Landlord does not want to spend $$$ on drainage. Would adding more dirt helps with water pooling?
Grass died from water pooling on this corner of the lawn. Looking for suggestions that would not break the bank. Part of me already gave up on this corner…but would like second opinion.
Give up. The solution (proper drainage) isn’t a cheap fix suitable for a renter.
knoend
IMO (and not a lawncare take) – Landlords problem not yours. Don’t sink money into a property that is not yours, nor would you see a return from.
WickedKoala
Petty solution: build up enough soil to force the water into the neighbor’s yard to which they go after the landlord to fix.
KauaiKoin
100% not your problem. If you have a dog, then put up a tiny wire fence or section it off so the dog doesn’t go there.
Over_Marionberry9312
The other option is to improve drainage. Add compost, aerate, add amendments to soil, etc. Again, this isn’t your problem though so you shouldn’t be sticking money into it.
Last_Fishing_4013
Oh well grass died
Landlords issue not yours
If they don’t want to spend money on it then why do you
But I bet if you fix it the landlord will raise your rent
Verydumbname69
Don’t spend any money on a property you don’t own.
McDuck_Enterprise
If you reeeeally wanted you could do landscaping to facilitate flow and use of plants that love water.
But it’s not your place so meh 🫤
Business_Sand9554
Like others have said don’t spend money because the landlord doesn’t care.
ugonlearn
why do you care? not your problem. i can guarantee you this landlord rented the place out to make money, not spend it
workap
For someone who owns that has this issue what does the group recommend?
RacksDiciprine
it looks like there are Landascape stones running the bottom of the fence. Maybe those are helping the water to pool. I’d pull those out and rake the fence line.
hi_coco
14 comments and not a single person tried to answer the question lol
bobolly
Do you have chip drops on your area? It’s a website where Arborist can go and find people to drop off free chipped trees. You can put the free mulch in that area to help
Extension-Bluejay402
I disagree with others. I rent and if you want to better your landscape or lawn then do it. That being said, I wouldn’t drop too much money into this (trench, pipe, etc). Maybe plant something not susceptible to root rot, or just throw in the towel on grass there and use pavers. Or plug it up with a wall of dirt and make the neighbors deal with it.
I fixed mine and then sent a letter to the owners with costs of what I spent, and they paid back half.
doombringer_son_of
Lemongrass plants soak up water like crazy and are a natural mosquito repellent.
Transportation-Apart
A free solution is to take dirt from other parts of the property and fill it there.
Wassup4836
It’d just force it onto the neighbors property. If it’s coming from their property then it’s okay to do because they shouldn’t be able to “drain” anything onto a neighbors property if you live in the states. If the water is from your property then no. Because that may make the issue worse for your neighbor and if so that could open a big can of worms.
shimanospd
I’d just wait till a dry day and use a pitch fork to aerate the heck out of the soil. It could be pooling that bad because the soil is so compact.
Silent_fart_smell
Tell your landlord your paying for a backyard that can be used not continually a small pond.
lifeisdream
It will successfully move the water somewhere else. Who knows if that’s better or worse.
toolatealreadyfapped
Not your circus. Not your monkeys.
Double_Calligrapher8
Do a vertical drain right in the center.. probably $20
industrialoctopus
Couple bags of dirt to raise the ground a bit
Helpful_Finger_4854
Demand the landlord fix it to comply with local health codes
Standing water / improper drainage is a health code violation, like mold. It breeds mosquitos that can transmit diseases.
If they refuse to fix in a timely manner, in most jurisdictions you’d have the right to hire someone to fix it and deduct the cost from future rent payments.
Nice_Opportunity_496
It’ll screw your neighbor
Nice_Opportunity_496
I had this issue. Cost me 2k to add dirt and drains
IsolatedSnail
I can’t see the wider area, but just seeing that it’s a pretty focused area of water, you might could take a shovel and just make a tiny little trench / ditch that goes a few feet towards wherever “down hill” is. Just a few inches deep and wide to get water to move. I did this on a slightly sunken sidewalk at my parents that pooled water, which would become mud, and become a slip hazard for my dad.
Ultimately, i dug a tiny little trench about 3-4″ deep probably 3-4 feet out from the corner of the sidewalk to where things naturally sloped away. It’s been that way for months, the grass covers my little trench and the water just slowly runs away. Maybe something to consider. See where the water is going when it’s higher than the pooled area here, and then see if you can assist that pool into moving the same way.
itzrychee
There’s a lot of decent responses in here.
The first question is. Does this section being a swamp make your life significantly worse? If it doesn’t, then do nothing. That’s not your property, and you won’t benefit from any fix you implement. If it does, the first thing I would try to source is a solution that you can take with you when you leave or that costs you nothing. You could borrow some yard tools and trench it away from that spot so it doest collect as much. Or cover it with a tarp and some bricks when it rains so the water is forced somewhere else. (Just spitballing, idk if those would work well or not)
The second question is, does the landlord know how bad the problem is, and have you complained that it’s a hazard for you or your family? Idk what state you’re in, but there’s usually a law against slumlording, so if it poses a health or safety risk, they are usually required to fix it somehow.
