M has an interesting question about a shared retaining wall. Who is responsible for fixing it?

Hello Diane,

I just saw your blog and it caught my eye on a situation I am going through.

Last summer 2013 I closed on a house.  A couple months ago, my neighbor (who's backyard faces up to mine --- I'm on a hill, her yard is at the bottom of it) started complaining about a retaining wall that divides her backyard and mine.  This wall is deteriorating and buckling on her side.  She says the wall is 100% my property and I need to fix it.  The wall is made of concrete cinder block and runs from one end of the block/street to the other, dividing all the houses on my block from the houses on her block.  The wall is connected so there is no "stop and end" in each person's yard.

My survey didn't indicate this wall.  I contacted my surveyor about this and he revised it to show the wall.  He said it now shows the wall is on the property line both hers and mine.  My neighbor showed me her survey and hers shows the wall is all on my property.  (No history of this wall's construction can be found as it was built in the mid 1950's.)

I went back again to my surveyor and he is revising the survey yet again (for second time since my closing in 2013).  

My question is: who is responsible for fixing this wall if both surveys are different ? Regardless of this, wouldn't I be able to file a claim with surveyor or title insurance because my original survey did not represent this wall on it ?  Had I known about this wall before my closing, I would have waited on purchasing this house.

Trying to avoid an expensive lawsuit here and my neighbor is starting to get everyone involved that lives on both sides of both blocks.

Thank you,

M

Hi, M:  Thanks for sending your question.  I am always interested in these types of situations.If this is an old plan chances are that the developer constructed the retaining wall for the benefit of lot owners above and below the wall.  It may have been a requirement of the local government who approved the plans but in any event, I think you are unlikely to find someone to take responsibility for the maintenance of the retaining wall. It's just one of those things that no one pays attention to until there is a problem. It's sort of like a private road.  Many have no maintenance agreements, they are just there.  Once the road falls apart, then lot owners have to come to an agreement or let the road go to pot.

I would pursue - with the help of a competent attorney - finding an agreement amongst all of the lot owners above and below the wall.  Afterall, if the land slides, the houses on both sides will be damaged and it serves no good purpose to let the wall fall for lack of agreement when some shared cost of maintenance will help everyone.  I hope this helps and good luck.

Diane