Homeowner Seeks Solutions After Neighbor’s New Addition Destroys Property: ‘Talk to a Lawyer’

Neighbors can be strangers, friendly acquaintances, or close friends, but it’s not always an easy relationship.

That’s what one Reddit user was facing when he discovered water damage on his lawn and shed, and traced the source to his neighbor’s house.

The original poster explained in a post on the r/homeowners subreddit that the people next door had done work on their property and rerouted their water drain pipes directly into the OP’s backyard.

“This has caused significant flooding in our yard. Our shed is moving,” they wrote. “I’m going into town and to my insurance company next week.”

It’s a tricky situation, especially since it’s been difficult to talk to their neighbor in the past.

How communities manage natural resources can give rise to disputes, and water drainage is no exception. Still, the best thing to do is to talk to each other and figure out what’s best for each person’s home.

Ultimately, neighbors usually live on divided portions of the same land, so it is in everyone’s best interest to take care of the land, water and buildings, whether it is a good maintenance of waste, collection of dog droppings or water evacuation.

In this case, contacting the city and insurance didn’t help — talking about it was the answer, the homeowner explained in his post updates.

“My husband spoke to a neighbor, who admitted to having a water problem. Looks like he’s ready to fix our yard,” they wrote.

Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change yards?

Absolutely not

Yes, that’s part of the deal

Only in extreme circumstances

We should ban HOAs

Click on your choice to see the results and express your opinion

Things may be improving, but the Reddit thread still responded to the call for advice.

“Talk to a lawyer,” one wrote, echoing a common sentiment. “Just like HR, your insurance company is not on your side.”

“Most HOAs don’t allow water to be diverted to other people’s properties,” another advised.

“Talk to your neighbor,” a third wisely said. “It could be as simple as rerouting a drain pipe.”

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