Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Maryland

Unauthorized & Destructive Work by a Contractor

At the advice of my real estate agent, I hired a contracter recommended by him to clean my roof and gutters. On his own, the contractor decided to cut off 10 branches from a tree overhanging the house because he thought it would help the ''curb appeal.'' He literally cut away an entire side of the tree. Now, the view from the house is destroyed and instead of overlooking greenery, we see a busy road. This undoubtedly will hurt the resale value of the house, but I have no idea how to place a monetary value on such an aesthetic. WOuld this be a case that would be worth pursuing legally?


Asked on 10/19/06, 7:27 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Sher Wagshal and Sher

Re: Unauthorized & Destructive Work by a Contractor

It really depends on your ability to establish a monetary evaluation of the diminution in value to your property, or alternatively, the cost of replacing the "damaged" trees. You should confer with your realtor (who probably won't want to get involved) or another realtor on the diminution issue, and a landscape architect or plant store on the latter.

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Answered on 10/20/06, 9:34 am


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