Mentor Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Mentor Title Attorneys

Find the right Title & Boundary Dispute attorney in Mentor, OH

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Ohio

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.

In these examples, neighbors usually have the option to resolve the dispute by themselves. If the neighbors are on amicable terms with each other, and the dispute is minor (for example, it only includes a difference of a couple feet), and enforcing the property lines would be a major inconvenience for one or both of the neighbors, they'll probably decide to just go on as they had before. This is a viable option, to be sure, but it's not a perfect one: if, sometime down the road, one of the neighbors wants to attempt to enforce the legal boundaries, they might find themselves unable to do so.

In these cases, what often happens is that the owner of the property which is truly larger than he initially believed (due to the property line not being where he thought it was) wants to make use of the additional property, and eject his neighbor from it. The other neighbor, on the other hand, will want to keep using the land as before, to avoid having his property shrink.

In addition to the boundary disputes mentioned above, land owners and buyers in Mentor, Ohio should also be aware of the possibility of a title dispute. Rather than being a disagreement over the exact boundaries between two pieces of land, a title dispute is a conflict over who actually owns an entire plot of land. Uncertainty over ownership of land can come up more often than you might think, and is most often caused by a buyer's failure to correctly record a deed, or the accidental loss or destruction of a deed. Sometimes, however, these disputes can be more dishonest in origin: on occasion, unscrupulous sellers of land will attempt to sell the same parcel to more than one person. Obviously, once you've sold land to one person, you can't sell the same land to someone else, as you no longer own it. These tricksters know this, but are attempting to gain a large amount of money through the multiple sales. Once this is done, they typically attempt to flee the state or country before the buyers discovery they've been duped. This leaves it up to the buyers to figure out amongst themselves who owns the land.

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Mentor, Ohio

One possible outcome of a boundary dispute is a court effectively re-drawing the boundaries to fit what the neighbors had perceived. This is most frequently 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.

On the other hand, a court could decide to take the opposite approach, and order the neighbors to abide by the legal property lines. When deciding which course of action to take, courts consider many factors, but most of them boil down to common-sense principles of fairness. For example, if the owner of the land who was encroaching onto his neighbor's land knew of the encroachment, and hid this fact from the other neighbor (hoping to continue to use more land than he paid for), that will weigh heavily in favor of enforcing the legal property lines. On the other hand, if neither neighbor knew about the error, and it turns out that the actual property line goes through somebody's living room, a court probably won't enforce them.

In Mentor, Ohio 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.

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 Mentor, Ohio Attorney Do?

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

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Mentor

Mentor, Ohio is a city located in Lake County. As of the 2000 United States Census, it has a population of approximately 50,000 people.

In 2006, Money Magazine named Mentor, Ohio as one of the 100 best places to live in the United States.

Thanks to its moderate size, and the fact that it is near Cleveland, without being directly adjacent, Mentor boasts most of the modern ameneties and conveniences that one would expect from a large city, and the quiet, slightly pastoral charm of a small town.

Mentor, Ohio has a thriving retail sector, with a good blend of local and chain stores. The same goes for its dining options.

Mentor Ohio, being on the shore of Lake Erie, is also home to several outdoor recreational options, including Headlands Beach State Park, which has the longest natural beach on Lake Erie.

The area also offers boating, fishing, water-skiing, hiking, and camping, among many other outdoor activities.

Thanks to its size and diversity, Mentor, Ohio has a diverse and thriving legal community. If you are facing any sort of legal issue, the chances are good that a Mentor, Ohio attorney will be able to help you solve it.

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