Legal support for residential boundary disputes and clarification in Jersey.

Boundaries are one of the most common sources of friction between neighbours and one of the most misunderstood areas of residential property law. Whether you are planning to build, installing fencing, or simply want to clarify ownership, knowing where your legal boundary lines are essential.

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Our Expertise

At BCR, our team helps individuals, families, property owners, and neighbours resolve and avoid boundary disputes in Jersey. We provide expert legal advice on boundary identification, registration, encroachment, and neighbourly rights, all delivered with clarity, discretion, and a firm grasp of both the law and the human dynamics involved.

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Our Approach

Our team advises and guides clients through what can be a highly emotional issue with calm professionalism and clear legal insight.
Boundary issues are often less about the land and more about certainty, privacy, and trust. Questions around property boundaries commonly arise when:

• A neighbour builds or extends up to or over a boundary.
• Fences, hedges, or walls are moved or replaced.
• New driveways, paths, or patios encroach on another’s land.
• Ownership is unclear in shared courtyards or rural properties.
• Developers or surveyors raise concerns when  buying a property.
• Planning or building permits rely on accurate boundary placement.
• Historic boundary lines are inconsistent with current use.

Boundary lines in Jersey may also be affected by encroachments,  and rights of access.

We provide comprehensive support for the following common boundary issues:

Unclear or Disputed Boundaries

Where it is unclear who owns a strip of land, or where a boundary lies, we:

• Review title and historic contract.
• Instruct surveyors to prepare a boundary report.
• Liaise with the neighbour and their advisors.
• Record an agreed boundary through a boundary rectification agreement which may require an exchange of land.
• Advise on litigation where agreement cannot be reached.

Encroachments

If a neighbour’s building, fence, or garden encroaches on your land, or if you are accused of encroachment, we can undertake the following:

• Investigate the legal position.
• Advise on whether a right has been acquired by long use.
• Negotiate removal or compensation.
• Apply to the Court to resolve contested cases.

Shared Walls and Structures

We advise on jointly owned walls and structures built directly on or over the boundary line. We help determine:

• Ownership.
• Maintenance responsibility.
• Rights to alter or build upon shared structures.
• Whether permission is needed before building work starts.

Access and Easements

Sometimes, boundaries affect rights of access, for example, across a shared driveway or garden path. We help clarify:

• Whether there is a legal  right of way.
• What rights of access or passage exist.
• Whether new access rights can be granted or removed.
• Impacts on future sales or mortgageability.

Avoiding Future Boundary Issues

We also assist clients proactively, for example, when:

• Selling or buying a property with unclear boundaries.
• Registering a new build development.
• Replacing or moving fences, hedges, or walls.
• Preparing land for development.
• Drawing up  boundary rectification agreements.

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Our Values in Action

Excellence: In the analysis of title, boundaries, and property law.

‍Delivery: In resolving issues quickly, calmly, and with minimum disruption.

‍Respect: For our clients’ homes, neighbours, and emotional investment.

‍Elegance: In the way we navigate technical disputes with sensitivity and clarity.

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Why BCR Law

We provide expert legal support for residential boundary disputes and clarification in Jersey, helping you resolve issues calmly, clearly, and effectively.
With deep knowledge of Jersey property law, we guide clients through even the most sensitive boundary matters with discretion, clarity, and precision.

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