Mr. X found a property listing showing a beautiful 60-acre property located by a peaceful river, with municipal road access, and garbage pick. He had plans to sever the property and build two cottages for his children to enjoy. In order to see if the property was able to be severed, his lawyer told him he had to contact the municipality and disclose his plans to sever the property and build on the severed lots. Unfortunately, when he contacted the municipality, they told him that the property was landlocked.

What Does Landlocked Mean?

Landlocked means that a property is inaccessible via public road access but is accessible through an adjoining property or lot. Essentially, this means that the only way to access the property is through the properties that surround it.

How Does Property Become Landlocked?

Property can be landlocked for several reasons such as: subdivision, eminent domain, or even may have occurred because of a natural disaster making a once accessible public road no longer accessible. Sometimes it is not obvious that the property is landlocked, as the property may appear to have a public road passing in front of it, but that may not be the case.

How Do I know if a Property is Landlocked?

With some properties it is easy to tell that the property has no road access by looking at a map. Others, it may be more difficult and require you to contact the municipality for guidance.

What if my Property is Landlocked?

Landlocked property unfortunately results in a parcel of land that virtually has no value because of the lack of access to it.

Connect With Suzanne Desrosiers Professional Corporation

In our example above, the only way Mr. X knew that his potential purchase was landlocked, was because he had plans to sever the property and needed permission from the municipality for his property plans. If Mr. X was not informed by a lawyer that he needed permission for his property plans, there was a possibility that the landlocked property would have gone unnoticed, and he would have gone through with a purchase of a property that would not have been accessible to him. It is imperative that if you are looking at purchasing or selling a property and have any questions regarding the steps you should take to help ensure a smooth transaction, please feel free to reach out to Suzanne Desrosiers Professional Corporation by calling us at (705) 268-6492 or emailing us at info@sdlawtimmins.com and we would be more than happy to help!