Neighbors can be strangers, friendly acquaintances, and close friends — but it's not always an easy relationship.
That's what one Redditor was dealing with when they discovered water damage to their lawn and shed, and they traced the source back to their neighbor's house.
The original poster explained in a post on the r/homeowners subreddit that the folks next door had done work on their property and rerouted their water drainage pipes straight into the OP's backyard.
"This has caused major flooding in our backyard. Our shed is shifting," they wrote. "I am going to the city and my insurance company next week."
It's a tricky situation, especially since their neighbor has been tough to talk to in the past.
How communities handle natural resources can come with disputes, and water drainage is no exception. Still, the best thing to do is to talk with one another and figure out what's best for each person's home.
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At the end of the day, neighbors typically live on divided parts of the same general land, so it's in everyone's best interest to take good care of the soil, water, and buildings, whether that means proper trash maintenance, dog poop pickup, or water drainage.
In this case, contacting the city and insurance yielded no help — talking it out was the answer, the homeowner explained in updates to their post.
"Hubby talked to neighbor, who admitted he had a water problem. Sounds like he's willing to fix our yard," they wrote.
Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
Absolutely not 
Yes — it's part of the deal 
Only in extreme circumstances 
We should ban HOAs 
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Things may be improving, but the Reddit thread still answered the call for advice.
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"Talk to a lawyer," one wrote, echoing a common sentiment. "Just like HR, your insurance company is not on your side."
"Most HOA's don't allow diverting water onto another's properties," another advised.
"Talk to your neighbor," a third wisely said. "It could be as simple as them redirecting a drain pipe."
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