Where/How to find out where your property line is?
 

My neighbor did something stupid and trimmed the hedges between our houses, both sides and not just theirs. so they had to AT LEAST step foot onto our property to trim it(same hedges). They never consulted with us or anything, now it looks like ass cause one side looks trimmed and bare while the other side(with another neighbors) looks nice and full.

In this situation, is it usually 50/50? Cause I'd like to make sure that both sides of the hedges are ours. Is there a number I could call or who should I contact for this type of information?

Thanks.

Nope sorry this is a civil matter and even the cities Land Survey department won't tell you where your property line is. Well I'm speaking of the City Of Vancouver. I'm not sure about the other municipalities.

it's hedges, it grows back, get over it.
go to city hall and find the plans for your house. Or you can start diggin the front where you think the property line is and see if you find the peg that's buried underground.

^

Yes, they'll grow back but they cut all the roots near the middle, so only the top of it will continue to grow. The other side is untouched and just slightly trimmed(the better side that they have no access to), and our house is in the middle, since hedges on both sides should look Parallel/identical(as of now they don't cause those asshole touched it) and if we do own them, I'll tell them to FUCK OFF and stop touching our shit. They already stole a expensive statue-esque thing in our backyard. We locked our doors and fences, the statue was only visible to them and no one else. It's pretty safe to assume they stole it since none of our other shit was touched. The locks weren't broken, so they could just hop the fence, which is a pretty easy task and take it within 10seconds without anyone knowing cause we live next to each other..

That was a bit OT but yes I hate my neighbors.

So I have to go to city hall in person or can I do it over the phone to find out where the border is?

if the hedges are on their property, it's their job to trim it - you can't touch it. even if it extends over your property, technically, they have to trim it back so it's only on theirs. the hedges are either your's, or their's. it won't be both.

You may be able to get plans for your house but it still might not tell you exactly where your property line is. Call them and ask them some questions first their called the Data Resource Centre. Just call 311 and ask to be transferred to them.

shitty deal

So you're mad that your neighbor was nice enough to trim your side of the hedges too? Would you rather him have only trimmed one side?

Having half trimmed hedges are even worse. I'd be glad that my neighbours payed for the whole thing, and not just some half-assery and left half untouched.

fuck i love this shit.

i usually leave a note 48 hours in advance when im trimming hedges and have to enter a neighbours property.

in any case, if the hedges are based on their side of the property line, they are their hedges, both sides of them. and if they wanted their hedges trimmed to remain healthy, they can, regardless of what your opinion of the look of them are. if they are your neighbours hedges, and they hang into your yard and you dont like the way they look, you have 3 choices: cut the hedges back to the property line, build a fence/plant your own hedges on your side, or live with it.

you basically just saved yourself a few hundred dollars by getting the hedges trimmed for free.

holy shit. I try to do you a favour, trim your hedges, because you never take care of them. and I didnt steal your statue!!








lol.. jk

Just to clarify, theirs 2 line of hedges. One is on my left side(Good neighbors) and one is on my right side(bad neighbors). They only touched the one on the right side and they went onto our property to cut it as well. I actually would've liked it if they didn't touch it, cause then it still would've looked better even if one half was trimmed and the other half wasn't.

Yes that's how bad it looks.

They didn't pay for it, they used a trimmer themselves and did it. Totally unprofessional and it looks absolutely FUGLY.

They never asked us or gave us any notice. They are actually split down the middle, the fence that separates our houses runs straight down the middle of the hedges. So I'm not sure if they are theirs or they are ours.

http://vancouver.ca/vanmap/index.htm

try this

Just look for the IP marker. It is a wooden stake that marks the property line. It is white and is in a triangular prism shape. The letters IP stand for iron post, IIRC and usually has the letters IP written on it in black followed by a bunch of numbers. The wooden stake is approximate in location and is there to make it easier to find the real iron post (1/2 inch, usually square, rebar). If you don't see the white marker, borrow or rent a metal detector. The iron post is burried pretty deep, but is visible sometimes, especially if it is in concrete. Sometimes the iron post will be missing or moved, because of development or utility companies doing shit and not replacing it.

If your neighbour is an asshole, like you say he is, then I would look for the iron post on the other side of your property and measure from there (in case he moved it on ya). You do have dimensions of your property from the time you purchased the house, right? Find at least two of the iron post and do your calculating from there. If not, you can always get surveyors to come out. It'll cost you, but at least you'll know. I'd be pretty choked if my neighbour came over to do shit without asking first. Especially if it's a bad neighbour.

Bad neighbours are a fact of life. We had one at my mom's house. It nearly came down to me beating the guy up with a hammer. Thankfully, they moved and all is well. He wasn't popular with the rest of the neighbourhood, either.


EDIT: If you find the iron post and it is indeed in concrete (sidewalk), then get some spray paint and circle it. Also, check your papers to see if there are any easements on your property. This is property that doesn't really belong to you, but is on your land. Usually it belongs to the municipality for various uses, such as sewer, telephone, power lines, etc. All this should be on the legal documents you got when you first purchased your house/property.

ive always wondered about that too because of an annoying neighbour who added a garden to his front lawn which looked to encroach onto our property quite a bit

but just ended up thinking "whatever" :/


sounds like its a hassle to find out too, without a visible post