The third question is, if they know and just don’t want an expensive solution, are they paying for materials and labor for the fix? I just bought a house and had to use solid to grade away from the foundation because we had moisture pooling around the foundation from the previous owners’ landscaping. I just used top soil from Lowe’s and may have to replace it with a higher clay concentration in the future. The bags were like $4 or $5 each, and it took 5 to cover one side of the house. So it can get pricey for materials, but I was able to completely grade away from my house about 2 feet all the way around in a week, just working for a couple hours after work every day. (I sourced other soil from the yard to keep the costs low) If you add soil with lots of clay in it, it should force the water away from the fence line, so if you grade it along the fence towards the street or alley if you have one. It shouldn’t pool as much. That doesn’t mean you won’t discover other areas along the way that do the same thing, but if you’re lucky, it will mitigate the water issue enough to mostly ignore.
RandoBando84
You should immediately report any flooding or draining issues to your landlord in writing (eg via email) so they can’t claim you were negligent and hold back your security deposit (if that’s allowed where you live) or sue you. Otherwise it’s not your property so don’t waste your money.
12inchsandwich
Where does the rest of the water on the property flow? Does it all flow to that spot or like towards the front of the house?
You could possibly dig a swale to help the water flow towards the front if that’s how the rest of it flows.
stromm
If you add dirt or anything else like sand, it will raise the level of that area. And as it settles, it will cause the water to run off into other areas.
Worst case, it heads towards the building you rent. No wait, worst is it runs off into a neighbor’s yard or into their building.
Now you, only YOU have a legal problem.
vinegarstrokes420
Is the garage behind the fence part of your rental or a neighbor? Looks like the downspout is leading right to where the pooling is happening. Redirecting that downspout could help and possibly be free depending on what it looks like.
Otherwise I’d say you did your job by informing the landlord of an issue, but you 100% shouldn’t put money into a property you don’t own. If they’re unresponsive to this, then might be a sign to look for a new rental with a better landlord.
KillKillCrushEm
Charleston?
SafetySmurf
If I were renting this house, I would leave this alone. NOT because, “don’t spend money on someone else’s house,” though there is truth to that.
I would leave the grading alone because water runoff has the ability to create all sorts of issues. If you push that water under the fence and it damages the foundation of the house on the other side of the fence, then what? If you add soil along the fence and the water runs back toward the house you are renting, then what? There are laws in most places about water runoff and property lines and the ways in which you are allowed to redirect water. Unless you are ready to learn about the laws in your community, invest in whatever expertise is needed to make a good plan, and then execute that plan, I’d suggest leaving the grading alone.
That said, adding plants there that like water could improve how mucky the yard is. Reducing the standing water through water-hungry plants will help with mosquitos and the like.
Cute_Marzipan_4116
I’m going to bet the guy behind the fence has his downspout pointed at the property. You can put all the dirt in the world there and you’re going to still have issues. Besides that’s a slumlord, I mean a landlord problem.
36 Comments
Give up. The solution (proper drainage) isn’t a cheap fix suitable for a renter.
IMO (and not a lawncare take) – Landlords problem not yours. Don’t sink money into a property that is not yours, nor would you see a return from.
Petty solution: build up enough soil to force the water into the neighbor’s yard to which they go after the landlord to fix.
100% not your problem. If you have a dog, then put up a tiny wire fence or section it off so the dog doesn’t go there.
The other option is to improve drainage. Add compost, aerate, add amendments to soil, etc. Again, this isn’t your problem though so you shouldn’t be sticking money into it.
Oh well grass died
Landlords issue not yours
If they don’t want to spend money on it then why do you
But I bet if you fix it the landlord will raise your rent
Don’t spend any money on a property you don’t own.
If you reeeeally wanted you could do landscaping to facilitate flow and use of plants that love water.
But it’s not your place so meh 🫤
Like others have said don’t spend money because the landlord doesn’t care.
why do you care? not your problem. i can guarantee you this landlord rented the place out to make money, not spend it
For someone who owns that has this issue what does the group recommend?
it looks like there are Landascape stones running the bottom of the fence. Maybe those are helping the water to pool. I’d pull those out and rake the fence line.
14 comments and not a single person tried to answer the question lol
Do you have chip drops on your area? It’s a website where Arborist can go and find people to drop off free chipped trees. You can put the free mulch in that area to help
I disagree with others. I rent and if you want to better your landscape or lawn then do it. That being said, I wouldn’t drop too much money into this (trench, pipe, etc). Maybe plant something not susceptible to root rot, or just throw in the towel on grass there and use pavers. Or plug it up with a wall of dirt and make the neighbors deal with it.
I fixed mine and then sent a letter to the owners with costs of what I spent, and they paid back half.
Lemongrass plants soak up water like crazy and are a natural mosquito repellent.
A free solution is to take dirt from other parts of the property and fill it there.
