Buy half of neighbor’s lot
Hello! We are looking into buying half of our neighbor’s lot, to create a subdivision of their lot and integrate it into ours. They do not use half of it - it is a rundown garden, and we could use the space.
Does somebody know what the legal process is (beyond the online information of the Application for submission in the Berkeley Municipal Code) and how does it work? Is this doable and are there additional guidelines available or a person that we can contact to understand how to do it?
Thanks in advance!
Apr 20, 2024
Parent Replies
The process would be a lot line adjustment. It's doable as long as the resultant lots (yours & your neighbors) still meet the City's zoning requirements. You'd need to hire a surveyor to do this work.
The first professional you would need is a surveyor to define the lot split, followed by an appraiser to value it, than an engineer to create both new parcels concurrent with an attorney for the purchase & sale contract. Then a title company. I would not think this needs to be a subdivision (more complicated) but maybe there's some special circumstances. You'd want to make sure your neighbor's new parcel doesn't decrease in size below minimum lot size in your zoning district, and that your new lot doesn't exceed maximum lot size (unusual). I haven't done this but I am a city planner who has worked for local cities.