does my neighbor have to move the dirt from property line?

Question

i LIVE IN CALIFORNIA AND MY NEIGHBOR HAS PUSHED DIRT TO MY PROPERTY LINE CAUSING WATER TO SEEP DOWN TOWARDS MY BUILDING CAUSING VERY WET CONDITIONS....DO THEY HAVE TO REMEDY IT?

Answer 1

yes in real estate law they must and repair the damage

Answer 2

I don't know about California, but where I live, one homeowner can direct runoff towards another and the next guy has to deal with it. We built a subdivision with a retention pond and the overflow pipe pointed right at the neighbor's dog house and his finished basement with sliding glass doors. There wasn't a damn thing he could do about it, except divert the water down to the next neighbor.

There may be exceptions, especially in your case, where the neighbor has done something to cause it, but if he is diverting water that would have flowed from your property to his, then it was your water to begin with. The best thing to do is file a complaint and the building inspector will come and look at it. It's a 50/50 proposition whether he can do this or not, but the inspector will know what the laws are. From your description, it's not a slam dunk case of impropriety on the neighbor's part.

Answer 3

Before contacting the city or county, I would strongly advise talking to the neighbor first. I don't know what kind of people they are, but you might get better results talking to them first. After all, you are only a few feet from their home.

Answer 4

Got an idea. File an home owners damage claim and maybe your insurance company will deal with your neighbors. Honest answer would be that you would have to take them to court

Answer 5

Yes, contact the county code enforcement to start and if they aren't the ones to contact perhaps they can direct you to the right place.

Answer 6

Yes, someone dumped their grass clipping on my lawn and they have no right to do it.