It’d just force it onto the neighbors property. If it’s coming from their property then it’s okay to do because they shouldn’t be able to “drain” anything onto a neighbors property if you live in the states. If the water is from your property then no. Because that may make the issue worse for your neighbor and if so that could open a big can of worms.
I’d just wait till a dry day and use a pitch fork to aerate the heck out of the soil. It could be pooling that bad because the soil is so compact.
Tell your landlord your paying for a backyard that can be used not continually a small pond.
It will successfully move the water somewhere else. Who knows if that’s better or worse.
Not your circus. Not your monkeys.
Do a vertical drain right in the center.. probably $20
Couple bags of dirt to raise the ground a bit
Demand the landlord fix it to comply with local health codes
Standing water / improper drainage is a health code violation, like mold. It breeds mosquitos that can transmit diseases.
If they refuse to fix in a timely manner, in most jurisdictions you’d have the right to hire someone to fix it and deduct the cost from future rent payments.
It’ll screw your neighbor
I had this issue. Cost me 2k to add dirt and drains
I can’t see the wider area, but just seeing that it’s a pretty focused area of water, you might could take a shovel and just make a tiny little trench / ditch that goes a few feet towards wherever “down hill” is. Just a few inches deep and wide to get water to move. I did this on a slightly sunken sidewalk at my parents that pooled water, which would become mud, and become a slip hazard for my dad.
Ultimately, i dug a tiny little trench about 3-4″ deep probably 3-4 feet out from the corner of the sidewalk to where things naturally sloped away. It’s been that way for months, the grass covers my little trench and the water just slowly runs away. Maybe something to consider. See where the water is going when it’s higher than the pooled area here, and then see if you can assist that pool into moving the same way.
There’s a lot of decent responses in here.
The first question is. Does this section being a swamp make your life significantly worse? If it doesn’t, then do nothing. That’s not your property, and you won’t benefit from any fix you implement. If it does, the first thing I would try to source is a solution that you can take with you when you leave or that costs you nothing. You could borrow some yard tools and trench it away from that spot so it doest collect as much. Or cover it with a tarp and some bricks when it rains so the water is forced somewhere else. (Just spitballing, idk if those would work well or not)
The second question is, does the landlord know how bad the problem is, and have you complained that it’s a hazard for you or your family? Idk what state you’re in, but there’s usually a law against slumlording, so if it poses a health or safety risk, they are usually required to fix it somehow.
The third question is, if they know and just don’t want an expensive solution, are they paying for materials and labor for the fix? I just bought a house and had to use solid to grade away from the foundation because we had moisture pooling around the foundation from the previous owners’ landscaping. I just used top soil from Lowe’s and may have to replace it with a higher clay concentration in the future. The bags were like $4 or $5 each, and it took 5 to cover one side of the house. So it can get pricey for materials, but I was able to completely grade away from my house about 2 feet all the way around in a week, just working for a couple hours after work every day. (I sourced other soil from the yard to keep the costs low) If you add soil with lots of clay in it, it should force the water away from the fence line, so if you grade it along the fence towards the street or alley if you have one. It shouldn’t pool as much. That doesn’t mean you won’t discover other areas along the way that do the same thing, but if you’re lucky, it will mitigate the water issue enough to mostly ignore.
You should immediately report any flooding or draining issues to your landlord in writing (eg via email) so they can’t claim you were negligent and hold back your security deposit (if that’s allowed where you live) or sue you. Otherwise it’s not your property so don’t waste your money.
Where does the rest of the water on the property flow? Does it all flow to that spot or like towards the front of the house?
You could possibly dig a swale to help the water flow towards the front if that’s how the rest of it flows.
If you add dirt or anything else like sand, it will raise the level of that area. And as it settles, it will cause the water to run off into other areas.
Worst case, it heads towards the building you rent. No wait, worst is it runs off into a neighbor’s yard or into their building.
Now you, only YOU have a legal problem.
Is the garage behind the fence part of your rental or a neighbor? Looks like the downspout is leading right to where the pooling is happening. Redirecting that downspout could help and possibly be free depending on what it looks like.
Otherwise I’d say you did your job by informing the landlord of an issue, but you 100% shouldn’t put money into a property you don’t own. If they’re unresponsive to this, then might be a sign to look for a new rental with a better landlord.
Charleston?
If I were renting this house, I would leave this alone. NOT because, “don’t spend money on someone else’s house,” though there is truth to that.
I would leave the grading alone because water runoff has the ability to create all sorts of issues. If you push that water under the fence and it damages the foundation of the house on the other side of the fence, then what? If you add soil along the fence and the water runs back toward the house you are renting, then what? There are laws in most places about water runoff and property lines and the ways in which you are allowed to redirect water. Unless you are ready to learn about the laws in your community, invest in whatever expertise is needed to make a good plan, and then execute that plan, I’d suggest leaving the grading alone.
That said, adding plants there that like water could improve how mucky the yard is. Reducing the standing water through water-hungry plants will help with mosquitos and the like.
I’m going to bet the guy behind the fence has his downspout pointed at the property. You can put all the dirt in the world there and you’re going to still have issues. Besides that’s a slumlord, I mean a landlord problem.