All Forum Posts by: Misty Gonzales

Yes, adverse possession is the correct phrase.

Thanks for the information and I apologize for the typos. I was on my iPad at lunch and wanted to get something out quickly. This particular neighbor bought the house in about 2006 or so, so for the 3 years prior to her moving in *I* took care of the space between the houses because 1) it didn't take that long and 2) that's just what you *do*. Then after she moved in we took turns or took care of our own portion of the space before I had turned the house into a rental in 2007. The houses are probably only 8' or 10' apart at a length of about 50' and it never required that much upkeep. I haven't checked local code but I've heard that putting in a fence to separate the properties would be a fire hazard (fire jumping from her house to the fence to mine or vice versa and/or the firefighters not being able to get between the houses because of lack of space to do so if a fence was up).

I am noticing that the neighbors on either side are becoming more challenging the longer I keep the house as a rental. It seems they never want to say anything to ME about their issues, but rather go through my tenants. I have tried to sell it to be done with the drama but the market up here (WA State) is so saturated with foreclosures that I can't off-load it right now so I'm trying to do what I can to rent it out, be respectful of the neighbors and bide my time until I can sell the house.

I am going to take your advice and talk to her about the plants and (because I believe they are planted on her side but growing into mine) tell her that I will keep them cut back and/or give her the opportunity to move them. I don't want to make a big deal out of this (although something tells me it will be) but I also want to protect myself and my property.

Thank you both for your quick responses!

I have a question about a rental house I own. In short I bought the house in 2003, and moved out in 2007 and it has been a rental house since. The houses adjacent to mine are relatively close together and the neighbor to the north has decided to plant some small brush things between our houses as a way to maintain that space. I have had Landscaping Agreements with all my renters that states they are responsible for maintaining the yard, etc. How legal is it for the next door neighbor to claim legal squatter rights on the space between our houses? She never asked me about the plantings and I have never made a big deal about it because I figured "her money and her time" if she wantsntondo something like that. This particular neighbor is kind of conniving so my partner wants me to be careful of what the neighbor's true intentions might be. Can someone help me with this and maybe give me advicebon how to fix it before it might be too late?