Does your home need the support of...

Does your home need the support of your neighbor?

Just let the neighbor start digging and you’ll find out how much support your home needs.

Happily, the law requires that your property be held up by your neighbor’s property--the technical term is lateral support. So when you see these construction jobs that start as deep holes in the ground, you know that the contractor has provided lateral support for adjoining property.

But, that isn’t all there is to it.

Take the recent case of Lee vs. Takao Building Development Co.

Lee owned a building next to one that had been seriously damaged in a fire. The city ordered the building torn down.

Two months later Takoa bought the property.

Shortly afterward, Lee discovered that the demolition had removed lateral support from his building. The city required that he reinforce his foundation--work which would cost him $90,000.

Lee sued Takoa, insisting that Takoa had an obligation to pay for that work.

Not so, said the judge.

Lee would have had a good case if he had sued the original owner when he removed the lateral support--but Lee couldn’t collect after the building had changed hands.

Moral: When you feel yourself slipping, move quickly.