Having a good understanding of your boundaries is not just important for relationships, it is also important for your property being a home owner. Whether it be for selling or building, it is vital to know exact measurements of your property to prevent any legal disputes or potential unpleasantries with your neighbor. This also includes that you are respecting their privacy and space.
Photo Courtesy: Redhawk Land Surveying
How to measure your property line?
Locating your property line can be an overwhelming task, so we’ve listed down some steps to evaluate and measure your property line.
Step 1
Survey the property by determining whether boundary lines are distinguishable or not. Your property might have boundary poles or you can see the sidewalks in front of your property. Usually, the sidewalk is made by beginning and ending on your property line. Check the corners of your property to see if the cuts made match it.
Boundary survey monument. Photo Courtesy: FracTracker
Step 2
Look for your property’s boundary pins or the survey monument. They are probably not visible on the property, rather they are underground so you will need to employ a metal detector in finding them.
Step 3
Uncover the boundary pins by digging, make sure not to pull them out. Once they are discovered, put indications by thrusting either wooden or plastic survey stakes. Knot pink flagging tape around the top of the stake. Return soil or dirt that was disturbed after digging.
Caution: Look out for relocated boundary pins or survey pins. It is possible that the pins were moved due to various reasons by previous owners or contractors.
Step 4
Use surveyor’s tape measure to measure the distance between the stakes and document the measurements.
Photo from iStock by Getty Images
Step 5
In the event that you are unable to find the boundary pins, check with your local zoning department or local land office. They could have records of past surveys, may contain precise measurements of your property, and land descriptions.
Photo Courtesy: Land Registration Authority
Step 6
Examine the land description and see where the house is situated with respect to the lot’s boundaries.
Step 7
From the land descriptions, measure the lot’s boundaries. Begin with measuring from the structure towards the boundary indicated. Make sure to indicate boundaries with either wooden or plastic stakes. After establishing every boundary, measure the distances from stake to stake.
Photo Courtesy: Lamudi
If All Else Fails
If you are not too sure about measuring the property yourself, it is always a good idea to leave it to experts. There are surveyors that could do a better and more accurate job. The cost of hiring a surveyor varies and depends on the dimensions of your property and/or its intricacy.
Photo from Freepik
Can your neighbor build a fence on your property line?
Another question that you probably want to ask is, can your neighbor build a fence on the property line? In general rules, the law stated that a fence must be built at least 2 inches to 8 inches from a neighbor’s property line. Building a fence directly on the property line may result to responsibilities being split between both homeowners, which includes its maintenance and costs.
You may also seek legal recourse if you think that your neighbor is trespassing your property with the fence that they have constructed. However, the best thing to do initially is to approach your neighbor directly. The reason is that they may have intruded on your land unintentionally and may be willing to move the fence.
CITATIONS:
RUBENSTEIN, M. (n.d.). How to Measure Property Lines. Hunker. Retrieved July 12, 2021, from https://www.hunker.com/13402424/how-to-measure-property-lines
Vila, B. (n.d.). How To: Find Property Lines. Bob Vila. Retrieved July 12, 2021, from https://www.bobvila.com/articles/how-to-find-property-lines/
Tomsich, E. (2021, May 11). Property Lines: Everything You Need To Know. Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans. https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/property-lines
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