Water, neighbor's house, been years, end of my rope, help

Submitted by thecw t3_z4inwa in philadelphia

Short version: empty house next door, owner doesn't maintain it. Shitty roof, shitty flashing, shitty siding. The result is that I get water and rodents.

We've done everything possible in our house. Our roof is in perfect shape and gets coated yearly. We've sealed everything we can. We were in good shape and thought maybe we were free, but now I've got water spots again.

We've had GCs tear up our upstairs 4 and 5 times now. I need a contractor who specializes in water remediation. Who can actually do something to buy us a few years of no water.

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Comments

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Bandoman t1_ixrav1z wrote

You can sue the owner for negligence causing damage to your home. Contact a lawyer who specializes in this.

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thecw OP t1_ixrg2le wrote

Any recommendations?

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joeheller22 t1_ixrgojp wrote

My two cents: shop your case to multiple lawyers. It seems open and shut. Someone might take it without retainer

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thecw OP t1_ixrht2n wrote

Have any lawyers you recommend?

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joeheller22 t1_ixrjbis wrote

No but I would look for a reputable local list of “best lawyers” and start there. Think you will need a real estate/civil attorney.

Real estate lawyer will be to tell you your rights as a home owner and if your neighbors negligence is enough from monetary damages.

Most real estate lawyers don’t litigate and like to settle out of court, so given your neighbor has been non responsive, settling is probably a non-starter. That’s where the civil lawyer comes to play, takes the case the real estate lawyer creates and litigates as a civil lawsuit against your neighbor.

Good luck, sounds like a shit situation.

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Bandoman t1_ixsah8j wrote

Try Stuart Lundy from Lundy Beldecos (out of Narberth). 610-668-0777

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Brraaap t1_ixr0q9a wrote

Contact 311, by phone, the app, or this web form

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thecw OP t1_ixr26lr wrote

I've filed 311 complaints, I've called KJ's office. It makes his life difficult and it makes me feel better but it doesn't actually stop the water coming into my house.

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GumshoeAndy t1_ixrgspz wrote

Does KJ actually do anything? I reported a problematic house for years and his staff advised me to move.

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karenmcgrane t1_ixryd58 wrote

Have you contacted Licensing and Inspections directly?

https://www.phila.gov/departments/department-of-licenses-and-inspections/

https://www.phila.gov/departments/department-of-licenses-and-inspections/inspections/code-enforcement/

If L&I issues a violation, the owner has 35 days to fix it or L&I can start legal action.

Also I encourage you to make KJs life difficult, just on principle. I enjoy making his staff contact me even if it does nothing.

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thecw OP t1_ixrz011 wrote

Yeah KJ's office connected me with someone in L+I.

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jesslantis t1_ixrfegp wrote

Lawyer up and get your council representative and congressman involved

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thecw OP t1_ixrg2qw wrote

Any recommendations?

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Running1982 t1_ixsj35n wrote

Find your local rep. They’re usually really responsive as they need your vote.

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throwawaythedo t1_ixtuqci wrote

Some of them are lazy bums, and some of them will actually help you. At the very least, they will point you in the right direction. Here ya go :)

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Opbombshellivy t1_ixyy96k wrote

If you want to tell me what your cross street is I can get you connected to your council person.

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offtonowhere t1_ixs6dng wrote

I can recommend this local leak specialist: https://drleaksphilly.com/

We had a mysterious, extremely intermittent leak that persisted even after several different roofers did repairs. This team will come out and literally test spots with flowing water to recreate the leaks and diagnose. It’s not cheap but they will be able to figure out what’s going on and give you a report that you can take to a contractor (or they’ll do the repair themselves for a premium).

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thecw OP t1_ixs6oqt wrote

Yes. This is what I need. Thank you.

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cielorossa t1_ixumoko wrote

Please do not waste your time on lawyers. Litigation is extremely expensive - and at the end of the day, you would be better served using the lawyer funds to fix your home instead of digging yourself into a debt hole.

Have you contacted the Owner? Do you have a paper trail of letters left to the Owner? Your first action should be notifying the Owner via certified mail so you can prove said Owner has been unresponsive.

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Kimlovestrees t1_ixw9koy wrote

Maybe hire them to diagnose but DO NOT hire them to do the repairs. They charge hourly and their workers run up the cost by making multiple trips to purchase supplies, including days in a row when you KNOW they knew the day before they'd need other stuff. And yes they charge hourly for those supply runs too. Not sure if it's incompetence, poor planning, or intentional to run up the bill but take it from me: do not hire Dr Leaks as contractors.

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MaudlinObscura t1_ixtaqvk wrote

Let me know what you do- we have the exact same problem (contacted L&I, city rep, block captain, and head of RAH) and we still have the same issues. This city doesn’t care. I’ve even contact Curtis Jones and Allan Domb- left on deaf ears.

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throwawaythedo t1_ixtvc22 wrote

Don’t have much more advice than already given, but wanted to say this sounds like a nightmare and I’m sorry you’re going through this. This city is so special in so many ways, but the lack of actual accountability for shitty homeowners is frustrating.

Maybe go to Tik Tok and try to get your story viral. I know it seems childish, but it’s currently our society’s word of mouth.

Good luck

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Romeo_Scorpio t1_ixtlen6 wrote

Get your insurance company involved as well. They will not want to keep paying claims for damages your neighbor is responsible for. They can use their influence along with you to subrogate.

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SouthPhilly_215 t1_ixu904o wrote

You might need a GC… But you also may need a lawyer.

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duhduhman t1_ixrhaeb wrote

contact the owner and tell him whats up before you try to sue. People hold grudges and are crazy in this city

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thecw OP t1_ixrhqow wrote

Been there, done that, he doesn't give a shit. Been polite about it for 9 years and I'm over it.

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