neighbors and easement

[lssnyder]

I have 4 properties behind me which are acessed through an easement over my east 66' of my property. The driveway that goes over the easement is app. 12 feet wide. The one neighbor now wants to increase the drive to 20 feet with ditches. He wants to split his property. None of the remaining property owners wants the drive increased. There was never an original easement agreement written, it was only put in the first land contract over 40 years ago that just state, that he and the other three properties have the right to ingress and egress over the east 66 ' . No one seems to know what our rights our. My husband and I and the one property directly behind us are the only ones that are directly affected by the easement that is to say our is the only ones that the easement is directly on our property. The remaining three branch off the back. Do they have any other rights then to ingress and egress
Thanks for your time
Sandy

 

[aaasinger]

If the owners of the lots behind you have no other way to their land except over your lands
their are rights in play here depending how long the easement has been there in the first place and what state you live in. my guess in they do have the rights to use this easement as to widning it they may also might have claim to that too, for instance if there is a code from your local Fire Department that require a minimum of 20 wide for path or easement for their equipment to egress and ingress that might make their case pretty strong as to why they wish to widning it

say a easement from 1930 was only 10 feet wide and that was all that was needed at the time for that period then fast foward to 2004 and alot has changed people are driving 50 foot long RVs all over the place these days and as with time things have to change you might be just a witness to some of these changes

Good luck