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Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Texas

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 substantial 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 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.

Consequently, neighbors more frequently 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.

In addition to the boundary disputes mentioned above, land owners and buyers in Lewisville, Texas 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 Lewisville, Texas

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.

A court might do the opposite, and decide to enforce the property lines as they're drawn. This will always benefit one neighbor and hurt the other. A court will probably do this if one neighbor knew that his land was encroaching onto another person's property, and actively tried to hide that fact from his neighbor. Obviously, such bad behavior shouldn't be rewarded. Conversely, if the neighbor whose land was being encroached upon knew about the discrepancy, and did nothing about it, the court will probably change the property lines to reflect this prior use, to prevent that neighbor from being rewarded for "sitting on his rights."

With title disputes, a court has to decide who owns a particular piece of land. There are many factors that a court will consider, and this decision is governed by some fairly intricate laws in Lewisville, Texas.

In general, the person who first recorded the deed at the appropriate government office will be the one who the court deems to own the land, if they didn't have any reason to know about the existence of the other deed, or other sale, or whatever else gave rise to the title conflict.

What Can A Lewisville, Texas Attorney Do?

The legal problems that can come up in boundary and title disputes can get very confusing. Given this fact, and the high stakes of such disputes, most people shouldn't approach these problems without good legal representation. It should therefore go without saying that the counsel of a qualified Lewisville, Texas real estate attorney is essential in most of these disputes.

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Life in Lewisville

Lewisville, Texas is a medium-sized city in Denton County, and it is part of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan area.

At the 2000 Census, the population of Lewisville was estimated to be 77,000. However, current estimates place the population at over 100,000 people, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the country.

Lewisville, Texas was incorporated in 1925, making it one of the oldest incorporated cities in the Dallas area. In its early history, growth was very slow, with the economy largely depending on relatively small-scale agricultural operations. After the construction of the Lewisville Dam, creating a large reservoir in the area, growth began to accelerate.

In the mid-1960s, Lewisville became one of the first cities in Texas to racially integrate its public schools.

When the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport opened in 1973, the population of Lewisville and other nearby towns exploded, partially attributed to the thousands of jobs the airport brought to the area.

Thanks to its rapid growth, and proximity to one of the country's major metropolitan centers, the legal community of Lewisville, Texas is highly diverse and well-developed. From large, national law firms, to small firms and solo practices, chances are good that you can find a Lewisville, Texas lawyer who is the right match for you.

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Lewisville Boundary Dispute Lawyers and Lewisville Title Attorneys

Title & Boundary Dispute Law in Texas

Possible Outcomes of Boundary and Title Disputes in Lewisville, Texas