Squatter rights law in Massachusettes

[Susantrum]

My state is Massachusettes and I'm looking for some information on squatter rights laws. Here is my situation. I live with my adult children, and they have a neighbor behind them who has been cutting down trees and brush and have had a surveyor come out to survey their property.The surveyor has put the orange stakes assumably on their property line. But they are obviously placed on what my kids have thought was their property. The home has been in my son-in-laws family for about 35-40 years and he has been cutting the grass and has a brick fireplace on the property for all that time. The neighbors want to have a meetting on Tuesday with they surveyor and my kids to talk about the situation. Evidently they want to put up a fence. I'm an ex realtor from NJ and am curious as to the law in Mass. I don't want my kids to go to this meeting without some info on their rights.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

 

[FlyingRon]

You can talk to the surveyor, or get your own survey done. But this isn't "squatting" and it's not clear if you have a cause for adverse possession either.
You'll need a lawyer for this one for sure unless you want to accept the new boundary.

 

[Mass_Shyster]

I agree with Ron that you need a lawyer, unless you are willing to accept their survey.

I would recommend meeting with an attorney before meeting with the neighbor, and possibly including an attorney in the meeting with your neighbor.

Simply tell your neighbor that something came up, and you can't meet Tuesday, and you'll reschedule.

 

[FarmerJ]

Sue when you posted >The home has been in my son-in-laws family for about 35-40 years < who owns the home now, your son in law or do his parents still own it and rent it to him & yoour daughter ? what I found was this WikiAnswers - What is the law governing adverse possession in Massachusetts Your free to continue to search MA law since this was only the first link that came up with search. Its possible the best way to deal with it if they do not meet any state defined AP time frames is for them to get own survey and if the two surveys agree is to save face and be polite and negotiate to move the BBQ then after a utility line check pound into the ground copper grounding rod cut in multiple short lengths in order to mark property lines in a way that can be found in the future with metal detector incase there is any other problem.