When it comes to owning property, boundaries are extremely important. Knowing where your property ends and your neighbour’s begins is essential if you want to live side by side in peace and harmony. Knowing exactly where your property boundaries in Queensland are placed is critical, but you also need to understand the laws concerning property line and boundary issues. You can familiarise yourself with the basic rules and laws concerning property boundaries by reading on below.
What to Do if You Have a Problem with a Boundary Line
Every now and then, concerns may be raised about where a property line exists. If you’ve decided to erect a fence or build another structure on your property, you and your neighbour may end up at odds about where the actual line is. Arguing isn’t going to settle anything, though; in fact, it can lead to very bad feelings and even altercations.
Instead of letting a disagreement spiral out of control, you should take certain steps to resolve the issue at hand. In order to confirm or deny your concerns about a boundary line or an encroachment, you need to have a survey conducted. To have the survey done, you will need to pay out of pocket for it – at least initially. If you’d like to have your neighbour contribute in the event that your concerns are proven valid, you will need to give him notice. If the survey finds in your favour, your neighbour will have to pay for half of the cost.
Dealing with Encroachment Issues
Encroachment is another very common problem between neighbours. Perhaps you have a neighbour who built a new shed or had a pool installed, and you think that the object crosses over into your property. If so, you will have to have a survey conducted to prove whether or not you are correct. If you are proven correct, though, additional decisions will need to be made. A conveyancing professional in QLD will tell you that encroachment can be handled in a number of different ways. Depending on your desires, you can choose between three main options:
- The encroachment could be removed. In this case, you are very likely to alienate your neighbour – especially if the object cost them a great deal of money.
- You could be compensated for the encroachment. Basically, your neighbour could pay you to use your property for their item. You could check with a conveyancing firm to see whether or not this is a valid idea.
- You could arrange to have the boundary line moved so that an encroachment no longer exists. This situation would call for the need to transfer property, which would definitely require the help of a conveyancing professional.