The best magazine
- 1). Talk to your neighbors regularly as soon as the first salesman arrives. This lets you compare the terms being offered for your leases and makes you aware of any terms offered that are unfair or misleading.
- 2). Keep careful records of every conversation you have with representatives of the gas company. Since there are no specific legal protections for owners who sign gas leases, breaking the lease requires legal action. Keeping records helps you prove that you have been misled or subjected to high-pressure salesmanship.
- 3). Search for other landholders (neighbors or otherwise) who have been the victim of similarly bad leases signed with the same gas company. If you do have grounds to take legal action, do so as a group. This is called a "class action" lawsuit.
- 4). Contact your state's attorney general's office and complain to them. They may be willing to open an investigation into suspicious practices, as the attorney general of New York State did in 2008. Having the power and public visibility of the attorney general behind you can be a powerful incentive to the gas company to offer you a better lease.
Source: ...