Elizabeth Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Elizabeth Title Attorneys

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Title & Boundary Dispute Law in New Jersey

Sometimes, neighbors will find out that their use of their land (or what they thought was their land) is not reflected in the actual property lines on record. Obviously, this can create a problem.

Ideally, the neighbors could just ignore the situation, and go on as they had before, effectively agreeing to change the property lines to reflect their past use. This doesn't always happen, however. Also, such a course of action is not free of issues, and could eventually result in ownership of the land legally changing to reflect the past use, even if one of the neighbors opposes this.

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 Elizabeth, New Jersey, 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 Elizabeth, New Jersey

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.

A court, for several possible reasons, might decide to give effect to the legally-recorded property lines, which would necessarily change the neighbors' situation, with respect to how they use their land. For example, if the neighbor who is benefiting from the current situation (he is using land beyond the actual boundary of his property, thereby encroaching onto the land of another) knew about the discrepancy and took steps to actively hide this fact from the other neighbor, the court is very unlikely to do anything that rewards this behavior, even in the slightest. Accordingly, a court is likely to decide against the dishonest neighbor. Conversely, if the neighbor who would benefit from enforcing the property lines did nothing to make this happen for many years, a court will probably tell them that they had their chance, and basically consented to the current arrangement when they took no action to correct it.

When a title dispute comes up in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the court has to apply some pretty complex legal and equitable principles. These rules are sometimes fairly obscure, mainly because they can trace their origins back hundreds of years, to the common-law courts of England. However, a close examination of them reveals their basic goal: deciding ownership disputes based on longstanding conceptions of basic fairness.

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 Elizabeth, New Jersey Attorney Do?

The legal issues surrounding title and boundary disputes can get pretty complicated, and there are usually very high stakes involved (most people think their land is pretty important). For that reason, a good Elizabeth, New Jersey real estate attorney will prove invaluable if such a dispute arises.

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Life in Elizabeth

Elizabeth, New Jersey is located in Union County and has a population of over 124,000 people. Elizabeth is the 4th largest city in New Jersey and also serves as the county seat for Union County. In 2008, Popular Science Magazine rated Elizabeth, New Jersey as one of the 50 Greenest Cities in America. It is also one of the nation's oldest cities, being founded in the year 1655 and incorporated in March of 1855.

The city of Elizabeth, New Jersey is an unique combination of business and residential developments. A few examples of Elizabeth's major employers include Bayway Refinery and Newark Liberty International Airport. The Jersey Gardens outlet mall and the Elizabeth Center also generate large amounts of revenue.

Elizabeth, New Jersey is filled with U.S. historical landmarks. Residents and tourists can learn about American history at places such as Liberty Hall Museum. Liberty Hall is a historic mansion built in 1772 by William Livingston, one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. Many notable U.S. persons were born and raised in Elizabeth, such as author Judy Blume and Poet Joe Weil.

Lawyers in Elizabeth, New Jersey offer assistance for a variety of legal matters and issues. The Union County Courthouse Complex is located in Elizabeth. Many Elizabeth attorneys resolve legal disputes at the courthouse.

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