River Dave

In NH the SOL to recover property is 20 years in adverse possession. This guy has been there 30 years. He needs a good property attorney to make his case.
 
welkin said:
In NH the SOL to recover property is 20 years in adverse possession. This guy has been there 30 years. He needs a good property attorney to make his case.
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The problem for him is that he claimed that he was living there with the consent of the previous owner. Depending on how long the previous owner owned the place, Dave may not have the 20 years of adverse possession with the current owner to give him a right to the property he's been occupying. For example, if he was living there with the consent of the previous landowner for the last 25 years and the new owner took over five years then only five years counts towards adverse possession, which won't be enough. This is probably why the judge, according to the article, told Dave that the law was on side of the landowner. Moreover, Dave's cabin burnt down and was in violation of county ordinances anyway. He'd have to build a cabin that met county building codes, something he might not be able to do himself and might not have the money to pay a builder to do it. Finally, he wouldn't have any way to get to and from the property — he doesn't have the easements needed for that. I suspect his days of living there are done.
 
It's just a sad situation. Years ago I was boating down the Merrimack with some friends and very briefly met Dave. He was a charming character.
 

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