Attleboro Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Attleboro Title Attorneys

Find the right Title & Boundary Dispute attorney in Attleboro, MA

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Massachusetts

If you discover that you and your neighbor's use of your respective properties do not reflect the legal property lines, this can create 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 particularly 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, however, cause problems in the future - preventing a neighbor from enforcing the actual property lines, if they suddenly have a reason to do so.

Therefore, neighbors more often 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 Attleboro, Massachusetts, on the other hand, involve questions of ownership over an entire parcel of land. This confusion can sometimes 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, especially 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 Attleboro, Massachusetts

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 situation changes, and it's generally 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 significant hardship on one of the parties, not outweighed by the overall benefits of doing so.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons why a court might decide 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 essentially say "I guess it wasn't that important to you if you waited 10 years to bring this to our attention. Next case."

In Attleboro, Massachusetts courts have many options when it comes to resolving title disputes. However, these disputes are usually governed by some fairly complex (and old) legal principles. While they're generally 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 person who recorded their deed first 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 Attleboro, Massachusetts Attorney Do?

Real property disputes often involve very old legal principles that can even confound lawyers who aren't experts in real estate law. For that reason, you should almost always hire an expert Attleboro, Massachusetts real estate attorney, who will help you navigate these murky legal waters.

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Life in Attleboro

Attleboro, Massachusetts is a city of approximately 43,000 people. It is immediately north of Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Like many towns in the New England region, Attleboro, Massachusetts has a long and storied history. It was first incorporated as a town in 1694, and like many towns in the region, was named for a town in Great Britain (in this case, Attleborough in Norfolk County, England) by its British settlers.

Attleboro was once known as the "Jewelry Capital of The World" owing to the large number of jewelry manufacturers in the area. Some firms that manufacture jewelry continue to have a presence there, but much of the actual manufacturing activity has moved elsewhere.

Attleboro boasts several historic churches, and religion is very important in the community. It is also the site of a few notable events in the early history of the United States, and it is rumored that George Washington called it home for a brief period of time.

Attleboro, Massachusetts is also graced with a community theater, and a large park with a zoo, popular among residents and visitors.

There are several respected law schools located in Massachusetts, most notably Harvard. Of course, there are many others which are also well-regarded, particularly locally. For this reason, a good Attleboro, Massachusetts lawyer should not be very difficult to come by.

If you're facing any type of legal problem, an Attleboro, Massachusetts lawyer is the person to call.

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