Boundary Line

Hello123_2

Sorry if this has been posted before but is there anyway at all we can find out the exact position of our boundary line?

We have just purchased the house which is late 1930's and all the documents from the solicitor just show a rough line - not exact & not to scale.

The reason I ask is we have just found an old aerial photograph of the house up in the loft & the garden is twice the size on the picture to what it is now. The solicitor said there is no record of any land being sold in parts.

Our elderly neighbour the other side (who has lived there 40+ years) said our plot used to be the same size as his (2 1930's semis). It is now about 2/3 of his.

The property we have purchased has also been empty for around 2 years if that makes any difference. Thanks

MustTryHarder

It would appear that someone has fenced off the rest of the garden into their own. This may have been with the previous owner's consent.

This happened lots and land registry documents weren't altered to show the smaller parcel of land.

If you look at google maps now can you not tell who has take the end of the garden?

If it has been that way for 12 year plus then the new owner can claim it under adverse possession and register it with land registry as their own.

A thought for you though, you bought the house as it was, with the garden as it was. Why are you not happy with this now? It is not as though you viewed the house, then moved in and someone had taken 30 foot of your garden.

Trust me, boundary disputes are horrific, make for a miserable life and can make some people turn very nasty. I had to declare one on the last house I moved from. Awful and would put a lot of people off buying the house in the future.

You might want to look on gardenlaw website to see how bad it can get, look under forums, and boundary disputes.

Leif

It is possible that the land was taken without permission/knowledge of the owners. I heard of this happening in a probate case. Surely your neighbour must have an idea when the boundary was changed. If he can testify that is was done in the last 12 years, and there are no records, then you might have a chance. But I bet he cannot remember the exact date. If he can, and it was between the death of an owner, and a sale, then you might perhaps possibly 'win' ...

MustTryHarder is absolutely correct regarding boundary disputes. Avoid like the plague. The law is very woolly even when the situation seems clear cut, and judges do not like boundary disputes.

Hello123_2

MustTryHarder wrote: »

It would appear that someone has fenced off the rest of the garden into their own. This may have been with the previous owner's consent.

This happened lots and land registry documents weren't altered to show the smaller parcel of land.

If you look at google maps now can you not tell who has take the end of the garden?

If it has been that way for 12 year plus then the new owner can claim it under adverse possession and register it with land registry as their own.

A thought for you though, you bought the house as it was, with the garden as it was. Why are you not happy with this now? It is not as though you viewed the house, then moved in and someone had taken 30 foot of your garden.

Trust me, boundary disputes are horrific, make for a miserable life and can make some people turn very nasty. I had to declare one on the last house I moved from. Awful and would put a lot of people off buying the house in the future.

You might want to look on gardenlaw website to see how bad it can get, look under forums, and boundary disputes.

Yes we are happy with the garden & house how it is. I was just curious if the house had any more land etc. The neighbours words were 'next door pinched some land off the plot' but this was many years ago 20. Not too worry, just wondered. Thanks

irnbru_2

Hello123 wrote: »

I was just curious if the house had any more land etc.

Your local planning office should able to tell you how to get the original plans (with plots).

Does the neighbour's house sale show up online?

keystone

irnbru wrote: »

Your local planning office should able to tell you how to get the original plans (with plots).

Why? Get them direct from the Land Registry online. Not that expensive. CLICKY .

Cheers

Hello123_2

keystone wrote: »

Why? Get them direct from the Land Registry online. Not that expensive. CLICKY .

Cheers

We got them but they aren't specific eg they just show a line - not where it actually is or scale. Thanks anyway

MustTryHarder

The thing about title plans is that they are really a guide as to which property you are buying. Boundaries are often shown as a single red line on the plan however, if you actually convert the scale and draw it on the ground it can be as wide as 1m.

The thing about this is someone has intentionally taken the land, either with or without consent.

Land is so different than anything else, if someone took your car you would call the police and it would be returned to you. With land, it is the one who is bravest.

For example, someone takes a piece of your land by fencing it in. If you tried to remove that fence the person could call the police and have you arrested for criminal damage to their property because the fence was bought and paid for by them.

Usually at this point solicitors get involved, you can ask them to remove the fence and they might refuse, it sadly isn't as simple as it should be.

like I said, gardenlaw is eye opening. We even had a surveyor round to prove the land was ours and the reply we got from the neighbour was we don't agree with the surveyor's report.

It is crazy, and after years of abuse from my old neighbour, we finally managed to move. Sadly my eldest child can remember the crazy old lady next door but we now live in a house with no direct neighbours and my children can play in peace.

Hello123_2

MustTryHarder wrote: »

The thing about title plans is that they are really a guide as to which property you are buying. Boundaries are often shown as a single red line on the plan however, if you actually convert the scale and draw it on the ground it can be as wide as 1m.

The thing about this is someone has intentionally taken the land, either with or without consent.

Land is so different than anything else, if someone took your car you would call the police and it would be returned to you. With land, it is the one who is bravest.

For example, someone takes a piece of your land by fencing it in. If you tried to remove that fence the person could call the police and have you arrested for criminal damage to their property because the fence was bought and paid for by them.

Usually at this point solicitors get involved, you can ask them to remove the fence and they might refuse, it sadly isn't as simple as it should be.

like I said, gardenlaw is eye opening. We even had a surveyor round to prove the land was ours and the reply we got from the neighbour was we don't agree with the surveyor's report.

It is crazy, and after years of abuse from my old neighbour, we finally managed to move. Sadly my eldest child can remember the crazy old lady next door but we now live in a house with no direct neighbours and my children can play in peace.

You are right. I think it's very strange how boundaries move & land can be taken even though it's usually someones most expensive purchase! Oh well thanks for your advice

ormus

my house deeds show my land & property on an A4 sheet of paper.
if anyone can tell me the exact boundary line off that, they are a better man than me.