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Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Connecticut

Finding out that property lines are improperly drawn and learning that you have been partially occupying your neighbor's land, or vice versa, can cause some very serious legal issues.

Sometimes, neighbors will decide amongst themselves that the issue isn't worth fighting over, and will go on as they did before. This is especially likely if the neighbors are on good terms, and the difference between their use of the land, and the actual property lines, is small (say, a few feet or less). This is an ideal situation, at least in the short term. It can, nonetheless, cause problems in the future - preventing a neighbor from enforcing the actual property lines, if they suddenly have a reason to do so.

Consequently, neighbors more frequently end up in some type of legal dispute over whether and to what extent the property lines should be enforced. Obviously, when the property lines are changed, one neighbor wins, and the other loses. It should come as no surprise, then, that legal fights are often the result.

Title disputes in Norwich, Connecticut, on the other hand, involve questions of ownership over an entire parcel of land. This confusion can occasionally arise from improperly recorded deeds, resulting in inadvertent (and, occasionally, deliberate) sales of the same parcel of land to multiple people. Obviously, each buyer wants to be the one who takes title, particularly if it seems unlikely that they'll be able to get their money back. This can lead to some very heated disputes.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Norwich, Connecticut

One way to resolve boundary disputes is to simply re-draw the property lines to reflect what the neighbors thought they were all along. When this happens, nobody's case changes, and it's usually considered a neutral result (causing no significant loss or gain to either party). This is often done if both of the neighbors knew about the actual property lines for many years, and didn't do anything about it. A court might also take this course of action if enforcing the property lines would impose a substantial hardship on one of the parties, not outweighed by the overall benefits of doing so.

Of course, there are plethora of reasons why a court might determine to enforce the property lines as the records indicate. If one neighbor knew about the discrepancy, and hid it from the other neighbor (presumably because the neighbor with the knowledge of the discrepancy benefited from it), a court will, of course, not reward this kind of dishonesty, and will decide against that neighbor. On the other hand, if the neighbor whose land would be expanded by enforcing the "real" property boundaries knew this fact, and took no action for many years, a court will probably not be receptive if he or she suddenly tries to enforce them. This is referred to as "sitting on one's rights," and courts will not reward this, either. If you have a legal right, you're expected to make efforts to vindicate it as soon as possible. If you don't, a court will typically say "I guess it wasn't that important to you if you waited 10 years to bring this to our attention. Next case."

In the case of disputes over title, courts have to figure out who owns a specific piece of real property. Courts will consider many factors, and there are some complicated and (in some cases) antiquated legal issues that guide Norwich, Connecticut courts on these matters.

Usually, the person who records the deed first will be the one who takes ownership. Of course, this will only be if they had no reason to know about the other deeds).

What Can A Norwich, Connecticut Attorney Do?

Because of the high stakes, going it alone in a boundary or title dispute is rarely judicious. Therefore, it's almost always a good idea to get a good Norwich, Connecticut real estate attorney to help you with such legal problems.

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Life in Norwich

Norwich, Connecticut is a city in New London County. It was the county seat of that county, before the state of Connecticut did away with county governments. It currently has a population of about 36,000 people.

Norwich is named after Norwich, England, and was founded by English settlers in 1659. By the late 1600s, a public landing had been built at the head of a nearby river, allowing ships to sail several miles inland to offload their goods. This allowed Norwich to serve as an important supply point for the colonists in the Revolutionary War, and proved invaluable to the war effort.

For well over 100 years after the revolution, the city of Norwich served continuously as a very important commercial shipping center, allowing for continuous economic growth.

Modernly, Norwich, Connecticut is a quiet residential community. It is home to Mohegan Park, a large forested area featuring several ponds and streams. This park provides ample recreational activities, such as fishing, hiking, and mountain biking in the summer, and ice skating and sledding in the winter.

If you live in Norwich, Connecticut and are in need of an attorney, it's highly likely that you'll be able to find one. Norwich, Connecticut attorneys are able to handle almost any legal issue they're faced with.

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Norwich Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Norwich Title Attorneys

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Connecticut

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Norwich, Connecticut