Does Anyone Have Any Unique Stories About Land Disputes?

There's one about a historic parking lot next to a church...

quote:

---

their yard is getting leafs from the tree

---

I'd be pissed too if I had a bunch of damned Canadians in my yard.

A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:

Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin.

The lawyer responded as follows:

Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years covered by the present application.

I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working with real property titles, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our Abstract of Title. For your edification, I should explain that title to the land in question was acquired by the United States by purchase from France, which had acquired it by right of conquest from Spain. Title to the land had come to Spain by right of discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the then reigning monarch of Spain, Queen Isabella. The good queen, being a pious woman and careful about titles, had taken the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to fund Columbus' expedition. The Pope is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And God created Louisiana.

Now, may we have our damn loan?

When my neighbor moved in next door, they wanted to put up a different style fence than what was already in place so the surveyor came out and my fence line was 2' on his property

Instead of him tearing up my beautiful fence, I cut a deal with him that he could use the side entrance to my house to get a backhoe in there for a new pool. So as it stands, he has a new pool and my fence is still 2' on his property.

I know someone who wrote off a trip to Europe as a business expense by going to the Spanish colonial archives in Seville and looking up a land grant on some property a client owned.

quote:

---

neighbor had a tree in which a limb is over their property and their yard is getting leafs from the tree.

---

Correct me if I'm wrong...
I don't know the size of the trees or anything. but if it was a big tree (like an oak tree) and we had a hurricane.. If a big limb of that tree broke off and damaged the house or a car, isn't the homeowner (not the one with the tree) responsible for their own repairs?? because it's not covered by insurance right?

quote:

---

Correct me if I'm wrong...
I don't know the size of the trees or anything. but if it was a big tree (like an oak tree) and we had a hurricane.. If a big limb of that tree broke off and damaged the house or a car, isn't the homeowner (not the one with the tree) responsible for their own repairs?? because it's not covered by insurance right?

---

Correct. It doesn't matter that the tree is on the neighbor's land. If damage is done to your home or property, your insurance covers it, however; when you have two neighbors who have no idea of the law or anything.. It creates chaos.

Previous owners of the house next to mine installed their own backyard fence and it angles towards my property just slightly. I don't go over there so it doesn't bother me.

Now that someone new lives there, he cuts his grass such that he "lines up" that fence line with where he cuts his grass in the front yard, so it ends up being about 2 feet onto my side the furthest away (by the street). That doesn't bother me... thanks for cutting my grass bro. But he probably thinks i'm cutting his grass when out of habit, I cut that little piece.

quote:

---

Just don't build fences and plant trees right on the damn property line, like my dad does. No disputes, but I predict I will have to deal with the shite after he passes. Already got one neighbor that put a potted plant next to a tree, preventing me from cutting around the tree on his side. If it were me, I would let me cut it so it would look better, but he's staking his claim to 3 inches of land.

---

Thats another issue when it comes to "land disputes". Some people will not cooperate with their neighbors, even if it is in their best interest, just because they prefer being able to say "this is my land so this can't be done because I said so".

If people complained about property that was a "public hazard", we would have to go through a process that involved sending the landowner a letter giving them so many days to clean up. I wish I had the pictures of some of the places, but there were some areas in which someone actually lived there, but the whole property was fifty. To the point it was a habitat for rats, snakes, etc. If the person living there had to call an ambulance, cops, etc.. It was a safety hazard for anyone who would have to go on the property. There were people, who we sent letters to, who would come up to the office "raising hell" because its their property and they have a right to do whatever they want on it.

They thought the government was out to take away their rights by telling them what to do with their land.. My point is, there are those people who would rather let everything they have go to shite than have someone do something on their property,