water in cellar from neighbour

My neighbour´s downspout is not connected to the sewer line, and all the water from their roof spills on the back near the property line. This causes the corner of my cellar to be wet. I have contacted them several times over the past year about this problem, but they are not responding. what should I do?

lagoon

in Roofers 11 years and 5 months ago

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trudylou | 11 years and 4 months ago

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Our downspout is also not connected to the sewer but there is an extension on the pipe so that it spills onto river rocks about 8 ft into the yard where it can soak into the dirt. Our basement is dry and I’ve never heard from the neighbors. Might that work for your neighbor?

lagoon | 11 years and 5 months ago

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@Cate: my rear wall just has been sealed with concrete and a layer of waterproofing 10ft down. The water is only in the corner to the property. @Dave – good idea Is there a way I can file a DOB complaint online?

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Yes, a letter from your lawyer warning them about all sorts of things might prod them

Arkady | 11 years and 5 months ago

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You might see if you can get an EPA violation on them. Perhaps warn them that you’re going to do so.

daveinbedstuy | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Get your lawyer involved

cate | 11 years and 5 months ago

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I guess you can see all the water there and it is obvious that is the cause? Is it making their basement wet too? If you need to double check, on a clear sunny day you can get out the hose and run it where you see their water going (or into the downspout on the roof) and see what happens in your basement. If you see water in the same place, then you know that’s the problem. There are several things you can do: *Make sure your back patio slopes away from the house, so water runs off into your yard, not your basement. *Cover cracks and joins with cement to keep the water out. *With your neighbors’ permission and at your expense, have your roofer attach a longer downspout to their existing one that carries the water farther into their backyard. You can use a flexible plastic sleeve also. Both cost almost nothing. If you are still having problems, you might need to repoint the rear of your cellar wall. We had a similar issue but it was caused by a neighbor’s drainpipe cracked underground. Guess that isn’t the problem here, since they have disconnected it altogether.