Homeowner shocked after neighbor makes problematic property change: 'Wondering if this is even legal'

Neighbors can be fantastic to have around, but in some cases, having neighbors is more trouble than it's worth. 

One Redditor shared their troublesome neighbor story in the r/Homeowners subreddit, where they explained the possibly illegal action their neighbor had taken. 

They shared: "Woke up this morning and saw that my neighbor rerouted his gutter drain into my backyard right where my garage sits and I'm wondering if this is even legal. … I'm worried the access water will cause my garage floor to crack."

They also shared a link to a photo of the gutter.

The issue is an annoying problem to deal with and might create financial hardship for the original poster. Other Reddit users were quick to offer advice. 

"In my state/city this is against code and will get you cited," said one person. 

Another Redditor recommended: "Call code enforcement. Take pics and video for evidence."

Commenters had the right idea. The original poster also explained in their post that they had already talked to their neighbor at least once about the problem, but that didn't resolve the issue. In some cases, bringing in the authorities is the only option.

While it would be unfortunate to have to go that far, neighbors like this one can cause a lot of damage to others with moves like this. The original poster was worried about their garage floor cracking, but flooding in their yard could damage the environment, too, as flooding could erode the soil and ruin their yard, leaving them nowhere to enjoy the outdoors or grow flowers. 

Bad neighbors like this one can make it much more challenging for homeowners to create the home of their dreams, whether that includes incorporating climate-friendly or sustainable solutions or simply keeping their yard neat and tidy.

However, in this Redditor's case, things eventually ended up working out without the help of code enforcement. In a reply, the original poster shared: "Thanks everyone for the replies, I went over and asked him to move it which he did."

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