Baton Rouge Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Baton Rouge Title Attorneys

Find the right Title & Boundary Dispute attorney in Baton Rouge, LA

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Louisiana

If you know that you and your neighbor's use of your respective properties do not reflect the legal property lines, this can cause a problem.

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.

It's more commonly the case that one neighbor wants to maintain the current use of the land, property lines notwithstanding, while the other neighbor wants to enforce the property lines that are on record. This is because moving a property line necessarily expands the land of one neighbor, while shrinking the land of another. Obviously, the neighbor whose land would be shrunk will likely oppose any attempt to enforce the property lines.

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, property can also be the subject of title disputes, rather than boundary disputes described above. These types of disagreements stem from disagreements over who owns a piece of property. Confusion in this area is more frequent than one might think. If a deed is improperly recorded, land can be "owned" by 2 people simultaneously. Even more troublesome is when land is "sold" to more than one person. This is normally inadvertent, but some people do it deliberately, hoping to abscond the profits acquired by selling the same thing twice. In cases like this, a court has to determine which buyer owns the land. This is a big deal, considering how unlikely it is that a defrauded buyer could get his or her money back.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

One possible result of a boundary dispute is a court effectively re-drawing the boundaries to fit what the neighbors had perceived. This is most commonly done if the neighbors were aware for a long time of the "real" property lines, and didn't do anything about it. It also helps if the neighbor who is encroaching makes major improvements to the land, and enforcing the new property lines would place a major burden on him.

A court may do the opposite, and decide to enforce the property lines as they're drawn. This will generally benefit one neighbor and hurt the other. A court will probably do this if one neighbor knew that his land was encroaching onto another person's property, and actively tried to hide that fact from his neighbor. Obviously, such bad actions shouldn't be rewarded. Conversely, if the neighbor whose land was being encroached upon knew about the discrepancy, and did nothing about it, the court will likely change the property lines to reflect this prior use, to prevent that neighbor from being rewarded for "sitting on his rights."

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana courts have many options when it comes to resolving title disputes. However, these disputes are usually controlled by some fairly intricate (and old) legal principles. While they're typically built around policies that most people would find to be quite fair and reasonable, their application can be nearly impenetrable, even for some lawyers.

Without going into too much detail, the individual who recorded their deed initially will be the one who takes ownership, provided he or she did not know (or had no reason to know) of the existence of the other deed.

What Can A Baton Rouge, Louisiana Attorney Do?

The legal issues surrounding title and boundary disagreements can get pretty difficult, and there are normally very high stakes involved (most people think their land is pretty important). For that reason, a good Baton Rouge, Louisiana real estate attorney will prove invaluable if such a dispute arises.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is a great place to have some fun! For some fun in the sun, families can go to Blue Bayou Water Park. The park includes crazy waterslides and tubes, and cafes with great food. Right across the street is Dixie Landin Theme Park with great roller coasters and rides for all ages.

For a more relaxing outing, try a boat ride on Casino Riverboats. These riverboats feature live music, buffets, and gaming tables! Casino Riverboat rides are a great way to eat, drink, enjoy the water, and have some fun gambling.

Baton Rouge is also an area rich in history. There are many historical sites to visit, including the Enchanted Mansion Doll Museum, the Magnolia Mound Plantation, Mount Hope Plantation, and San Francisco Plantation.

However, fun is not the only thing Baton Rouge is about. Baton Rouge is filled with many great law firms that have a large clientele, are experienced in all practice areas, and have skilled lawyers working for them. Therefore, have no fear because any legal need can be met in Baton Rouge!

Clients Rate LegalMatch Attorneys
(click to read reviews)

Nicholas M.
Nicholas M.

Real Estate, Housing & Property Law

Golden, CO

Carl M.
Carl M.

Real Estate, Housing & Property Law

Seattle, WA

David A.
David A.

Real Estate, Housing & Property Law

Walnut Creek, CA