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Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Nevada

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.

It's typically possible, though not always easy, for neighbors to come to a resolution of these disputes on their own. If the neighbors happen to like one another, and the difference between the actual property lines and what they believed the property lines to be is quite small (a foot or two, for example), they might simply decide to go on as they had before. This is certainly a desirable solution in the short term, since it saves everyone a great deal of time and energy. However, in the long term, this can cause problems, particularly if one neighbor decides they want to enforce the legal property lines down the road.

Typically, when this happens, the owner of the property which is being encroached upon wants to expand their property to reflect the legal boundaries, and the owner of the land that will be shrunk by recognizing the legal property lines will want to keep the situation as it is.

People in Las Vegas, Nevada should also be aware of the possibility of title (ownership) disputes. Unlike the boundary disputes discussed above, the outcome of a title dispute can determine who owns an entire parcel of real property. Confusion over who actually owns a piece of property is more common that some people might imagine. Many local property records are still kept on paper, are not very well-organized, and sometimes date back a hundred years or more. A lost or misfiled deed is the most common way for a title dispute to arise. However, sometimes fraud on the part of a seller can lead to title disputes. Unscrupulous individuals will sometimes try to sell the same piece of land to more than one person. And some people even try to sell property they don't own, occasionally succeeding (and this isn't just limited to bridges in London). Typically, once the buyers discover they've been duped, the "seller" is nowhere to be found, leaving them to figure out who owns the land they all thought they had purchased.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Las Vegas, Nevada

One customary resolution for boundary disputes is a court re-drawing the boundaries to fit with what the assumptions that the neighbors were operating under before the error was discovered. This typically happens when both parties were, for many years, aware of the actual property boundaries, and did nothing about it. Moreover, if the neighbor who has been encroaching onto the other neighbor's land has made costly improvements thereto, this weighs in favor of that neighbor, since changing the property lines would impose significant hardship on that neighbor.

However, a court might also enforce the legal property boundaries, especially if failing to do so would place a significant burden on the owner of the encroached-upon land. If the owner of the encroaching land knew of the encroachment, and concealed it from his neighbor, this fact would also weigh heavily in favor of enforcing the legal property lines.

In Las Vegas, Nevada courts have many options when it comes to resolving title disputes. However, these disputes are usually governed by some fairly confusing (and old) legal principles. While they're usually 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 delving into the details too much, courts typically resolve title disputes by looking at who recorded the deed first, and whether or not that person had notice of any prior sales of the same land. To succeed in a dispute like this, a buyer will usually need to prove that they were the first to record their deed, and that they had no notice (or reason to know) of any prior conveyances of the same land.

What Can A Las Vegas, Nevada Attorney Do?

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

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Life in Las Vegas

By the time you're finished reading this paragraph the city of Las Vegas will have torn down and rebuilt 5 hotels. Okay, maybe not. However, there aren't many cities that have a more exciting and ever changing landscape. "Sin City" boasts a signature restaurant for nearly ever celebrity chef and a show for any age range or interest.

People call Las Vegas the "Entertainment Capital of the World," "The Marriage Capital of the World," and the "Capital of Second Chances" (whatever that means) so it should be obvious there's a lot going on in those 131 square miles comprising Las Vegas.

One lesser known fact about Las Vegas is that it is the most popular destination for Hawaiians and is often referred to as the "Ninth Island." A 2002 survey showed almost 85,000 former Hawaiian residents and an average of 3,000 residents from Hawaii visited Las Vegas each week.

Las Vegas is much more than a tourist attraction. Nearly 600,000 Nevada County residents comprise the Las Vegas population. A handful of those Las Vegans work at locally headquartered companies like Zappos. The headquarters for Zappos is in the old Las Vegas City Hall.

Since many of the original large casinos and hotels were funded by real mobsters, you can learn more about Las Vegas by visiting the Las Vegas Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Las Vegas has come a long way since the days of gangsters. Las Vegas lawyers know local courts well and can help you decide the best course of action for your case.

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Las Vegas Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Las Vegas Title Attorneys

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Nevada

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Las Vegas, Nevada