This land is whose land?

[hxclespaulplayer]

Before I start, not really looking for legal advice - more like peace of mind until I can get legal advice in the morning.

I live here:

(G: their gate, f: fence)

A duplex. I'm at street-level, and that unit at the back is being used as some sort of juvenile home, or something like that. The reason I'm bringing all this up is I had a lot of knocks at my door last night by complete strangers, and with a peek out my blinds a few minutes later, the same strangers were loitering around in my yard as if they owned the place. It looked like they were casing my joint, and I could have sworn that they had some kind of flick-knives or something on them. I called the cops.

Amazingly, they turned up within 10 minutes. The guys were frisked, which was good, but they weren't told to get out of my yard (or they made up some sort of story that would imply they belonged there). I thought this would have been loitering or trespassing. Anyways, they simply decided to go back to their own unit (after hanging around for another hour or so) and blasted some rap music for a few hours.

Normally, I'd talk to them, but these don't seem to be the kind of people to be dealing with - opened up some of their mail by mistake once, and found that one of the guys had 10 grand theft auto counts, 14 burglaries, 5 posession of crack, and a few I don't remember (the letter was about some serious disqualified driving, but I searched my local newspaper online, and found this stuff on the guy). There was also some other guy living there that was heavily into meth. Oh, and what sucks is that there's always a government car in their driveway, but last night, it seems that the government guy that keeps them under control wasn't doing his/her job very well.

Anyway, I know that nobody "owns" the driveway - would have to be shared. But what about my yard and the car park in between the yard and house front? Aren't they trespassing if they just decide to sit on my fence all day long?

 

[Mr. B]

IANAL, but you're probably not going to convince anyone of circumstance that people living in the other end of a duplex are technically guilty of trespassing by occupying the front yard, which is immediately adjacent to the driveway.

 

[Captain Ice]

I would say they have as much right to the front yard as you do. If the unit is being used as you seem to believe it is, then it's time to move.

 

[propita]

Get the hell out of there. Obviously, the landlord doesn't care or he wouldn't be renting such tenants.


If they're doing meth, there could be a nice kaboom and the landlord's apathy will magically turn into insurance money. Unless his insurance company is informed that he was not properly maintaining his property, i.e., not ensuring he has responsible tenants who don't blow up property with illegal activities.

 

[Finn]

I'd say get out of there.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

Whoa, seriously. Find another place.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Let me add my voice to the "What the fuck are you doing there? MOVE!" crowd.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Wouldn't it be against zoning laws to have some kind of "juvenile home"--which I assume is code for "delinquent detention center"--in the other half of a residential duplex?

 

[sojourner]

Yea, somebody has to go. It's either you or them.

 

[Roger Wilco]

Where exactly where they hanging around - about where the F arrow points or on the yard between the street and the house front? I would say that space definitely belongs to you - you wouldn't think about hanging out on the yard on the other side of the duplex either, right? The space between the F-side fence and the house is less clear imo, but it should belong to you also. Maybe you could build a fence between the fence and the house there (with the landlord's permission).

But before spending money on a lawyer I would contact the landlord and tell him your story in any case.

 

[Holdfast]

If it's your home, shouldn't you have the title deeds or some similar document that outlines the extent of your property boundaries? It's pretty standard to have a plan of the property footprint in all the assorted paperwork that comes with home ownership over on this side of the pond; I presume the same must be the same in your part of the world?

 

[RobertVA]

If a person owns a home (clear or with a mortgage) they probably have such documents, but probably not if they are renting/leasing. It's fairly common for at least one unit of a duplex to be a rental, and not unusual for the landlord to live at a different address and rent both ends of the duplex, allowing the principal portion of their mortgage payments to accumulate as an investment.

The status of outdoor spaces is subject to any specifications, if any, included in the lease or rental agreement(s). Where one unit is behind the other there would probably be a right for the occupants of the rear unit to use at least one side to access the street. There might be some cases where the entire exterior would be a common area available for both tenants' use. There might also be cases where the landlord's failure, after documented notification, to remedy a disturbance created by one tenant would be a breach of the other tenant's lease (inability to peacefully use the property for its intended purpose).

 

[hxclespaulplayer]

Where exactly where they hanging around - about where the F arrow points or on the yard between the street and the house front?

On the yard between the street and the house front.

Here's the thing, I didn't go into great detail about this, as I thought it was an open and shut question: Public housing. I was in a bad spot after losing my job, so I didn't read through the papers very thoroughly when applying, but I might be under a section 8. It's not in a ghetto, and I'm surrounded by private home-owners in their 50's/retirement years - and ever since the government changed the status of the other unit from "vacant" to "something to do with child protective services" (they weren't very specific about what actually is happening there), things have gone to hell. Actually had the last crowd break in downstairs while I was in hospital - I'll bet that they were in there straight after they saw the ambulance take me away - anyway those guys are in a proper detention centre, with razor-wire and such.

This is to the "get out of there" crowd: I doubt they could run a meth lab with 24/7 government supervision (there's someone from the government there for about 16 hours a day). They don't have a downstairs, so there would be little place to hide such a thing. Plus, with my lack of job prospects after this thing called the Global Economic Crisis happened, private renting just isn't feasible.

From my talks with all these services I have to go through to reach the person (partly) responsible for the place, my complaint simply gets forwarded onto somebody, who forwards it onto the person actually responsible for child protective services, and who knows what happens from there.

Just clearing up my inability to move. I think it's only meant for people staying for a week or so, anyway.

 

[Captain Ice]

The inability to move sucks. All other things considered though, if it's only meant for people staying a week or so, that is all the more reason to get out quickly. Nothing against that requirement, but the people who would likely be in need of it's services are a problem.

 

[DonnyBaker]

Sounds like your in a bad situation. I'd get myself a gun or atleast a big Pitbull and train it to "protect" your apartment. It sounds like whomever is living there they dont give a shit about you, and your right...They probably were in your house as soon as you were taken away by the ambulance.
Just one last question...
Did they leave a video tape on the table for you? And in this video tape did they record themselves scrubbing their bungholes with your toothbrush? Just asking cause thats been happening alot lately...