Homeowners Who’ve Lived In Home For Yrs Told Their Yards Are Too Big So Their Property Will Be Reduced

Home Hacks ^ | 6/22/2921 | D.G.Sciortino

[Whyfor]

Imagine purchasing a home and living in it and paying taxes on that home and property for decades. Then being told part of that property you paid taxes on is in violation and must be being taken away without compensation. Not only that, you’re responsible for footing the cost of removing the stuff you have on that land, like your fence or shed. Oh, and it has to be done in a few months time.

[Whyfor]

Poorly written. It seems to be saying the government is taking without compensation but is not clear if it was theirs or if they encroached on public property. The taxation mention probably means that it was theirs.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Sounds like adverse possession to me and the city is SOL, but government is the greediest, most corrupt and murderous force on Earth, so good luck with that.

[cgbg]

Local lawyers are gonna get rich on this stuff...it is a type of eminent domain...for a stupid trail...

[lightman]

Or is the a HOA wanting to seize some interior space for “common areas”?

[ElkGroveDan]

It happens all the time. Its why we pay for Title Insurance on property transfers.

[Flick Lives]

A letter they got in early May told them their backyard is 21-feet over the property line and that they need to remove their fence, shed, and other items that are over the line by July 31.

Usual click-bait headline which is totally misleading. They built beyond their property line boundary. But I guess the article would sound less exciting if it said, "Residents told to remove structures from land which they don't own".

[Bell Bouy II]

Sounds to me like these folks butted up against land they didnt own and thought nothing would ever become of it. They expanded their yards/lot into this area and never thought about the usage changing.

Well usage did change and the owners (city) now say get your sheds and fence and all else out’s here!

Oh well

[Bell Bouy II]

Correct these people over stepped their boundaries in more than 1 way.

[gundog]

I think homeowners encroached on unimproved public land. Happens a lot. Now, the city wants to develop it. In Oregon, that would just invite tent communities to spring up.

[ConservativeInPA]

Okay, it's poorly written. However, the topic of property rights is quite interesting and has a profound impact on people's lives and decisions they make. I'd like to point out the most regressive form of taxation is the property tax. It is paid over and over by those who have invested. The consequence of not paying property taxes is the confiscation and auction of your property. This can occur years after the mortgage on the property has been retired. In essence, you really are renting your property from government. Worse yet, that tax is frequently determined by school boards to finance their Critical Race Theory and other Marxist indoctrination programs.

Imagine a grandmother, living alone on a fix income, long after her husband has past. She is incapable of making a living and relies on prior investments and social security to make ends meet. She doesn't have children in schools. Those days have past some 50 plus years ago. But she in essence rents her property from the school district.

Further more, imagine the same grandmother that is at the whims of the township, borough or city that dictates that she must do unexpected things to her property that has never been done. This can comes as changes in ordinance and other mandates. A common one on the rural fringes of suburbia is connecting to municipal water and sewage, when essentially free water and septic as been used for years. Not only is there a cost to connect, but an ongoing fee to be paid that increases the expenses of living in that property. The expense is in the thousands of dollars when granny is living on a fixed income predicated on foreseen expenses from years ago.

I find it much more humane to respect property rights. That includes the ability to own your property and never have to pay for it again. That includes the ability to continue to do the things that have worked for decades without further expense. The same principles apply to all property, real or not.

[Seruzawa]

It’s a trick the media uses all the time to get viewers, or clicks. Misrepresent a situation and withhold critical information to create some outrage.

[Old Yeller]

Bet the property tax won’t be reduced.

[Bell Bouy II]

Off topic

[Delta 21]

Thats how often it happens. There is an insurance industry built around it.

[napscoordinator]

Most of us think we have more land then we do. The first couple feet are easement that any utility company can use. And it can be a company you don’t use. Spectrum came and put lines under my driveway and lawn because the neighbors wanted that crappy service when I have Comcast. I did my best to stop them but it’s unfortunately legal.

[napscoordinator]

Nope. Not the owners property. They were stealing the land. I hope that get fined heavily by the county.

[Robert DeLong]

A letter they got in early May told them their backyard is 21-feet over the property line and that they need to remove their fence, shed, and other items that are over the line by July 31.

So, if like other cities and states, if a homeowner has maintained a public or private owned property for so many years, they can rightly claim that property as theirs, otherwise, the city is right in saying that they have exceeded their rightful property boundary.

This is Sacramento, so I don't know what their rules are with regards to this situation.

[Thilly Thailor]

Adverse possession might not apply to claims against the government. Maybe the doctrine of settled boundaries?

[DuncanWaring]

“Adverse Possession”

https://www.justia.com/real-estate/docs/adverse-possession/

[Sacajaweau]

they weren’t paying taxes on it.