Quote:

Agreed - this sounds like a civil issue. Are you/your neighbor's owners or renters? Your neighbors won't care if they're renters and you'll have to go after the owners.

You're going to have to gather some pretty conclusive evidence that will likely cost you (private inspector, environmental testing, etc) if you pursue this through legal channels which at this point, seems like the way to go.

A good civil lawyer with housing experience is what's needed.

When all else fails a friendly letter from a lawyer threatening a nuisance suit will get results.

Did you try contacting Dept. of Community Affairs (in Trenton) code enforcement division?

Hamilton Park area:

The attached, adjacent building's chimney leaks into our building. Their chimney is unlined, uncapped, and only three inches higher than our roofline. At this point the mortar in their chimney is virtually nonexistent.

When the neighbors run their heat, use hot water, or cook, our apartment is inundated with terrible odors that burn our eyes and induce nausea. I tried talking with them about lining their chimney, but was told to go to hell.

I have contacted the JCFD, the Hudson Regional Health Commision, the building department, the Resident Response Center, and our city council woman.

The JCFD and health commission only inspect during limited business hours--when people aren't heating or cooking--not to mention that they only look for CO, not things like cresote.

The relevant city departments declined to inspect. Basically we are sitting in our apartment being at best discomforted and at worst poisoned by our neighbors and the city doesn't seem to mind.

Has anyone dealt with a similar problem? Either through the city or through legal action?

We are prepping to tear the wall out and address what we can from our side, but at the end of the day, the root of the problem is the neighbor's out of code chimney--there is a risk we might spend a bunch of money on our side, but not actually fix anything.


Thanks