Infringing on my property.

Matthew, since you've already had a professional survey completed, you've taken an important first step in establishing your property boundaries. Next steps would be to approach your neighbor calmly and share a copy of the survey showing where the property line is located. It could be that your neighbor wasn't aware that the shrubs and other plants were approximately two feet onto your property. I recommend putting your request to remove or relocate to their side of the property line in writing and keeping photos and copies of your communication. If your neighbor refuses to cooperate, consider consulting a Wisconsin real estate attorney and making a formal demand stating what needs to be removed and by when. Avoid removing the plants yourself until you've received legal guidance, especially if there's a disagreement about the boundary. The goal is to protect your property rights while preserving a reasonable relationship with your neighbor. Hopefully, sharing the survey will be enough to resolve the situation without further action. Brenda Ashby | REALTOR® | JohnHart Real Estate | DRE License # 01700249

Matthew, with a fresh survey showing those plantings about two feet onto your side, you have what most people in boundary disputes are missing: proof. The usual path is a written request first. Send your neighbor a short letter with the survey attached, spelling out what needs to be removed and by when. Keep a copy of everything. If nothing happens, a Wisconsin real estate attorney can send a formal demand, and that letter alone settles a lot of these. Two feet sounds minor, but encroachments matter because they can grow into bigger claims on your land if they sit unchallenged for years. One caution. Don't dig anything out yourself until an attorney says you're clear, even with the survey in hand. My license is in California, so someone local should confirm how this works in South Milwaukee. Alla Novytska, Realtor®, JohnHart Real Estate, DRE #02254775

In California, a neighbor sitting two feet over your line is a common problem and fixable, and the best first step is a calm, written request with the survey attached, before anyone gets a lawyer involved. Send a short letter, with a copy of the survey and photos of the plants, asking him to remove or relocate them by a specific date. Most neighbors move the plants once they see a licensed surveyor's line. Keep the tone friendly, because you will live next to him after this is resolved. If he refuses, you have trespass and nuisance claims in California, and a real estate attorney can send a demand letter that often settles it. I would hold off cutting the plants yourself, because California can multiply damages for wrongly injuring a neighbor's trees (Civil Code 3346), and you do not want to hand him a claim. Do not let it sit for years either. In California, long open use of a strip of land combined with paying the property taxes on it can support an adverse possession claim after five years, so documenting your objection now helps protect your title. I am a real estate professional, not an attorney. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, and I am glad to refer you to a trusted agent or attorney near Corcoran. Zoltan

Speak with a real estate attorney. Keith Jean-Pierre Managing Principal The Dapper Agents Real Estate Operations in ALL 50 States

I would nicely approach him, show him the survey, and ask him to remove or relocate it!