r/AskPhilly • u/3io3io3io • 5h ago
Developer Destroyed My Backyard
First time home buyer. I'm in an old rowhome in Kensington. Right as I purchased, a giant luxury building going up behind me took out my back yard wall and removed some of the fence I share with my next door neighbor at the rear of the yard. It's been a mess. I have a tree I've been very concerned about. Eventually, the construction company sealed the wall they took out (after I complained to them and to licenses and inspection). So I do have a haggard back wall of sorts. But with part of the fence still gone, my yard is eroding into my neighbors. The tree loses soil with every rain. I've reached out and nothing has happened. Is this just the way life is? Someone knowingly destroys your backyard and you have to take them to civil court? The worst part is that when I called they said "you're going to see your property value shoot up once these condos open"... Girrrr.. It was a functional and cute yard - part of why I bought - and now I've got rats, and I'm concerned about pets and children running loose. Not to mention, they knocked down a bunch of data cables that just hang in my yard now. Perhaps it's just something I have to eat as part of the joys of home owning? Anyone know any good landscapers who might be able to tackle this disaster?