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Wow.....ballistic neighbor..... :(

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Wow.....ballistic neighbor..... :(
  • Our house is on 5 acres of what used to be a 10 acre parcel that was divided up into 2 1/2 acre pieces.  There are two homes next to us and they were the original homes built about 20 years ago.  Our house was built in 2007.  Unbeknownst to us, the original homeowner ran the water lines to the other two houses across our back yard, about 30 feet in, which happens to be across our horse pasture (which has yet to be a problem) and across our arena.  While grading for our arena, we "found" one end of the water line, buried only about 6 inches under the dirt.  Fixed it and the neighbor said since we had built a second fence across the back about 10 feet in, he hadn't mentioned the waterline because he thought the fence was far enough in...... since then we have asked to move the water line and it has gotten broken several times accidentally or the pipes are so old and fragile they just break.  The wife has gone off on the girls when she was upset about having to wait for the sealant to dry when I wasn't home but has always been pleasant to me.  We dug trenches on both sides of the fence to find the pipes and to move it behind the back fence and told them we wanted to move it..... would they like to buy new pipe since it was pretty fragile?  We haven't been able to turn the horses out in the arena because of the trench and exposed pipes.  They sounded like they were onboard but then couldn't get hold of them since then...... have called, left message after message, went over to their house one day when their electric gate was open, both cars there but no one answered the door so left a note on his car, didn't hear anything from them so finally left a note taped to their gate saying we would be moving the pipes at 9 am unless we heard from them, gave 2 phone numbers.....  Didn't hear anything so this morning we went to work.  It took longer than we thought because of the pipe being fragile.  The neighbor that lives on our property was the one working on the pipes and while I was gone with the kids this afternoon at lessons, she came over and was screaming at him and calling me all kinds of names and threatening to call the police, that it was an easement?  Sigh...... Water has been back on since 2 but the husband called and left a message saying it should have only taken 1/2 hour and that he was kind of disappointed?  I feel badly that she was so upset but really, legally, they cannot claim an easement 30 feet onto our property and we were nice to pay someone to dig the trenches and buy all the new pipes and such for the connections.  Now I'm worried that since we used the old pipe for the line, they'll blame us when it starts to crack...... They never offered to buy new pipe, never offered to help move it....... She said we cannot use that piece of our property?  We're talking 5 acres of distance, 30 feet from the back?  Anyways, feeling conflicted because I'm sorry she was so upset, sorry my poor neighbor had to face her screaming at him and irritated because they don't seem to understand that it was a problem for us and that we were nice to move it so it wouldn't continue to be a problem.  Am I crazy?  Should I make nice and give her some flowers or chocolates stuffed with Prozac???
  • Wow, so it was the screaming neighbor's pipe you fixed? I'd be mad as heck at her, you tried to talk to them and they ignored you, they sound rude. I wouldn't give her the time of day.... but, well, that's what I'd do. She has a lot of nerve telling you what you cannot do on your own property. I don't think you're crazy at all.... but I think your neighbor is.
  • Yes, our old neighbors lost their house and now live on some of our acreage.  The screaming neighbor lives next to us.  Left our old neighborhood to get away from a hateful neighbor and anti-horse HOA...... not again..... although she doesn't have an HOA behind her and what are the cops gonna do?  It's my property......
  • My advice document - document-document. Dates, times, Every phone call, every note, every conversation. Have the other neighbor document the screaming episode.
  • These are the same neighbors that had Cesar, the doberman in the pen next to our property, no gate, no shelter, barking all the time because he was lonely and frustrated.  He finally gave the dog over to me to rehome and Cesar is happily living on an avocado grove with a vet tech for an owner and another doberman for a buddy..... She drives a Jaguar like a bat out of hell down our dirt road..... as I said, to my face she has always been nice so I don't know..... just keeping my fingers crossed that the old pipe holds!!!!  Guess it might be worth my piece of mind to get new pipe and those connectors that don't require glue and wait until some time when I seem them leave and change it over...... more $$$  Cost a lot to pay someone to dig the trenches 150+ feet to find the rest of the pipe and to move the pipe.......
  • Yikes.... she sounds like a wack-job. I'd document everything too.
  • I believe the "easement" would show up on a legal platt of the property.  Dig it out. If it's not there then there's no easement.  Cut and dry.  I'd have to get my Prepaid Legal attorney in on this one.  Or they'll be hauling water from the creek! [':D']
  • We bought the house as a foreclosure from a bank and they didn't disclose the water lines.  When Gary went to the county to find out where the leach field was, etc., they couldn't find copies of anything......
  • The foreclosure companies are not going to know anything about the water lines. However, you should have had a title search and documentation that would show any easements on the property. I'm surprised that you didn't have a septic company come out and inspect/pump the septic before purchase. I had to have all that done when I sold my mom's place in the Redding area.

    Just gonna chime in with everyone else - document, document, document the crazy people. [';)']
  • Sorry to hear about all the trouble Dana, I hope everything works out for you. I agree with everyone, document everything, some neighbors are just like that. Good luck....
  • It was sold "as is."  The house was a mess because it had been broken into, all the appliances, even the a/c units and garage door torn out, copper wiring torn out of the walls, ceiling, etc. but since it was basically brand new and dirt cheap, we bought it.  No easements were ever indicated on any property maps.......
     
    Haven't heard anything or seen the neighbors since......
  • I would contact a lawyer... you gave them sufficient notice that they had opportunity to see.  They accepted your offer by silence.  That is a contract.  If the 'easement' is causing inconvenience to you I would get that fixed as well.  They may very well have an easement depending on how long it has been going on, but if the line is causing a problem for you, you can have something done about it.
  • Mercury? Are my eyes playing tricks? [&:] 
    ETA: WAY TO GO Mercury! I just saw your profile: Law Student!  Congrats and hang in there!!!  So, Dana, listen to Mercury! [':D']
  • Very good advice from Mercury.
  • [quote=Mercury]

    I would contact a lawyer... you gave them sufficient notice that they had opportunity to see.  They accepted your offer by silence.  That is a contract.  If the 'easement' is causing inconvenience to you I would get that fixed as well.  They may very well have an easement depending on how long it has been going on, but if the line is causing a problem for you, you can have something done about it.

     
    Yes... except this took place in California.   In this state if someone has use of a segment of your property, passage as it were, for any length of time (a year or more I believe) then it becomes a defacto easement.  They must prove a long-term use not objected to by the neighbor.  Since the waterlines were'nt to Riverside County Code, Dana could have complained to the County and had her neighbor's house red-tagged.  At that point, the neighbor would have had to replace the water line (at their own expense) at a code-compliant depth (three feet minimum If I recall rightly) under Dana's property.  All of this would have had to be completed and inspected before the County would have allowed the neighbor to reside in the subject house (domicile).  Thus what Dana's family did for these people was really a blessing to them.  They should be grateful.  However, the Riverside area is loaded with this kind of lout and the county is supremely lazy.  Riverside, Norco, Mira Loma, Pedley, pick your neighborhood.  These idiots move there from Orange County and think that just because they've arrived all the animals have to go and the neighbors should kiss their... Ahem, well you know where I'm going.
     
    I moved up here to Northern California to get away from this kind of stupidity.  Guess what?  IT'S UP HERE TOO!!   Oh...[size=1] joy.  Lucky me. [/size]
     
    I'm no lawyer, so take all this advice with a big grain of salt.  We all know that free advice is usually worth what one paid for it.   All the same Mercury is right and so are the others who said to document.  I seriously doubt the neighbors are going to give you any further problems.  At least not till the line breaks...