If you’re involved in a land dispute and need expert help to resolve it, choose Slater and Gordon Lawyers. Contact our specialist property and conveyancing solicitors on freephone 0808 175 8000 or use our online contact form and we’ll get back to you.
Our areas of expertise
Our property experts have decades of collective experience in resolving a wide variety of land disputes for the benefit of our clients. Our areas of expertise include:
Boundary disputes
Disputes over the legal boundaries of owned property can be extremely complicated. Each of the parties involved may believe that they’ve evidence of exactly where the boundary between the properties falls, but in actual fact complications can arise due to:
- Inaccuracies between the different sets of documentation
- The removal or replacement of the boundary in previous years
- Agreements between previous owners of the property that slightly change the location of the boundary
- Building or landscaping work undertaken by a previous occupant of the property which unknowingly or deliberately caused changes to the boundary line
- Changes over time to natural boundaries such as streams, hedges and rivers which may be set down in legal documentation as the boundary between properties
- Professional negligence - when a property solicitor fails to make sure that boundaries have been correctly marked on the plans before a property transaction takes place or when the property is registered with the Land Registry
- Refurbishment of a residential property, usually involving an extension to the ground, upper floor or subterranean work such as a cellar extension, which leads to a dispute over the boundary or party wall
In many cases, disputes arise because one property owner has encroached upon boundary lines and their neighbour’s land. This sometimes happens perfectly innocently if the neighbour wasn’t aware of the boundary lines. However, it can also be done deliberately in order to acquire a right over a piece of land.
Disputes over boundaries can quickly escalate into major arguments, with emotions running very high. Even in cases in which property owners are in disagreement over a couple of centimetres of land, it can become impossible to resolve these situations without the help of a specialist legal professional.
The highly trained land dispute solicitors at Slater and Gordon have many years of experience in resolving boundary disputes of all kinds. If you’re locked in a disagreement with your neighbour and you seem to be getting nowhere, we can help you to move towards a resolution. Please call us on freephone 0808 175 8000 or contact us online to discuss your circumstances.
Disputes over access and right of way
In addition to disputes over boundary lines, our solicitors have extensive experience with cases involving disagreements over right of way. If the right of way isn’t properly defined or there’s confusion between neighbours over the extent of each party’s right of way, this can easily lead to a dispute.
For example, one party may accuse the other of failing to maintain a right of way, obstructing it or using it excessively. Other cases involve one party significantly altering the route of a right of way without permission and to their own benefit.
We can also help with cases involving:
- The Party Wall Act
- Building and construction disputes
- Japanese knotweed
- Breach of covenant
- Disputes over trees and high hedges
- Adverse possession claims
- Access to Neighbouring Land Act.
If you need reliable legal advice on any of these issues, simply call our land dispute solicitors on freephone 0808 175 8000 and we’ll be happy to help.
How an unresolved land dispute can affect the value of your property
Not all property owners realise that an unresolved dispute over land or boundaries can negatively affect the value of their property. If the dispute isn’t settled and there’s still a question mark over a boundary or another land issue, it’ll be extremely difficult to sell the property. After all, most buyers would prefer to avoid acquiring property that comes with the complication of a land dispute. If you do manage to sell the property, it may be at a significantly undervalued price.
If you wish to sell the property at some point in the future and would like the dispute to be cleared up as soon as possible, it’s important to seek legal advice immediately. Slater and Gordon’s land dispute solicitors can help you to resolve the disagreement swiftly and effectively, leaving you free to sell the property at its full market value at a time of your choosing.
If you need our help, please don’t hesitate to call freephone on 0808 175 8000 or contact us online.
Preventing litigation wherever possible
Heading to court over a land dispute can be expensive, stressful and time-consuming. It can also significantly worsen relations between you and the neighbour you’re having the dispute with. This means it’s generally advisable to attempt to resolve a disagreement of this kind outside court.
At Slater and Gordon, our land dispute solicitors are renowned for their skill at using alternatives to litigation where possible in order to achieve the most favourable outcomes for our clients. We’ll aim to resolve your case as quickly and efficiently as possible, offering you the very best legal advice and finding practical, innovative solutions that help to save you money and hassle.
Why choose Slater and Gordon?
Slater and Gordon’s property law experts pride themselves on their specialist expertise in the field of land disputes. We offer realistic, honest and effective help to resolve these cases and will always be completely upfront from the outset about the fees and charges you can expect to pay.
Slater and Gordon Lawyers is one of the UK’s largest law firms. We’ve property experts located across the UK, so wherever you’re based - we’ll be happy to provide you with immediate assistance and advice you can trust.
For expert help with a dispute, please contact our land dispute solicitors on freephone 0808 175 8000, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can also use our online contact form to make an enquiry and we’ll get right back to you.
