute starts.
Property disputes are not uncommon between neighbors, even as much as we would like to avoid them. Fences are not the only issues, as sometimes landscaping or even buildings can overlap property boundary lines as well. Maybe the neighbor simply did not do the research that was necessary to determine where the property line.
Or, perhaps, the property line was known and deliberately ignored. Whatever the cause of the dispute, a simple conversation with the neighbor is not enough to resolve the issue. These situations can escalate all the way to litigation, with real estate law in Nevada controlling the eventual outcome.
When a property dispute does arise, there may be multiple ways to address the issue. First, it is important to investigate where the property lines are and whether or not the neighbor who violated those lines also violated some type of local zoning or building ordinance. Once the nature of the violation is fully understood, then the parties might be able to work toward a resolution.
For example, the parties might work out an encroachment agreement, whereby the violation is acknowledged, but one neighbor allows the overlap of property lines by way of agreement. Or, the violating party may agree to remedy the violation be moving or completely removing the offending violation. Or, the parties may actually agree to a change in the property lines, albeit with appropriate compensation changing hands. The nature of these disputes are always unique, as are the eventual resolutions of the issues.
