If you buy a piece of property, are the items left on it legally yours at time of settlement?
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If you buy a piece of property, are the items left on it legally yours at time of settlement?
My wife and I bought a piece of land to build a house on, it has a shed located on the property. we attempted to have the shed convey with the purchase but eventually came to signed contact to purchase the property without the shed. 3 weeks went by before our settlement date in which the previous owner had to remove the shed. my wife and I settled on the property with the shed still on the property. The seller never came to settlement and had his realtor sign for him. it has now been almost two weeks after settlement and a company is now trying to remove the shed from my property that I own free and clear. since the shed was still on my property at time of settlement, does that make it legally mine?
Asked on September 24, 2018 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
No, it does not. Simply because something is left on the property when you buy it does not make it yours--by that logic, if the realtor left her briefcase there by mistake, you would own it. If the shed was not included as one of the items being conveyed with property, it does not belong to you--it still belongs to the seller.
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