Encroachment conveys the idea of something steadily moving into someone else's space, either physically or metaphorically. It is something that intrudes and has the capacity to impact whatever it comes in contact with.
Physical encroachment, such as new development expanding on a coastline, is one type of encroachment. This type of intrusion usually seems to have a slightly negative connotation, implying anything that intrudes on something and then degrades it in some way.
For example, whenever a property owner violates a neighbor's property rights by constructing or expanding a building on a neighbor's property without permission, it is considered an invasion or encroachment. It can involve the construction of a fence or wall that extends beyond the property's boundaries, or the growth of a tree or a hedge that extends beyond the given area of the property.
It's also referred to as structural encroachment, and it usually happens when the landowner or property owner does not know the boundary of their estate or purposefully chooses to intrude on the property of their neighbor.
Use of the Term in Sentences
- Encroachment is characterized as a violation of the affected party's established property rights.
- Encroachment occurs unknowingly when the landowner is unfamiliar with the actual property lines or has limited information about the property that he or she can legally claim his or her own.