Good evening,
My neighbor recently renovated an older house with a plot size of about 1000 square meters (about 10,764 square feet) and paved his driveway and parts of his property. It is a large paved area of more than 100 square meters (about 1,076 square feet).
From what I can see, the freshly laid paving is sloped towards my property (away from his house but also away from the garden behind it).
There is no drainage channel on any side of the paved area, which surprised me a lot.
The distance between the paved area and my property boundary is about 30–50 cm (12–20 inches). It also seems that this is not permeable paving (this is initially only an assumption on my part that would need to be confirmed).
Questions:
As someone who has unfortunately experienced heavy rainfall events (my property also slopes down toward a basement entrance that has flooded multiple times), I am concerned that during heavy rain, due to the large impermeable surface on my neighbor’s property, despite the 30–40 cm (12–16 inches) distance, the runoff water may not remain on his property but instead flow onto mine.
My neighbor recently renovated an older house with a plot size of about 1000 square meters (about 10,764 square feet) and paved his driveway and parts of his property. It is a large paved area of more than 100 square meters (about 1,076 square feet).
From what I can see, the freshly laid paving is sloped towards my property (away from his house but also away from the garden behind it).
There is no drainage channel on any side of the paved area, which surprised me a lot.
The distance between the paved area and my property boundary is about 30–50 cm (12–20 inches). It also seems that this is not permeable paving (this is initially only an assumption on my part that would need to be confirmed).
Questions:
- Is it allowed to pave such a large area without a drainage channel to the sewer?
- Is the neighbor allowed to lay the paving with a slope towards my property?
- Are there setback distances that need to be observed?
As someone who has unfortunately experienced heavy rainfall events (my property also slopes down toward a basement entrance that has flooded multiple times), I am concerned that during heavy rain, due to the large impermeable surface on my neighbor’s property, despite the 30–40 cm (12–16 inches) distance, the runoff water may not remain on his property but instead flow onto mine.
Also (regarding the questions asked):
There is a stormwater or combined sewer at the street.
This is a long-established inner-city area without a currently valid development plan, meaning that Section 34 applies.
The adjacent plots are slightly elevated above street level, allowing water to flow toward the street into the sewer.
In general, however, the plots are flat.
The neighbor has a rear plot in the second row, which is accessible via a cobblestone-paved path.
Until now—before his renovation—the rainwater from his roof was discharged into the sewer.
The rainwater from the existing properties also flows into this sewer.
The infiltration capacity on my property, at least based on an older infiltration test, is poor.
As far as I know, during his renovation, he installed large underground collection tanks in his garden to now collect the water from his new roof.
There is a stormwater or combined sewer at the street.
This is a long-established inner-city area without a currently valid development plan, meaning that Section 34 applies.
The adjacent plots are slightly elevated above street level, allowing water to flow toward the street into the sewer.
In general, however, the plots are flat.
The neighbor has a rear plot in the second row, which is accessible via a cobblestone-paved path.
Until now—before his renovation—the rainwater from his roof was discharged into the sewer.
The rainwater from the existing properties also flows into this sewer.
The infiltration capacity on my property, at least based on an older infiltration test, is poor.
As far as I know, during his renovation, he installed large underground collection tanks in his garden to now collect the water from his new roof.
M
MachsSelbst17 Apr 2026 08:36tomtom79 schrieb:
So it doesn’t drain onto your property, but onto theirs. Possibly. If there is a permeable area between the properties and the paving.
For example, we paved with a slope towards the neighbor and placed a 50cm (20 inch) wide gravel strip between the properties.
But if it’s grass, even moderate heavy rain will simply run over it...
In the end, with the information here, it’s just a guessing game.
The strip is about 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) wide and unpaved. However, I cannot imagine that a pavement approximately 10 m (33 feet) wide could absorb the amount of water accumulated there on a strip only 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) wide—regardless of whether it is permeable paving or not—during heavy rainfall.
D
derdietmar17 Apr 2026 08:58Hello,
basically, your neighbor is allowed to pave their property as they see fit, including creating a slope towards your lot. As long as no water flows onto your property, it’s not your concern.
Apparently, so far no water has run onto your property. If that ever happens, you can request that your neighbor take action.
And from what it looks like, you should focus on managing drainage on your own property first, especially if your house has flooded several times, rather than monitoring your neighbors.
Best regards
basically, your neighbor is allowed to pave their property as they see fit, including creating a slope towards your lot. As long as no water flows onto your property, it’s not your concern.
Apparently, so far no water has run onto your property. If that ever happens, you can request that your neighbor take action.
And from what it looks like, you should focus on managing drainage on your own property first, especially if your house has flooded several times, rather than monitoring your neighbors.
Best regards
Well, the paving was installed just 3 weeks ago. So far, there hasn’t been any situation where water could overflow. However, I naturally don’t want to wait until a serious issue arises; I want to prevent further problems in advance.
Regarding my property, I have already taken various precautions within what is feasible to reduce the problem.
By nature, I am a peaceful person who tries to maintain a good neighborly relationship, but I would have appreciated if the neighbor had contacted me in advance instead of presenting me with a done deal. Of course, I want to address this with him. For me, this also means that it’s important to find out beforehand what is permitted and what is not before making a big issue out of it.
Regarding my property, I have already taken various precautions within what is feasible to reduce the problem.
By nature, I am a peaceful person who tries to maintain a good neighborly relationship, but I would have appreciated if the neighbor had contacted me in advance instead of presenting me with a done deal. Of course, I want to address this with him. For me, this also means that it’s important to find out beforehand what is permitted and what is not before making a big issue out of it.
D
derdietmar17 Apr 2026 10:56Hello,
why should the neighbor consult you before legally paving his driveway on his own property? If you want to avoid any inconvenience, you need to take precautions yourself. The neighbor has to ensure that usual amounts of rainwater continue to soak into his property after the paving work. A 40 cm (15.7 inches) wide strip will easily be sufficient for this.
Natural water runoff from neighboring properties onto your own land must generally be tolerated. Structural changes that alter this water flow must be taken into account by the respective property owner (as mentioned above, the infiltration strip). Heavy rainfall events that inevitably cause water to overflow do not have to be prevented, especially since you have already acknowledged that such events have caused problems on your property in the past.
It becomes even more complicated. If you take countermeasures that cause water to back up on the neighbor’s property, you are liable for any resulting damages...
Best regards
why should the neighbor consult you before legally paving his driveway on his own property? If you want to avoid any inconvenience, you need to take precautions yourself. The neighbor has to ensure that usual amounts of rainwater continue to soak into his property after the paving work. A 40 cm (15.7 inches) wide strip will easily be sufficient for this.
Natural water runoff from neighboring properties onto your own land must generally be tolerated. Structural changes that alter this water flow must be taken into account by the respective property owner (as mentioned above, the infiltration strip). Heavy rainfall events that inevitably cause water to overflow do not have to be prevented, especially since you have already acknowledged that such events have caused problems on your property in the past.
It becomes even more complicated. If you take countermeasures that cause water to back up on the neighbor’s property, you are liable for any resulting damages...
Best regards
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