easements on the property?

[Heather]

Do any of you know how easements work? We read over ALL our papers and it says NO EASEMENTS on the property yet we have those tall green deals in the back yard. I found out today one is the cable company, one is the electric company and the other is the phone company. I asked the cable guy (who was dealing with a neighbors cable) how we go about getting them moved. He said it would depend on how much we are willing to pay. According to our paperwork they're not supposed to be there in the first place so I'm not willing to pay anything. The cable alone runs to at least 4 houses that I know of. I also found out today the cable company came into my fully fenced and gated back yard without our permission or knowledge to bury a line for the neighbors. The last guy that was over doing work left the post thing open and all the wires hanging out. I was pretty pissed. I plan on calling on the companies tomorrow to find out WTH is going on and see if there something we can agree on so I don't have strangers walking around my backyard. I just wanted to know if any of you have experence dealing with easements like that. How did work out?

[Miss B Hav'n]

No experience here - just wanted to say good luck and suggest that you will likely want to discuss this with an attorney as chances are it's going to take a bit of a battle to get anything to happen.

[leftover]

Utilities are exempt from having permissions granted by the property owner in my state.. Gotta love eminent domain..

We even had the easements assessed on our property taxes, and are being forced to pay for them.. ****ers.

though!!

[guynavywife]

There are a few types of easements. Utilities come under the "necessary" kind. They won't appear in your deed. They don't have to. Basically, you are stuck.
I am not sure what the "green" things are, unless they are markers? Unless you are referring to the big grren metal utility boxes?
If so, yeah you are stuck for two reasons. The first is above. The second is that they were there and visible when you bought the house (I am presuming).
Sorry couldn't give you better news.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by leftover Utilities are exempt from having permissions granted by the property owner in my state.. Gotta love eminent domain.. We even had the easements assessed on our property taxes, and are being forced to pay for them.. ****ers. though!!

Thats sucks. I hope we don't have to pay for ours.

Originally Posted by guynavywife There are a few types of easements. Utilities come under the "necessary" kind. They won't appear in your deed. They don't have to. Basically, you are stuck. I am not sure what the "green" things are, unless they are markers? Unless you are referring to the big grren metal utility boxes? If so, yeah you are stuck for two reasons. The first is above. The second is that they were there and visible when you bought the house (I am presuming). Sorry couldn't give you better news.

Yes thats what they are. I've never known what they are called. We did know they were there when we bought the house but we didn't think to much about it. They look old and unused so we didn't give it a second thought. I can't have random people going in and out of my yard though. Not cool.

[gunsgirl]

your utility easements are there to stay - in most states they are by law allowed-

to move them would require a huge expense-if it would be possible at all.
and a huge legal fight and the expense of that- you against a utility company.. KWIM?

they also in most states by law will have the right to come and go in you back yard as they see fit- also not much you can do about it- try to lock you gate- they will cut it and then charge you for the service of removing the lock.

a call to a local real estate attorney will get you the correct legal answers for your city and state and HOA laws.

[leftover]

Originally Posted by Heather I can't have random people going in and out of my yard though. Not cool.

That's the thing, you have to allow them access.... If you don't, they can come back with a police escort, and send you the bill.. The easements are to provide access to the utilities that supply the whole neighborhood, they have to be able to access them reasonably for the sake of keeping the neighborhood supplied with power.. Sure, they can't start destroying our property, and leaving cigarette butts laying around, but you have to allow them access.

They should call you ahead of time, and let you know that they are coming, and they should also be in marked vans with uniforms or security badges.. I interned with a power company as a high voltage electrician during college, and had to deal with it from the opposite point of view..

[monkeyinabarrel]

i am assuming they are near the corner or at least an edge of your lot. i would just redo your fence so they are on the outside. they the company cannot come in your yard with out permission

[Heather]

They in the very back corner of our lot. We have 3 other neighboring fences near the area but we are the easiest to access them. There is no way can build our fence around them to allow access. Someone came in our yard the other day while we gone and let our puppy out. They left one of the back gates wide open. I was so livid. We tried to get her to open the gate on her own to see if she did it but there is no way she could do it. It pisses me off that no ones calls us to let us know anything, they just show up and then leave **** all over. The cable company came out to bury a line that they left drapped across our yard and they left the leftover cable and the pipe trimmings in our yard for me to pick up. The trash in our yard was the only way I knew they had been out.

[leftover]

Originally Posted by Heather It pisses me off that no ones calls us to let us know anything, they just show up and then leave **** all over. The cable company came out to bury a line that they left drapped across our yard and they left the leftover cable and the pipe trimmings in our yard for me to pick up. The trash in our yard was the only way I knew they had been out.

If it was me, I'd take the cable and trimmings right on into the business office, and tell them that you are returning property to the service manager and ask if you can give it to him... That's very unprofessional leaving their crap in your yard, they should know better..

I'd be mad too.