Neighbors leaking pipes have caused damage to my brownstone.
I have noticed a strange dank smell in our house for the last two months. On returning from a 2 week vacation I noticed major cracks and bubbling of the plaster in the party wall. I ran into one of the tenant who rents next door and he informed me the landlord had recently repaired…
I have noticed a strange dank smell in our house for the last two months. On returning from a 2 week vacation I noticed major cracks and bubbling of the plaster in the party wall. I ran into one of the tenant who rents next door and he informed me the landlord had recently repaired major water damage to his two floors but had not fixed the plumbing. Within a week of the repair to the walls, the water damage is appearing again. I called the landlord to explain the damage to my walls and he denied any problems with his units and claimed he had not done any repairs recently. I haven’t called my insurance company yet, but I need to get my walls fixed before my wife gives birth in 7 weeks. If we meerely patch it and he does not fix his pipes we are back to square one. Any advice would be much appreciated from fellow unhappy homeowners or lawyers.
call 311 and get connected to dep. tell them you think it’s a water main break (even though you obviously don’t.) a crew will come out and check in your basement first. then if they suspect a burst sewer main inside or out of a bldg they will check neighboring bldgs and they will do a dye test of their sewage system. this is how my neighbor was busted for ignoring a sewage main leak in front of his bldg.
Bring your insurance company into the loop and get a structural engineer to look at the problem. You can make an insurance claim to cover the costs of repairs to your house and your insurer will go after the neighbor’s insurance policy for payment (subrogation). A lawyer’s letter may also be necessary to put pressure on the neighbor to make all necessary repairs on their side.
Rick,
Many thanks for the advice.
Cheers
You really need to have the party wall inspected. Call the DOB if you have to. It would be a waste of time to make any repairs until you know for sure the cause of the problem.