A Georgia homeowner says a neighbor’s drainage fix pushed storm runoff straight into his yard, and when he pressed the homeowners association for help, the dispute turned into years of fines, legal bills, and a lien that now stands in the way of selling his house.
The account comes from reporting by Atlanta News First in the original post, which describes a neighborhood fight in Austell that many Texas property owners will recognize: water goes where gravity sends it, but the costs and blame can land on one household for a long time.
A drainage change uphill, and the water stopped in one backyard
Justin Mattice lives at the entrance of the Heritage Place community, on a hill. He told Atlanta News First that after he and his wife bought the home in late 2022, they realized runoff from the hill was no longer flowing through as it once did because of a system his neighbor installed to keep her own yard from flooding.
Mattice said the result was ugly: his yard flooded, and the ground began to sink. He said he asked the HOA for help and was told the problem was his responsibility.
He says he paid for permits and a storm-drain connection — then the fines started
Mattice told the outlet he obtained city permits and connected a storm drain from his yard into the city’s system. He also said the dispute has already been expensive: about $25,000 spent on a drainage system and roughly $15,000 on attorneys…