Neighbor's balcony and roof are collapsing—what should I do?

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if I could get some advice regarding a situation I’m dealing with involving my neighbor:
I own a house that shares a property line with my neighbor. Over twenty years ago, while I was away, this neighbor built a balcony and a roof overhang that extend directly over my courtyard. After what feels like an eternity of legal battles, I finally received a court order mandating the removal of that balcony and overhang. I also have the formal enforcement decree (specifically under enforcement order no. xx) to back it up. Since the neighbor refuses to tear down those structures himself, the court has ordered me to hire a contractor to demolish the disputed parts and ensure that everything is sealed properly so rain doesn't leak into his side of the house later on.

Can I just go ahead and hire a crew to take it all down as long as I have a court official and the police present?
Do I need to have a certified structural engineer put together a formal remediation plan?
Should I have a professional survey done to document the current state of things before we start?
Am I required to report these works to the local building inspector or maybe OSHA?
Will I need any additional permits to pull this off?

My lawyer keeps telling me none of that is necessary, but I suppose I just want to be completely prepared for when the demolition date actually arrives.

gentlehawk85 said:Hello everyone,

I was wondering if I could get some advice regarding a situation I’m dealing with involving my neighbor:
I own a house that shares a property line with my neighbor. Over twenty years ago, while I was away, this neighbor built a balcony and a roof overhang that extend directly over my courtyard. After what feels like an eternity of legal battles, I finally received a court order mandating the removal of that balcony and overhang. I also have the formal enforcement decree (specifically under enforcement order no. xx) to back it up. Since the neighbor refuses to tear down those structures himself, the court has ordered me to hire a contractor to demolish the disputed parts and ensure that everything is sealed properly so rain doesn't leak into his side of the house later on.

Can I just go ahead and hire a crew to take it all down as long as I have a court official and the police present?
Do I need to have a certified structural engineer put together a formal remediation plan?
Should I have a professional survey done to document the current state of things before we start?
Am I required to report these works to the local building inspector or maybe OSHA?
Will I need any additional permits to pull this off?

My lawyer keeps telling me none of that is necessary, but I suppose I just want to be completely prepared for when the demolition date actually arrives.

If your own attorney—the one who actually knows the specifics of your case—is telling you that, how can you expect some random strangers on Reddit to give you anything more useful?😕

If you have an attorney and you're paying them, then trust their advice. If you don't trust them, grab your files and go find someone else you actually respect.☕

Susan Thompson15 said:If your own attorney—the one who actually knows the specifics of your case—is telling you that, how can you expect some random strangers on Reddit to give you anything more useful?😕

If you have an attorney and you're paying them, then trust their advice. If you don't trust them, grab your files and go find someone else you actually respect.☕

I guess I was just hoping to hear from someone who had actually dealt with this exact kind of mess before. It wouldn't be the first time I've ended up facing some pretty unpleasant consequences just because I was relying on lawyers who weren't quite as competent as they claimed to be.

gentlehawk85 said:Hello everyone,

I was wondering if I could get some advice regarding a situation I’m dealing with involving my neighbor:
I own a house that shares a property line with my neighbor. Over twenty years ago, while I was away, this neighbor built a balcony and a roof overhang that extend directly over my courtyard. After what feels like an eternity of legal battles, I finally received a court order mandating the removal of that balcony and overhang. I also have the formal enforcement decree (specifically under enforcement order no. xx) to back it up. Since the neighbor refuses to tear down those structures himself, the court has ordered me to hire a contractor to demolish the disputed parts and ensure that everything is sealed properly so rain doesn't leak into his side of the house later on.

Can I just go ahead and hire a crew to take it all down as long as I have a court official and the police present?
Do I need to have a certified structural engineer put together a formal remediation plan?
Should I have a professional survey done to document the current state of things before we start?
Am I required to report these works to the local building inspector or maybe OSHA?
Will I need any additional permits to pull this off?

My lawyer keeps telling me none of that is necessary, but I suppose I just want to be completely prepared for when the demolition date actually arrives.

You can't really expect anyone to give you a meaningful answer based on the details provided here, especially when we're talking about a "longstanding legal dispute."

People here can only speculate, which might actually end up leading you down the wrong path. Questions like this, after years of litigation, aren't meant for an online forum; they're for someone who actually has your specific case files sitting right in front of them.