I have been running my elderly bachelor neighbours’ farm for years and they signed a letter leaving it to me. But now their nephew is back and says he is taking over. Where do I stand?

The nephew put the last surviving uncle in a nursing home and told me I have to move my cattle off the farm or start paying rent

Informal arrangement: ‘As the brothers got older, I gradually took over the running of their land over the years. We never put anything in writing’. Photo: Getty — © Getty Images/iStockphoto

Paul Murphy

Query: I have been farming around 40ac for two elderly bachelor brothers for a number of years. They are not related to me, but our families have been very close for decades. I gradually took over the running of their land over the years. We never put anything in writing.