Rain Run off from neighbor! Help!

Contact Local Building Department / City Hall - this is illegal in every place I can think of

gotta love the neighbours! Can you install a French drain where the water comes in? we did this in a home we had with the same issue, my husband dug a trench along the side of the fence (down about 12") put gravel on the bottom, then placed the french drain pipe on top, covered all with soil and seeded the area with grass seed. The water would hit the drain and go down rather than pool or run across the yard. It doesn't cost much to do but does take a bit of work to dig the trench.

Call City hall. they have rules about that.

YES! Check City hall first.

If you don't get some kind of resolution (or if you don't want to piss off your neighbor by "tattling"), then I'd put in a French drain.

I had TERRIBLE run off of rain and water coming straight into the house. Words of advice....dig about 12" down; put a GOOD layer of small stones, get perforated pipe and cover with landscapers cloth and put the holes face DOWN onto the stones.

2 reasons; the cloth protects the holes from clogging with sand and dirt and the water will drain onto the stones and if there is alot of water, it will rise from the stones and enter the pipe.

Or if you have the sense of humor ...dig the top soil out where the water is draining, add some crushed stone and make a small creek along the property line...add some ornamental grasses and some moisture loving plants and make it a focal point. :-)

Do you have a homeowners association? If not, I agree, city hall. Not a very nice neighbor!

What a schmucky neighbor, he/she knew what they were doing. Highly illegal and here they would just get sued . .

Being a nice person, I would first attempt to speak with them to find a better solution for the problem. If unsuccessful, City / Town Hall Building and Safety is where you need to go. Document everything. Take photos, keep a log, video - the more proof you have the easier it will be to have remedied quickly. Good luck!

Wow! Yes, contact the city! I just spent thousands of of dollars building a retaining wall and a rainwater detention area behind it so that the run-off from my new garage and driveway would soak into the ground and wouldn't flood my neighbors! I was told at the beginning of the project that natural runoff was OK, but if I altered the runoff in anyway, then I could be liable for damages. Even collecting the rainwater in a cistern with an overflow to the neighbor's property could cause trouble. Something as simple as a rain garden in your neighbor's yard could solve the problem, or you could build a berm and retention area/rain garden in your yard. The french drain would have to lead to the city storm drain system, and not drain onto a lower neighbor.

I believe this is actionable in small claims court. BUT you should have a friendly talk with him first. Take tons of picture when it is raining for proof in court.

call your lawyer

My locality has laws that forbid neighbors from altering the natural flow of water & causing damage to another. Check with your municipal planning/building departments about any such rules. Small claims court can be used to collect damages. If you cannot get your neighbor to correct this by asking Write him a letter so you have documentation & take pictures. If he was a reasonable person, he could add drain pipes or a French drain to send water to the street storm drains. If he has homeowners liability insurance, he could use that to pay for damage if you win in small claims court. Good Luck.

Document even your first talk. I would aproach it with symapthetic concern, not anger or castigation. "I am so sorry you went to so much work to fix your runoff problem. But you made it mine now and that cannot go on." Ask what he can do to fix it. Ask what ideas he has. If he immediatley does not fix it, go to the city right away. Keep it moving is the best way to get it resolved with the least pain to the neighborly relations.