My next door neighbor had a plumber in to change the water service from the back of the house to the front. Problem is the "abandoned" line in the back is leaking into the ground in my neighbor's yard (broken concrete). I can see the trickle of water in the soil. The water is coming through the back of my basement and flowing into the front of my basement. I have wall to wall carpet and it's ruined now. There are other items that have been damaged and potential mold issues. My question is, who pays for my damages? Homeowner or plumber or both?

is the problem fixed??? if not call the water dept. take photos, did they have permits? your ins. MAY ???? cover it, read the fine print. I never seen water service come in from the rear, but I have seen drains go out the back. Good luck. I hope you don't have Liberty Mutual.....

There are two avenues for you to have the damage remediated.

1) your homeowner's insurance definitely covers this issue, even if it's caused by someone else's negligence. You should still give them the plumber's name and if you can get it his/her liability insurance company's name so they can go after them for reimbursement. Kind of like a car accident where your insurance takes care of you and then goes after the responsible party's insurance for reimbursement.

2) Deal directly with the plumber's insurance. This may be a bit more difficult since you are not the person who contracted him. An idea would be to team up with your neighbor and go to the plumber's insurance directly.

All licensed plumber's/contractors within the City of Philadelphia are required to carry liability insurance. Look up the plumber's name here (plumber's licenses are listed by the individual's name, not the plumbing company's name since testing and work history is involved).
http://webapps.phila.gov/li/
click on the <resources> tab and then the <licensed contractors> link

If the plumber does not give you his insurance company's name you can try to get it from city hall as we're required to submit proof of insurance when we apply for licensure.

Hope your neighbor got someone who was fully licensed and insured vs. someone on-the-side to try to save some money :-(

Always get a certificate of insurance from your contractor's insurance company (not a photo copy from them - their payments may not be up to date) before work begins.

Good luck,
Joe
Bubble Builders
(267) 784-7564