Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania
My husband recently measured our property footage using Google maps, our deed, and zilla.com. It is clear that our next door neighbor has a fence about eight feet on our property. This was not put in by him, but by a previous owner. This original owner added a hugh addition to his garage to park an RV in. This neighbor's back yard faces our side yard. We don't know how he was able to build this but now it seems there is only a foot between this enormous structure and our yard. He also has a fence extending twelve additional feet into what appears to be ours, according to our deed.
This structure was built in the early 1990's. We are not sure who allowed this to be built but we were a young naive couple.
We live in Northampton Twp., Bucks County , Pa. We are trying to do some landscaping to our house and hope to sell it within the next few years. Are we responsible to have our property surveyed and if we do, are we in danger of this neighbor overtaking property that we rightfully bought because this structure has been there since before he moved in. The present neighbor also ownes an RV and leaves many items hidden behind this structure in what we believe is our property.
What is the first step we should take. If this giant garage is in fact a foot away from our property line and the township aloud this to be built, are they liable as well?
I hope this is enough information. I will answer any additional questions as well.
1 Answer from Attorneys
You should consult with an attorney. A survey would be a prudent thing to do to make sure that the structure is actually on your property. Do you have a survey from when you bought the house? This is a complex issue and needs to be discussed with an attorney. It is possible that the neighbor has acquired the portion of the land by adverse possession but this is by no means certain you should immediately contact an attorney for an evaluation.
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