Chattanooga Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Chattanooga Title Attorneys

Find the right Title & Boundary Dispute attorney in Chattanooga, TN

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Tennessee

There are times when neighbors will find themselves in a situation where how they've been using their land doesn't match up with the property boundaries that are on record. This can be a source of considerable conflict, as one might expect.

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.

Normally, 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.

In Chattanooga, Tennessee, 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 Chattanooga, Tennessee

Courts have many tools at their disposal to resolve boundary disputes. One way is to just re-draw the property lines to reflect how the neighbors had been using the land before the discrepancy was discovered. This doesn't truly change the position of either neighbor, and is sometimes the fairest result. This is most commonly done because the neighbors were both aware of the legal property lines, and that they differed from how they were using the land, and went on using the land anyway.

Nonetheless, a court might also enforce the legal property boundaries, particularly 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 further weigh heavily in favor of enforcing the legal property lines.

In the case of disputes over title, courts have to figure out who owns a specific piece of real property. Courts will consider many factors, and there are some confusing and (in some cases) antiquated legal issues that guide Chattanooga, Tennessee courts on these matters.

Suffice to say, you'll want the assistance of an expert on this subject. In general, however, you should know that courts almost always rule in favor of the buyer who first recorded the deed, AND (not "or") didn't have knowledge of any previous conveyances. This protects the buyer who was most diligent in vindicating his own rights, and acted in good faith (obviously, a buyer who knew about a previous sale of the same land isn't acting honestly).

What Can A Chattanooga, Tennessee 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 Chattanooga, Tennessee real estate attorney will prove invaluable if such a dispute arises.

Talk to a Real Estate Law Attorney now!

Life in Chattanooga

Chattanooga, Tennessee is the 4th largest city in Tennessee, with an a population of about 170,000 people. It is located in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

Chattanooga, TN was founded in 1838 when the United States government, unfortunately, forced the Native American population of the area off of their historical lands, and then established a military base.

Modernly, Chattanooga, TN is undergoing a renaissance, with a concerted effort underway to repair its image, which had been somewhat tarnished over the last few decades, with its industrial economic base disappearing, as happened in many American cities.

Thanks to public and private investment, with many of the major deals negotiated and drafted by Chattanooga, TN lawyers, the city's economy is now a fairly diverse mix of manufacturing and service-based industries. In 2011, Volkswagen opened a manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, TN which cost billion to build, and is expected to employ over 2,000 people when fully operational.

Because of this highly diverse economy, Chattanooga, TN lawyers have a lot to keep themselves busy. So, it should come as no surprise that a Chattanooga, TN lawyer will almost certainly be able to help you with whatever legal problems you may have.

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