Services Offered

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Why can't I just negotiate the right of way easement on my own?

There is undue risk associated with negotiating these easements without a knowledgeable advocate, mainly because if two reasons: land rights and money. The language of the easement agreement sometimes takes advantage of the landowner by convincing them to sign over extra rights that the power company doesn't necessarily need. For example, the power company may have a clause that allows them to sublease the easement to third parties. Another service provider such as a cable company could then sublease space on the existing easement. The cable company would be paying a monthly rent to the power company for the use of your land. Considering that the power line easements generally involve a one-time payment to you, this subleasing setup is more than unfair to you since you rightfully own the land. One of our goals is to limit the rights that you give the power company. We have dealt with many of these negotiations and as familiar with the language as the power companies are. Just because you aren't knowledgeable in the field of easement acquisition doesn't mean you should be swindled out of your property rights.

Another benefit of our services is to maximize the dollar amount you will receive from the power company. Since this is a one-time payment, there is no possibility of renegotiating to a better offer in the future. These easement are perpetual, and because they have no expiration, the amount you receive from the initial negotiation is of great importance. While your attorney will likely be well-versed in the legal aspect of the transaction, we are able to use our proprietary knowledge of comparable acquisition prices to insure you the best price for your land rights. You may think that researching comparable acquisition rates in your area would be a good place to start negotiations, but that information is not only difficult to come by, it also isn't the only figure to be considered. Other things to take into consideration when valuing the worth of your easement are the easement's restrictions on your property, the area of land that would be rendered unproductive by access roads and other structures, and the impact of the easement on existing and future building sites. The loss of rent, subdivision potential (real as opposed to speculative), loss of vegetation or agriculture potential, and loss of other profits are also things that could affect the value of your easement. We strongly suggest that you don't go through these negotiations blindly. Please contact us and let us know your specific situation. We will be able to maximize the money you receive from the power company while minimizing the rights you give up over your land.