Helpful Tips To Avoid Land Disputes

I remembered following my brothers to cultivate on one of our farmland, while in the farm, my very close family member appeared from nowhere asking what we were doing. We were made to understand that we cross the landmark.
Following my friend to their farm land those days I had another experience hearing his Mum complained adjustment in the landmark by the owner of the land adjacent to her’s.

You might have witness lot of land disputes growing up. Most of the disputes happened among friends, family members, neighbors. Some fought because they think the landmark isn’t where the other person believes it is. In many occasions people died trying to defend a piece of land. Shockingly, non of those who fought to win ownership of land back then lived so long after to cultivate or build on the land.

There are instances where people build on the land they believe belongs to them but turns out to be another person’s property, resulting in disputes and many people will go extra lent to make sure they lose at nothing.

Land disputes is a possible thing that can also happen among people that had never met. To some, the problem is either an error from the purchase documents or what the both parties feel is not true to them about the land. For instance, you believe the owner of the land adjacent to your own land is trying to shift the landmark in his favour while he or she believes you are trying to do the same. Or that the land belongs to you while he claims he owns the land.

However, there are circumstances that lead to disputes and there are plenty of ways to avoid land dispute. In the case of any land dispute, this article will guide you on how to to settle it.

Many disputes happened because earlier, necessary steps to avoid the chances of having dispute in the future was not rightly followed. If you can eliminate the chances that might lead to disputes before it’s occurrence, it will go a long way to prevent any disputes in the future.

Ensure you have record prove of the landed property

Just like the receipt issued to you when you buy a car. Or the paper showing your full payment for a one year house rent. You cannot easily resolve a land dispute when you do not have any written record about that property.

Such written record should reflect any object features of a landscape that is easily recognize and necessary to identify the boundaries of the property. When you want to buy a property, ensure you have it surveyed, otherwise, don’t buy. If the existing ancient landmark record is old, see to it that it is marked clearly in anyway possible to identify the boundaries.

Write down the agreement

In the past and in the rural area, boundary agreements were communicated verbally. It was a traditionally way. All the seller or buyer do was a verbal communication and at the end they shake each other and depart. Such was the way and many of such instances lead to land disputes years after years because most of the sellers never make proper commutation with their family members before they die.

Imagine buying a land that way and shortly the person who sell the land dies, only for you to return to the same piece of land to meet the seller’s relatives and this time, you are ask to provide proof. In such case, without the word of the person who sells the land, there is no proof. Remember, in a verbal agreement, proof dose not exist except the other party speaks.

You are going to find a way to change every verbal agreement made in the purchase of land property to a written document in other to resolve land disputes. This is important because generally, no verbal agreement is sufficient in court.
To make things easier, you can call the service of an attorney to help you draw up papers that reflect those existing verbal agreements.

Consider the zoning

If you happen to purchase a land in the urban area, know that there are some location you cannot stand certain structure. Depending on the zoning, you could own a land but may not have right to stand a residential building or commercial complex.

There are areas where government may have certain rights on your own property. Carrying out any development not allowed by rules in such areas may result in disputes just because though you purchase or own the property, certain rights do not belong to you.

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