My neighbor has a retaining wall on our property line that needs repair. What can I do?

ANSWER

The BIDaWIZ Team's Answer:

The general rule is that local law will dictate the proper treatment in this case. Generally speaking, the District of Columbia follows common law property rules, which means you're typically responsible for improvements to structures situated on your property. However, we're assuming that your neighbor originally built the retaining wall? Is there any mention of who bears the responsibility of the retaining wall in the title documents? Also, do you know if your roots from your trees are the cause for the need to repair the wall? If this is the case, you'll likely need to pay for the cost of the repairs as per DMCA Section 199. However, if you can show that the neighbor was negligent in building the wall in the first place, your argument may have merit.