When your drainage problem is coming from next door

On tight GTA lots, water rarely respects the property line. Most of these situations are solvable and a few are not yours to solve.

Understand the original grade

Subdivisions are graded to a plan that moves water along set routes, often between houses. Changes on any lot — a new patio, a raised bed, a fence on a berm — can redirect it.

What you can do on your side

Intercept water before it reaches the problem: a swale along the property line, a drain at the low point, or re-grading your own surface to carry it past.

What needs a conversation

If a neighbour's downspout discharges directly onto your lot, or a change on their side reversed the flow, the practical fix usually involves them. A calm conversation and a shared solution beats years of resentment.

When it is municipal

Where lot grading plans are on file, municipalities do enforce them. That is a last resort, not a first move.

Drainage