This page is general information, not legal advice. For a real dispute, read your deed and any recorded agreement and speak to a Florida real estate attorney.
Who pays for a shared driveway?
Who pays for a shared driveway depends on the paperwork, not on a fixed Florida rule that splits costs. Look for a recorded easement or a maintenance agreement in your deed or closing file. If it sets shares, follow it. If nothing is written, neighbors commonly split the cost of the part they both use and each pays for the part only they use, but that is custom, and a court looks at the documents and the facts.
How do I find out whether an agreement exists?
Check the papers from your purchase first: the deed, the survey and the title policy, which lists recorded easements. The Miami-Dade Clerk keeps the official records and they can be searched by name. A title company or an attorney can run the search for a fee. Older Miami neighborhoods with narrow lots often share a drive with nothing more than a line on an old plat.
My neighbor will not pay. Can I replace only my half?
You can usually work on the part that lies on your own land, and my half is how most owners describe it. Two practical limits apply. First, you must not block or damage the neighbor's right to use the driveway if an easement gives them one. Second, a joint down the middle between new and old concrete has to be planned so the two sides stay level. Get a survey so the line is certain, and tell the neighbor in writing before work begins.
Can a contractor's trucks use a shared driveway?
Only with care, and ideally with the neighbor's agreement. Concrete trucks are heavy enough to crack a residential slab, so we keep them on the street where possible and move concrete by pump or buggy. If trucks or equipment must cross the shared part, agree beforehand who pays if it is damaged, and take photos of its condition first.
We both want it replaced. How should we set it up?
Put it in a short written agreement before anyone is hired. Cover the scope, the price, each owner's share, who signs the contract and who pays what when. Ask the contractor for one quote that shows the two shares. Then record an agreement on future upkeep, so the next owners of both houses are covered too.
The neighbor's side is crumbling and it is harming mine. What can I do?
Begin with a friendly conversation and photos. If there is a recorded maintenance agreement, point to it. If the broken section is a safety problem on a shared access, city or county code enforcement may be able to act. Beyond that, the route is a letter from an attorney, and the cost of that is worth weighing against simply fixing the shared strip and keeping the peace.
Can my neighbor park on or block the shared part?
Generally not, if you hold an easement to pass over it. An access easement gives each owner the right to get through, and neither may block the other. The exact rights are in the easement wording. Where nothing is recorded, the answer is less clear and needs legal advice.
This page is general information, not legal advice. For a real dispute, read your deed and any recorded agreement and speak to a Florida real estate attorney. For a price on your own property, ask for a free on-site estimate with a written quote. Call (786) 705-4727, or text a photo of the concrete to the same number.