You may have heard the term “easement” in reference to your property line, but do you really know what that means or why it is necessary? Read on to learn more!
An easement is the right of one party to use the property of another party for a specific purpose. When it comes to your home’s property line, you probably have an easement that extends into your yard on any side for several feet or more. For example, you may have a three-foot easement across the front of your yard and a seven-foot easement along the backyard. What this means is that a utility company or other entity could use those seven feet in your backyard to lay cables or pipes.
The chances of you having to deal with the above example are pretty low, especially if you are buying an existing home. The time when easements will come into play most is when you are making changes to your property – installing a pool or patio are the most common.
Before you begin construction, check with your neighborhood management company about easements and/or reference the documents you received when you closed on your home. Easement lines should be drawn on your home’s plat. Your contractor may also be able to help you with this.
You cannot, by law, infringe on any easements. Doing so could result in legal action taken against you and very likely in you having to remove the structures that infringe upon the easement. Imagine building your dream pool and then having to tear it down and fill in the hole in the ground again. Check things out before you begin!