Don’t let a land dispute ruin your property purchase

If you’re living in Mississippi and want to buy property, you should be aware of issues that could come up and interfere with your purchase. One of those issues is a potential land dispute, such as a property line dispute or a fence dispute. 

You may find that a neighbor has placed a structure that intrudes over your land or that encroaches in a way that makes you uncomfortable. Fortunately, the law does have some remedies that you can try. 

What are some remedies for encroaching on land?

If someone is encroaching on a piece of land, there are options for handling the problem. These include:

• Developing a written agreement to end the encroachment after a set period
• Requesting the removal of the structure that is encroaching on the other person’s property
• Filing an action in court to ask a judge to end the encroachment by a judicial order
• Getting a survey of your property for the purpose of determining boundary lines

For most people, the easiest thing to do is to talk to the neighbor with an encroaching structure about removing it or coming up with an agreement to keep it in place. For example, if they have a vehicle parked on your property, you might agree to accept a monthly payment to allow them to continue to park there and have a contract drawn up for that purpose.

Others may want the object or item removed. Ask the neighbor first. If that doesn’t work, getting a land survey and filing an action in court is a reasonable course of action to take. Our website has more information about land disputes and what you can do if you’re having one with your neighbor.