Shared Road Issues

   / Shared Road Issues #21  
I had the same problem I sent registered letters telling my nieghbors that I would fix the road for free but nobody responded finnaly I just did it my self
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   / Shared Road Issues #22  
How willing are you to start a fight with the ones who refuse to pay?

I'd get together with the ones who ARE willing and work up a plan. Put the plan in writing.

Improve the road only as far as the last house that pays. Ditch both sides of the road. Put in culverts for ONLY the ones that pay.

When someone complains about inability to access their house, offer to fix them up, for a fee. Do not underprice the work. If they don't like this idea, show them the written plan.
 
   / Shared Road Issues
  • Thread Starter
#23  
I'm not willing to fight anyone over this. I will just get my car stuck every morning at 4 AM for a week straight and leave it there until 5 PM. I have a very liberal vacation/leave policy where I work.

I'm going to try to get pictures of the road in question sometime to post here. I'm sure you'll all be amazed and astounded. Unfortunately, we've been switched to Central Time here in southern IN and I am not home during daylight hours. I don't think I'll be home in the daylight this weekend either, so it may be a while.
 
   / Shared Road Issues #24  
Well it is kind of to late now but I'll just reinforce what Eddie and others have written.
There are 6 homes using a road, through the generosity of the current property owner, none of you have legal easements.
The road is in poor condition.
You have lived there 3 years and don't know your neighbors.
You have sent 2 letters and 4 people out of 6 wish to improve the road.

I think that you are pretty lucky that you got 4 people to agree and you should just do whatever the 4 of you can pool together and do.

I doubt if anyone is going to commit to any legal permenent association considering none of you have any legal "right" to the road. Are you not concerned that you purchased a property with no legal ingress and egress? Is there a different option for you to enter and leave your property?

What would happen if the good kindly owner died and his mean nephew, who inherited the estate, decides that he would like compensation or up go the barricades. Am I misreading the situation?

As for the housing that developed, there goes a good reason for zoning. Zoning is a double edged sword. Whenever we want to do something it is a PIA, however if you don't have adequate zoning, what your neighbor builds can diminish your property.
 
   / Shared Road Issues #25  
When you sell a piece of property you can have the deed designate that no mobile or prefab homes are allowed. If the buyer does not like it he don't have to buy your land.

Me and another person bought a farm between our own property, subdivided into four parcels selling two of them and each of us keeping one for ourself. Due to a stream cossing to get to our parcels one of the parcels owns acces to the road and the other parcel has right away. In the deed it states we each share cost of maintenance on the right of way. Now I guess if one wanted blacktop and the other did not maybe it could get a little sticky figuring it out, but then again blacktop isn't necessary so if one wanted it I can't see where the other would have to split the cost. If the bridge washes out that is a different story.
 
   / Shared Road Issues #26  
Shawn, I just got to thinking. You get your vehicle stuck. Go back home to take a nap. Someone calls for a tow truck and now your vehicle is no longer in the road. Its at the tow service. Also you may be liable if emergency vehicles can not get in if your vehicle is blocking the roadway. Just something to think about.
 
   / Shared Road Issues #27  
your neighbors will never work together. If you can get those five to one day work together, after your hair has all fallen out, someone new will drag a mobile home in and refuse to pay. they will argue next year they thought it was a one time payment. failing to put any agreements in writing will obligate you to whatever standard the other neighbors can dream up in a couple of years, your word against theirs. If you begin to draft something up, there will be a multitude of things you leave out, and they will use it against you. if youdraft a comprehensive document that covers everything, no one will sign it as it will be 50 pages long.
so, You can either improve your road up to your home at your own cost, or just live with it. youwill never accomplish what you have specified here, without footign the bill yourself.
 
   / Shared Road Issues #28  
dooleysm said:
I will just get my car stuck every morning at 4 AM for a week straight and leave it there until 5 PM. I have a very liberal vacation/leave policy where I work.

.


what a horrible thing to do to those neighbors who agreed to cooperate with you. at this point I have less sympathy for you and more for those folks that have to put up with your demands and childish and immature threats. What if you cause someone to lose their job b/c you made them late?

different thought: I just re read your posts - at some point you were going to collect money from neighbors and funnel it to a relative? and you beleive you won't be sued over this when the neighbors get picky about how the work was done? wow. bad idea after bad idea after bad idea. (I can't throw stones as my life has been a series of bad ideas! haha. ) But seriously, please re think ALL of this!
 
   / Shared Road Issues
  • Thread Starter
#29  
The road is owned by the original seller. I believe it is a 60' wide strip and everyone on the road has easements to access the road. The original seller is no older than 35, farms probably 600 acres surrounding all our homes, and has lived in the area his whole life. He inherited all the land from his grandfather and his brothers. Barring catastrophe, he isn't going anywhere. I am going to call him in the near future to verify that he owns the road and that we can do to it what we want. I am sure he doesn't care what happens to the road, as he doesn't use it.

Zoning in our county was passed about 6 months after the last trailer was moved in. The guy we all bought land from is adamant that he won't sell any more land up there, and if he wanted to he'd be forced to follow the new zoning laws, so I don't think it will happen even if he gets hard up for money.

I am not going to purposely get my car stuck at this point, as 2 of the 3 neighbors above me have agreed to help out with the road. If nothing is done someone will get stuck, no ifs, ands, or buts. We have had a stretch of unbelievably warm, sunny weather for this time of year. As soon as the first snow hits, forget it. Being as I have the only tractor up there, they will have to call a tow truck or come talk to me to get them out. Anyone out there is much more likely to lose their job because they got their own car stuck vs. anything that I would ever do. I have made no demands or threats to anyone. My wife has written and dispensed two very nice, pleasant letter explaining the obvious problem and requesting financial assistance as well as a call for advice or comments.

I am not funneling money to a relative. I am going to borrow my FIL's backhoe and pay my SIL's boyfriend, who is a heavy equipment operator by profession, $50 to dig some ditches and smooth the road. I'm going to buy 2 tri-axles of gravel and have them spread on the road. I have asked each person for $100 for this purpose. $400 ($600 if everyone responds) will not pay for a contractor to come in and do this. It'll cost $50 to get anyone out there, plus another $60+/hour of backhoe work (I don't know the going rate for backhoe work in our area, but I'm sure it's at least $60, probably higher). No money left for rock, which is $225/tri-axle. I would absolutely love to hire a company to grade the road, dig ditches, install culverts, and pave the thing, but that isn't happening for $400.
 
   / Shared Road Issues #30  
Shawn,

It sure sounds like a reasonable plan for very little money. It's just sad that they are not knocking down your door to get this to happen. I'm truly amazed at what some people will put up with when it's so cheap and easy to have it fixed. Especially when you are more than willing to take on all the headaches of making it happen.

Good luck,
Eddie
 

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