Whether your nearest neighbor is a mile away or just a few feet, living in the same general area as other people can sometimes cause problems. While most people are considerate neighbors, too often others are not that can lead to fights, arguments and other incidents that could have been avoided – or at least handled in a better way.
How neighbors impact your property
- They could make structural changes to their house that hurts your property value or infringes on your home in some way.
- Water runoff from their property could come onto yours and cause damage.
- Neighbors with extra cars or with lots of visitors could lead to traffic problems in front of your home or in your neighborhood. While many homeowner’s associations have rules regarding parking, some areas do not have an HOA. Sometimes, too, people just ignore the rules.
- Finally, noise. Whether noise from a construction project, a loud argument, a late-night party or a whole host of other reasons, people make noise that could bother their neighbors.
What to do
First, it’s always good to think about how what you do affects your neighbors. If you are a good neighbor, then you’re off to a good start. Try to communicate with neighbors when you have an issue in a civil way and spend time getting to know them. Also know your property boundary lines and seek the support of your neighbors when there is a big change.
In that same thinking, don’t hurry to file a lawsuit every time something small happens. If something happens with a neighbor that bothers you, address it in a civil way before escalating it to legal action. If that doesn’t work, think about places like small-claims court that can help. Also, don’t hesitate to get legal advice if something really bothers you or if you find yourself in a serious dispute, like a claim about your property boundaries or damages to your home or land from a fallen tree branch or construction operation.
If you find yourself in the middle of a serious dispute with your neighbors, the team at The Law Offices of Aaron D. Cox can help. We’re experts in real estate disputes and landlord-tenant issues and can help you with your case. To get started, give us a call today at 734-287-3664 to schedule an initial consultation.