Who's accountable for repairing/replacing sidewalk segments?

[JM Aggie08]

We moved into our new house ~2 months ago, and noticed that a segment of sidewalk between ours and a neighbors home is recessed, resulting in water to pool and not drain properly. This has caused mildew to build up on the neighbors side of the sidewalk, and has led to a persistent mud trench in the grass dividing our homes, due to the poor drainage.

Our home is 1.5 years old. The neighborhood is still being built out -- would this be on the builders, city, or us (owners) to have this fixed? It's fairly obvious that the sidewalk is the problem -- the damn piece is concave! Also, there aren't any other sections with these issues in the rest of the neighborhood.

 

[DietDrThunder]

Contact the builder. Depending on your city, once your neighborhood or street is completed, it becomes a homeowner issue.

Also, you might want to get the builder to install a french drain.

 

[Scarpozzi]

There are companies that will dig below the slab and insert baffles they can fill with air to "lift" the slab. Once they do that they have ways of filling in the sunken soil with either additional concrete or a grout material.

My point is, the concrete itself might could be salvaged for cheap without busting/repouring as long as the source of the sinkage is solved (fixing the underlying drainage/soil issue). In many cases, just digging around the sidewalk and dumping additional gravel/sand under the topsoil can help drainage.

 

[BoomerD]

If it’s a “city” sidewalk...it’s on the homeownerto maintain it. Between two houses...whose side of the property line is it on?
You MIGHT be able to get the builder to fix it...but don’t count on it. MOST builders only guarantee their work for a year.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

If the neighborhood hasn't completed its buildout then get the builder to fix it. If they decline, politely tell them you will provide free entry to prospective buyers to show them all the things wrong that could impact sales and start with the lousy sidewalk issue. Dick move? Not of my opinion as I had to go to great lengths to get the builder to fix a similar problem and threatened to get Clark Howard involved. That alone got their butts into gear and fix the problem. I had asked nice. I then asked. I then asked not nicely. I then offered up CH.

 

[IronWing]

Who is Clark Howard?

 

[Printer Bandit]

 

[who?]

In Wisconsin the homeowner is responsible for the sidewalk, in Arkansas it's the city's responsibility,

 

[UnklSnappy]

Around here it's the city/towns responsibility. The town just recently replaced most of the sidewalk in front of my house due to tree roots heaving up sections.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I also think the jurisdiction greatly depends on if the property is in a planned community (e.g. HOA controlled) or not. I know a lot of HOA communities have to cover the cost of paving roads in their planned community and this comes out of the HOA fund. But outside of it in such an early buildout neighborhood sounds like the builder needs to address the situation as it gives the appearance the builder can't even build a sidewalk. Why buy a home from said idiot builder? Put up a sign at the section of sidewalk saying Builder Can't Build Sidewalks, Don't buy a House From Him.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I would guess it's the city's responsibility and I'd contact their public works department. If they're still building in the neighborhood, I'd also contact the builder to see if they could repair it. I'd start with those 2 places first.

 

[JM Aggie08]

Thanks, folks!