February 24, 2026
Six Inches Is Six Inches
From: Measuring Tape in Morningstar
My neighbor built a new fence and it's six inches onto my property. I pointed it out and he said it must be a surveying error from years ago and he's not moving it. Six inches doesn't sound like much but it's my six inches, and I'm worried about what it means legally if I let it sit.
You’re right to be worried. In Texas, if you let a property encroachment sit long enough without objecting, you can eventually lose the legal right to dispute it. Six inches doesn’t sound like much until it’s on a title report and suddenly it’s a problem when you try to sell.
Here’s what you do. First, hire a licensed surveyor — not the one who may or may not have made the error, a different one — and get your property lines on paper. It costs a few hundred dollars. Pay it. Now you have a document.
Second, send your neighbor a certified letter stating that according to your survey, the fence encroaches on your property, and that you are not consenting to the encroachment. You don’t have to be hostile. You just have to be in writing, with a date stamp, so there’s no ambiguity later about whether you knew and said nothing.
What happens next is up to him. He may move the fence. He may ignore you. Either way, you’ve protected yourself legally.
If he continues to refuse, you talk to a real estate attorney. One hour of their time is worth the answer.
“It’s just six inches” is what people say right before it becomes a title dispute. Don’t let that be you.
— Vera
Got your own situation? Vera may not fix it, but she'll tell you what to do about it.
Write to vera@forgeorgetown.com →