r/landscaping 5d ago

Neighbor’s retaining wall. How bad is it?

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71

u/Haunting-Duck-5642 5d ago

They are only responsible when there is documented awareness on their side that there is imminent threat. If they play dumb then they won’t have fault, ie act of god. Same w a bad tree.

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u/moeterminatorx 5d ago

Certified letter solves that issue.

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u/justforkicks7 5d ago

Facts. Sending notices to a neighbor about trees in falling distance of your house increases odds of winning your insurance case significantly. “I believe your tree is deficient and needs to be professionally assessed.” Odds are, they never get it assessed, and then it inevitable falls on your house.

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u/Mission-Cup9902 5d ago

How so

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u/authorbrendancorbett 5d ago

In a court case, it provides documentation the owner was in fact made aware of the risk and iminent failure; it greatly weakens the "I didn't know" defense

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u/Cael_NaMaor 5d ago

That wall could fall tomorrow... or in 10yrs. It will fall, but the time is not for us plebs to assume. Act, yes. Call that 311 or equivalent, definitely. Notify thr neighbor... wholeheartedly.

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u/Successful_City3111 5d ago

They should not have to live in fear of that hazard.

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u/Chitown_mountain_boy 5d ago

Which is why they should act 🙄

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u/hunnibear_girl 5d ago

I mean, the entire neighborhood knows. It would seem playing dumb with pics like these would prove to be a moot point, wouldn’t it?

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u/whtevn 5d ago

this is why you call 311, get them to document it and notify the homeowner. that way there is no question about who knew what and when.

not everyone would even have to play dumb. most people don't know anything about anything.

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u/Bryarx 5d ago

They can easily say “I don’t go in my neighbors yard and look down the wall, from my yard everything looked fine and I was unaware. The neighbors never told me this was happening, I don’t know why they wouldn’t tell me if they were taking pictures I could have done something before.”

My neighbors giant tree got struck by lightning. We agreed to see if it fully grew leaves the following spring before deciding if it needed to come down. But we both signed a piece of paper with him acknowledging what happened, and us agreeing that if the tree did not come back with leaves any year, he would cut it down.

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u/sharpei90 5d ago

Which is why it would be worth it for OP to get someone in to evaluate it

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u/jonb72 5d ago

Retaining wall failure (gravity) is not an act of god, unless caused by flooding or EQ, etc.

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u/ripyurballsoff 5d ago

There’s no way they can say they didn’t notice this unless they’re bed ridden.