Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Maryland

I own a row home in the city of Baltimore. My neighbors porch caved in over 2 yrs ago and since then I have had water coming into my basement thru the adjoining wall. I have tried to talk to him many times about this problem and he has yet to fix it! Now my floor in area above is sinking because the walls are deteriorating and I'm headed for even bigger problems! What can I do to resolve this? I do not have money for an attorney


Asked on 5/29/16, 6:38 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Cedulie Laumann Arden Law Firm, LLC

1. If the condition of neighboring property violates housing code, one can call the city code enforcement - if officials issue a violation the property owner will likely be obliged to correct.

2. An aggrieved individual can file suit in the District Court with or without an attorney. If the amount is under $5,000, some of the more formal and technical rules of evidence are relaxed. Some District Courts have a "pro se" or self-represented help clinic where a party can get assistance with selecting and filling out the right forms.

3. it may help to get a contractor's opinion as to what is needed to fix any foundation problem and what steps, if any, you can do in or around your home to waterproof or divert water away from the foundation regardless of what adjacent property owners do.

While the above is not legal advice, I hope that the general information offers a starting point. Note that you may lose legal rights with the passage of time and that it may help to seek an attorney's professional opinion, even if you do not retain for full representation.

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Answered on 5/31/16, 7:17 am


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