Disputes over properties are pretty commonly found in the United States. It usually occurs when parties cannot settle or agree upon the boundaries of their properties or claim to own the same property. Property disputes are legal disputes over the real estate – such as homes, apartments, empty lands, and parking lots. Property disputes generally happen when there are disagreements over property boundaries, when there is damage incurred by the property, when two parties claim rights over the same property, for repairs on construction sites, blocked views because of the construction of new properties, and the like.
There are many different kinds of people or parties that can be involved in property disputes –
- Builders and developers
- Tenants
- Landlords
- Family members
- Government agencies
- Neighbors
- Homeowners
- Property visitors
Property disputes have a wide range of lawsuits that fall under them. Listed below, are the most common ones –
- Property disputes due to a breach of contract – selling, purchasing, or leasing a piece of land or real estate involves a written contract like most legally binding situations. Different parties involved in the transaction over a piece of land, are contractually bound to perform their duties to have a faultless property, failing which, the party that incurs losses can sue for damages.
- Boundary disputes – as mentioned before, disputes over boundaries are probably the most common type of property dispute. It can occur between landowners, neighbors, and tenants as well. Disputes over property lines mostly ensue when clarity is absent in where one property ends and the other begins.
- Disputes amongst co-owners or joint owners – when more than one person or party jointly owns a property, they are called co-owners. Co-owners’ disputes rise over disagreements over the property, in terms of property lines, repair work, and the like.
- Professional negligence disputes – these are a form of realtor-client disputes where the realtor has failed to extend the level of care towards the property bought by the client. These disputes can range from the realtor withholding information regarding the property, to conflicts such as representing both the buyer and the seller.
- Specific performance property disputes – these are mostly disputes that occur with contractual workers that do not perform their obligation towards the material or mechanical work of a real estate. The owner of the real estate can, therefore, take an action against these specific performance workers.
There are a few things to keep in mind when hiring a property dispute lawyer –
- You should be well aware of the objective of hiring a property dispute lawyer. You should ideally be decided on where you want to take the lawsuit and what you want out of it. It is a time-consuming process, especially because the sued party does not give in that easily so choosing the proper dispute lawyer is a necessity.
- It is always favorable to avoid escalation right at the beginning. Property owners should venture out into other methods for resolving the issue rather than take it up legally right from the beginning. Especially because the process of litigation is long-drawn and expensive.
To help you with the process of disputes, consult with the property dispute experts at Autrey Law Firm!