What would you do ?

[ROYC75]

Let me back it up here, I've always suspected that the backside of neighbors house had a sewer line or even the main sewer line coming across into my lateral line. Years ago, they allowed landowners with multiple houses together to share the same lateral line. Now I have the proof, his line does tie into mine, matter of fact, it's right up under the deck of my house.

Backing up to 3 years ago, I had to replace about 80% of my lateral line from the bottom of my circle drive to the main city sewer line. That cost me $ 7500.00 and I didn't replace it all because I didn't want to dig up my blacktop drive at the time.


My neighbor has turned into a childish dick ever since his dog followed my dog back to our property and our other dog killed it. To add insult to injury, he slipped on the wet grass and broke his collar bone.

So my question is, do I make him pony up $3750.00 or have him put in his own sewer line, approx. 130 feet ? I would be willing to bet that 130 feet will cost him at least $10K to put in !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Originally Posted by ROYC75

Wow, this place never fails to amaze me. Let me see if I can clear some of the nonsense up here?

We have a perimeter fence around our property. Our Lab didn't have his collar on and wandered across the property line. So, by the time I had walked down to the end of the driveway (at the edge of the house to see what was going on), he was 15 feet across the property line doing what dogs do, licking and sniffing each other's ass's. I commanded him to come back across to my side, as he came back, the neighbor's pain in the ass Yorkie decided to follow him. Having artificial knees, I could not run to the property line fast enough to stop what was about to happen next. My grandson's Pit was there with his shock collar on, as soon as their dog entered 6' inside of our property, it was too late. It had been raining some prior to this time and the neighbor slipped as he tried to run downhill to catch his dog before crossing. He slipped and did a Charlie Brown flop on his back, landing in a way to break his collar bone. I got citated for not having my Lab on a leach, yet he was not citated for the same thing. But he took all of this personal, took the time to give the grandkids a hard time. Telling them, I'm going to kill all of your dogs. Even making threats towards the kid's friends. I had to call the police on him several times about it and even spoke to the Co. Attorney about his threats, causing fear within them. Even after I apologized to him the next day, expressing my sorrow for his dog and his personal injury that was sustained on his property turned into an ass. Nothing worked, he kept on starring at us as we took our pets out on a leash, video us, making threats, playing loud music all day (which I didn't care, we like the same music) even after hours outside. He even started playing the same song all day long, for 16 hrs out of the day! Sad part is, we always got along up to this point, I used to mow his yard for him. He retired as a prison guard, was having some medical issues and a couple of weeks prior to this dog incident, he apologized for being a " asshole " about treat us and anybody around us. I told him then not to think twice about it, that I knew something was up with his demeanor. But this incident flipped him out, he put No Trespassing signs on the trees, paid for a survey crew to mark his property and has put up a fence between us, all within his rights. Please keep in mind, this whole time he had acted like an ass (over medication & emotional duress) I never engaged in his comments and told the kids to not comment. (This attitude of his has gone on for 5 months now and I'm about to send it into orbit).

Keep in mind when we both bought our houses, me in 1998 and he in 2010 , we were not aware of the current sewer line issues or how it was installed back in the 1930's.

Which brings us to date, he dug up a section of my yard to cut into a sewer tile that runs under my deck, to get to my sewer line. (FYI, there is only 10-12 feet between our houses) This line connects between my house and a clean out trap I had installed about 6' from my house. So his line is within 2, maybe 3 feet off the corner of my house! Then it runs about 60' out to the end of my driveway where we put in a cleanout trap and the new line starts, 90' to the city sewer main.

Years ago back in the 30's when both of these houses were built, the same guy that owned the old tobacco warehouse across the street had our houses built to help house the people that worked there (plus the many more on this street). They were boarding houses back in the day, reason they were built side by side, so close on the same sewer line. Building codes were so much different then than now and all of this old tile is giving way! I feel it's just a matter of time before the section between what we did and the house gives in under my blacktop drive.

I need to do something about this scenario with a 1-time, somewhat friend that has turned into a dickhead over pets!

