Looking for lawyer specialized in construction law.

A developer with a nasty reputation bought the lot next to our building and now wants us to give permission to underpin our building. We feel bullied and need good legal advice on how to proceed with this. Any recommendations welcome! Thanks.

ajeb

in Legal 11 years and 2 months ago

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transworld | 11 years and 2 months ago

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Bottom line is that a city would die if no new developments were allowed, and nobody wants that.

jcarch | 11 years and 2 months ago

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I agree w/ concord…that’s a really useful link SoSlope. But the article says that the license was denied because the developer has alternate means of constructing the building. My guess is that this must have been a pretty wide site – likely 60′ or more, where part of the building could be cantilevered or otherwise supported without the need for underpinning. The implication is, I think, that if there was no “alternate method” available, that the license would have been granted. So for narrower lots, my guess is that the legal battle to deny the developer the right to underpin would be long, expensive, and fruitless. It’s likely better to craft a good and ironclad deal that protects your interests in every way possible. jcarch ———————— James Cleary Architecture brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/jamescleary

concord | 11 years and 2 months ago

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Great post so slope. At he very least the OP can contact the author of the article (firm in article) for a consultation or recommendation… Good to know.

SoSlope | 11 years and 2 months ago

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jcarch: I am also not an attorney, but it seems that there may be legal precedent allowing a homeowner to block the developer from underpinning. See: http://www.cozen.com/admin/files/publications/NYLJ%20Art.%2011-22-10.pdf At a minimum the original poster probably has a lot of leverage. No developer is going to want to delay the project while fighting through the courts, especially with legal precedent possibly against them. I would probably demand that the developer reimburse me for the expense of hiring my attorney and a structural engineer as well as post a significant bond.

Townie | 11 years and 2 months ago

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All very good advice. Documentation is very important and should be done by a professional. Also just because a contractor has insurance does not mean you will be able to collect if something should go wrong while performing excavation/foundation work. Insurance companies will dispute your claim for as long as it takes and then offer pennies on the dollar towards you damages. Years and years. If it were me and the building next door was not an owner occupied building i would not give them so much as an inch of wiggle room. Developers will sell off the units and then dissolve the corporation. The DoB is not concerned with neighboring buildings until a complaint is made.

transworld | 11 years and 2 months ago

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I will be the devil advocate here, but yes, virtually every new construction in brooklyn need to underpin their neighbors. I understand nobody wants to go through that, but there’s no choice, and it’s part of living all together. We need more housing in the city, and surely we have to work all together on that. I had to underpin two buildings next to me, and i was lucky enough that my neighbors were OK with that. I had no paper to sign and no lawyers to retain. I fixed all the cracks and defect for these foundations, which were in very bad shape. Everybody was happy to be on new footings. Sometimes it pays to have people underpinning your building.

wiley | 11 years and 2 months ago

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ajeb- let us know who you wind up working with as they could prove to be a good resource for others, actually me- as I’ll be facing the same situation in a year or so

slopefarm | 11 years and 2 months ago

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Yes, you’ll want to benamed as additional insured on the policy and you should have your own homeowner’s insurance broker review the policy before you finalize any agreement. You want your broker to tell you that you are adequately protected by the polciy — after all, if the developer’s insurance doesn’t pay, yours may be on the hook, so your broker will protect you by protecting your insurer. Make sure it is clear who to give notice to for the developer’s insurance in the event something should happen. Definitely get a lawyer — there are standard ways of dealing with this. And you’ll want to be indemnified. And you definitely want technical advice on existing conditions, monitoring, and whether they are doing things correctly. etc.

bk1lnite | 11 years and 2 months ago

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Link to the article wiley referred to – http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/realestate/how-to-cope-with-a-neighbors-renovation.html

concord | 11 years and 2 months ago

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While a lawyer is often helpful….what you need here (and the lawyer will tell you this) is suffucient insurance by the developer that protects him and you and your property….many millions of dollars….you need to me named as an insured party in The policy, etc. The Developer should hold you ‘harmless’ – need hold harmless agreement (through lawyer I will suggest)- In Case something goes wrong. You need protection (insurance) which a contract or promise by developer does not provide… Do not know the law on the neighbors right/obligation to underpin your building but it makes sense if the zoning allows for a tall building for which underpinning will be needed as the foundation would be deeper than your building. The agreement should also provide for the Developer to pay for a ‘delapidation survey’ – that is a survey with photos, video, measurements of the existing conditions… Good luck.

jcarch | 11 years and 2 months ago

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I’m an architect, not a lawyer, but my understanding is that they have a legal right to underpin. Maybe others can confirm this. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t force them to go to court to get a judgement against you to have that right enforced, and doesn’t mean that you can’t sic the DOB on them repeatedly during construction, which gives you and your attorney leverage to be able come to an agreement w/ a developer to protect your property during construction. Make sure that you document existing conditions inside and out. Hire an engineer to review their underpinning plans and if possible monitor their work. You may want to have the property monitored periodically by a surveyor to make sure that there’s no settlement or leaning. Depending on the developer, the lawyers, etc., you may be able to get the developer to agree to pay for all of the above. jcarch ———————— James Cleary Architecture brownstoner.staging.wpengine.com/jamescleary

wiley | 11 years and 2 months ago

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    string(1) "0"
    ["display_name"]=>
    string(5) "wiley"
    ["spam"]=>
    string(1) "0"
    ["deleted"]=>
    string(1) "0"
  }
  ["ID"]=>
  int(54363)
  ["caps"]=>
  array(2) {
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["cap_key"]=>
  string(15) "wp_capabilities"
  ["roles"]=>
  array(2) {
    [0]=>
    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

I don’t have the link here but if you google “new york times how to survive construction next door” – there is a pretty good article and they mention an attorney. I’m curious how your situation develops as I am going to be in a similar situation.