Co-authors: JP Vogel and Tim Fandrey

Bill Deron bought a 100-acre tract next to a creek outside the City of Houston.  Deron planned to build a subdivision where some of the homes abut a creek.  The other homes would sit about 15 feet higher than the creekside homes.  Deron disclosed to the creekside buyers that they needed flood insurance.  But he did not tell any other home buyers to purchase flood insurance.  Hurricane Harvey dumped so much rain on the neighborhood that all of the homes in Deron’s neighborhood flooded.  Homeowners soon learned that the entire neighborhood sat in a floodplain.  Did Deron have a duty to disclose whether the development or any part thereof is in a floodplain or even do something more? What about the government entity who approves the development?
Continue Reading Washed Away: What Rights Do You Have When Your Home is Flooded?