Brent stood on my porch holding a property sketch and insisted the gravel beside his yard belonged to him. He said contractors would install a fence across it Monday and suggested I move my trailer. I asked whether he had ordered a professional survey. He smirked and said the old boundary was obviously wrong.
I hired a licensed surveyor the next morning. The markers proved my driveway was entirely mine. They also showed Brent’s new stone walkway, irrigation system, decorative wall, and part of his widened driveway extended several feet onto my property.
I photographed everything and sent the report to my attorney. Brent ignored the markers and ordered his contractor to move the fence across my gravel anyway, blocking access to my backyard. That was when I filed for an emergency injunction and contacted the city inspector.
Work stopped during Brent’s housewarming party. The court later ordered him to remove the fence, wall, irrigation system, and pavement at his own expense. Repairs, legal fees, and permit problems cost him more than $28,000.
Once my driveway was restored, I installed steel posts and a locked gate just inside the property line.
Brent believed an expensive renovation could create ownership.
The survey taught him that property lines do not move simply because an entitled neighbor wants them to.
