So this piece of land came up for sale last year. I couldn't afford all of it, so I bought almost half, and another guy bought the rest. This property first went up for aale 14 months ago. I had a contract on it 8 months ago, and finally signed the papers two weeks ago. The neighbor guy had a contract a couple of months ago and finally signed when I did two weeks ago.

8 months ago when I had the contract on the land, there had been a game camera, a feeder, and an old blind on my side, and more on the neighbor's side. On my side, the feeder and game camera dissappeared the same week I signed the contract 8 months ago. The old blind is still there with a good metal tower under it. On the neighbors, even after closing there remained a couple of feeders, a tripod stand, and a couple game cameras.

This last weekend, a week after we signed final papers, a guy shows up on the neighbor's property saying he was the former lease holder and wanted his feeders, stand, and cameras. The problem is that the guy didn't ask......he just cut the fence and drove on the property to get it. He then proceeds to get his 4-wheel drive stuck way back off the road and needed the neighbor to help get him out. I'm not sure if he ever did get out.....when I left he was still up to his axles in soup since the woods are very wet.

On my side, I could tell from the tire tracks that someone this week drove through the ditch and through the fence, got stuck, and had to be pulled out by a wrecker. I'm wondering if it might have been the same guy who cut the neighbor's fence.

Now, I'm a reasonable person, and if someone were to come to me and say "Hey, the woods are wet, I can't get back there to get my things, can I wait till it dries up to get them?" then I would agree. The neighbor would also. But it just sits wrong with me to have someone wait all this time to do this, then cut the fence and tresspass. Especially when they knew the property was for sale 14 months ago and had all last summer to move their stuff. Yes, the woods have been very wet and this land has had standing water since December.

So, it it were you, would you give the guy his stuff back, keep it tell him to take a hike, or what?

Give him his stuff back and charge him for the damages he has done

I would if he asked, but think I would file charges or at least contact the local game warden/sheriff's dept. if they just came on the property AFTER the contract was signed as a done deal. I would place no trespassing signs and put up my own game cameras.

If he didn't ask and had all summer to get it and did not get it then proceeded to trespass with out permission and along with cut the fence and not fix it and damage roads, I'd tell him to take a hike and be getting a bill for the damage he did as well

I would have told him no & filed trespassing charges against him . POS in my book.

If he was given a reasonable amount of time to get his stuff, I would file trespassing charges on him, kept his stuff and made him pay damages. He has a complete lack of respect for other people's property.

i don't want anything that's not mine in the first place , so i 'd give everything back to him

I will ask that he pays for the damages or there will be lawsuits, charges and a stern warning not to come back

Yep. A polite request and conversation can make things alot easier and all around.

Don't know why some folks need to act like jerks.

Jeff B.

He should have been off the moment the land was sold (within 30 days, at least). I'd tell him he can get his stuff when it gets dry and after his check for the damages clears. I would also tell him you've given his information to the Game Warden so that if anything happens they'll be having a talk.

Properties get listed for sale all the time. I know of properties that have been listed for sale for a decade and longer.

He may not have even known the property sold.

And that is the new landowners problem how? That doesn't give him a right to trespass and it sure doesn't give him a right to cut down a fence.

I would give him his stuff "after" payment for damages.

I'd have him fix damages and give him his stuff.

The moment he cut the fence, was when I lost all respect for his reason to retrieve his stuff. There is no excuse for doing that.

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Up to when you sign final papers, when/how the guy should move his stuff was between him and the seller. And you even confirm it is not practical to move his stuff since land is wet since December. I would be ok if you take down his items and give them to him.

Cutting fence is certainly not right.

Lots of information we don't know.

X2 Mr. Redchevy

He lost all rights to anything when he took it upon himself to enter your property uninvited.

Yup

I would want more info. Did he just cut the fence somewhere away from a gate? Did he cut it and go around a gate? Did he fix it after he cut it? Did he talk to the previous owner? Did the previous owner tell him he could go get his stuff? Did he know that the property changed ownership? You know there isn't a name tag at the front gate that tells you this.

I would have contacted the law, kept possession of his truck until damages were paid for, and the offered to sell him his junk back. It's no different then if he crashed into your fence, you can maintain possession of his vehicle until all things are setteled to your satisfaction.

There is no circumstance under which it would be appropriate to cut someone's fence. If he knew he needed to get his stuff off, he must have known the property changed ownership. And if he didn't know, then he knowingly cut the fence of the previous owner, whom he was leasing from.

Im not saying the guy did the right thing, im saying like so often happens on here it sounds like some details that might mater are being left out.