Home crumbles under water damage from neighboring property, resulting in $640,000 in compensation

QUICK HITS

• In 2016, water pooling along a property line, traced back to a neighbour’s sump pump, contained harmful bacteria like E. coli. The neighbour failed to fix it due to financial constraints and lack of insurance.
• The Ontario Superior Court of Justice case highlighted the severe consequences of neglecting property maintenance, with the plaintiff’s home collapsing due to pooling water, leading to a significant legal battle.
• The neighbour was found liable for strict liability, negligence and nuisance, resulting in the plaintiff being awarded $487,211 for home replacement costs, $18,143.53 for additional expenses, $35,577.99 in pre-judgment interest and $100,000 in legal costs.

Neighbours owe each other a duty of care to avoid causing property damage, yet common sources of damage include water flooding from sump pumps, septic systems or poorly maintained eavestroughs.

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice case Warren v. Gluppe highlights the significant consequences of failing to uphold this duty.

Contaminated water encroaching on property

In 2016 in Prince Edward County, Ontario, the plaintiff noticed water pooling along the property line, traced back to his neighbour’s sump pump. The water contained harmful bacteria like E. coli. Despite acknowledging the issue, the neighbour did not fix it, claiming financial constraints and lack of insurance.

The municipality ordered the neighbour to redirect the sump pump water away from the plaintiff’s property, but the solution failed. By the end of 2016, the pooling water caused the plaintiff’s home to collapse, making it uninhabitable.

The plaintiff sued the neighbour in December 2016. The trial took place in 2023. An engineer testified that the neighbour’s failed attempts to reroute the sump pump water caused the house to collapse. The neighbour’s septic system also violated the Ontario Building Code, contributing to the problem. As well, the plaintiff showed that the neighbour failed to properly maintain his eavestroughs, resulting in further water saturation on this property and putting the property’s foundation at risk.

Neighbour liable for several reasons

The court found the neighbour liable for three reasons:

1. Strict liability (Rylands v. Fletcher): The neighbour’s sump pump and septic system were considered non-natural uses of the land (discharge of water from the basement through faulty pipes along the property), and their failure caused damage, which had nothing to do with “the laws of nature.”

2. Negligence (Alfarano v. Regina): The neighbour did not adequately reroute the sump pump water, maintain the septic system or repair the eavestroughs, all of which posed foreseeable risks to the plaintiff’s property.

3. Nuisance (Antrim Truck Centre Ltd. v. Ontario): The neighbour’s actions substantially and unreasonably interfered with the plaintiff’s use and enjoyment of his property, leading to its collapse and contamination.

The decision

The plaintiff was awarded $487,211 for the replacement cost of his home, $18,143.53 for maintenance, repair, travel and accommodation costs, $35,577.99 in pre-judgment interest and $100,000 in legal costs.