Since I have not approached him yet, I'm leaning towards just letting him put his own line in. But I was wondering if there was another option here for him, cuz we are going to have to revisit this sewer line again. So I was thinking about getting him to own up to 50% of the maintenance is only fair.

[Abba-Dabba]

Sounds like $3750 worth of a hassle. Probably one that would require a real estate attorney. Move on.

[Fish]

If my neighbor came to me with that proposal, after killing my dog...

Sorry, I'd tell you to go **** yourself.

It's not the neighbor's fault that you didn't know where the sewage lines were. Knowing the truth now doesn't make him responsible for your work 3 years ago. I'd suggest saving your recommendation deal and cutting your losses. If anything should need future maintenance, make your stink then.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Did you at least bring him a one-handed treat afterward, like a ice cream cone or corndog?
.

[LoneWolf]

How is the neighbor being a childish dick? Does he look at you with his knowing eyes that you owned and failed to train your psycho dog not to kill other dogs?

You honestly sound like a real piece of shit in this thread. I hope your neighbor drops a growler that clogs the sewer pipe and it backs up into your shower while your using it.

[lewdog]

Let's get back to this dog killing.

What kind of dog was yours that killed his and what kind was his dog?

[Spott]

Did the broken collar bone happen the same day your dog killed his?

[scho63]

CALL JUNGLE LAW!

[Jewish Rabbi]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Let's get back to this dog killing.

What kind of dog was yours that killed his and what kind was his dog?

Let’s not over look the blatant racism either

[scho63]

What would you do for a Klondike Bar?

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Spott

Did the broken collar bone happen the same day your dog killed his?

It definitely sounds like dude was trying to stop his dog from dying and slipped as he was trying to stop it. ROYC went over, took a shit on his lawn, then went in and creampied the dudes wife while the other guy watched his dog die.

[stevieray]

Sounds like a job for EB.

[ghak99]

I can't believe it's legal for him to be connected to your lateral now that there are two separate owners. Anything he puts down his drain has the potential of causing the EPA to **** you faster than you could fight them off.

If it's legal for you to force him off your lateral, I think it's time to build a fence. Good fences make for good neighbors. Just make sure one of the posts accidentally smashes his tile. If he blows up over the accident, let him unknowingly reclaim his freshly fertilized two legged mutt. Once the arguments over the unexpected cost of laying all that pipe in his yard start, mail him the pictures of you laying yours in hers.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by TinyEvel

Does your municipality recognize easements?

In some places, one person's property (a fence, a utility line, a driveway, etc) on another's over a period of time constitutes an existing "de facto" easement and is grandfathered in.

How did you find out his line ties into yours, how long has it been like that, what is it to you? Are you just wanting revenge for him being a dick, or is it something else?

Did he try to sue you for the dog or the collarbone? Did you at least bring him a one-handed treat afterward, like a ice cream cone or corndog?

If you have to live next to the guy for a long time I would suggest not starting a poop war.

There are no easements on sewer laterals. The municipality sewer main runs a connection lateral to the lot line and stubs it off. When the lot is sold and roughed in and ready for plumbing the plumber hired by the land owner runs the main household drainline out and connects to the city or county sewer stub. Long story short is landowner own the house main drain out to municipality right of way which is owners lot line.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

He had to replace the tile from his house to my side of the property, not the current line up to my lateral line, But as to the lateral line , the clay tile had given way to usage, trees, etc. IMHO, if he is going to use this on my property and over the last 12 years I have paid for all of the line maintenance. Going forward, at some point the remaining sewer line will need to be replaced from that point to my house. Why should I be the one paying for all of this if he is sharing it?

Unbelievable the municipality allowed this I would be so pisses. His sewer line backs up so does yours. When he layed the drain line and intersected into yours he got one hell of a deal. I would have a utility marking company mark the line. Then have a surveyor come out locate the flags denoting the underground lateral in relation to property.

But first consult a lawyer who practices boundary laws and disputes. They usually hold a professional land surveyors licence. They should know what can be done here. I think you want that remedied pronto and it should be at their cost not you its your neighbors responsibility . IMO

[srvy]

In my opinion this is an underground encroachment onto your property. But Boundary law statutes can differ state to state.