My neighbor burst my pipes stealing water and flooded my basement, what should I do?

That sounds like a classic case of a **split frost-free hose bib**. What usually happens is a hose or an attachment was left on the tap during the first freeze of winter. These faucets are designed to shut off deep inside the house where it's warm, but they only work if the water can drain out of the long stem. If something is hooked up to the end, the water gets trapped, freezes, and splits the copper pipe wide open inside your wall or ceiling. It won't leak a drop all winter because the actual valve is behind the break, but the second someone turns that handle, it's like opening a fire hose into your basement.

Your neighbor didn't necessarily cause the burst today with his weird attachment, but he's the reason your basement is flooded. The pipe was likely already compromised from the winter and he just provided the pressure to reveal it. If he hadn't touched it, you woud have found the leak yourself the first time you went to use the hose this spring. The fact that his own is "broken" suggests he does the exact same thing—leaves his hoses attached in November and ruins his plumbing.

You shold definitely gut all that insulation. Wet fiberglass is basially a sponge that never fully dries once it's packed behind a vapor barrier, and it becomes a breeding ground for mold incredibly fast. Rip out the plastic and the pink stuff at least a foot past where you think the water stopped. You need to get a high-velocity fan and a dehumidifier running in that alcove for a few days til the wood framing is bone dry to the touch. Don't take chances with moisture trapped behind that plastic. For the fix, you’ll need to cut out the ruptured section of the pipe from the inside and install a new frost-free sillcock. When you install the new one, make sure it has a slight downward pitch toward the exterior so it can drain properly. And moving forward, make sure nothing is ever screwed onto that tap once the temperature starts to dip in the fall. I'd also put a locking cover on that spigot so your neighbor can't use your use your water to flood your house again.

I’m still trying to learn the basics, but I had no idea a hose being left on could acutally break a pipe inside the house. That’s wild. If you do the fix yourself, how do you make sure the pitch is actually pointing down enough? Is there a specific tool for that or do you just eyeball it? Also, since you're alredy dealing with the neighbor from hell, definitely look into those locking covers. I didn't even know those existed til now! Do they just screw on or do you need to swap the whole handle out?

To the person asking about the pitch—you don't need a special tool, just a standard level. You want a tiny bit of fall towards the outside. Most new frost-free valves actually have a tapered plastic wedge or an angled flange to help set that slope automatically when you screw it to the siding. Also, get a pinless moisture meter before you put new insulation back. Wood can feel dry to the touch but still be soaking wet inside. If you seal it up while the moisture content is over 15%, you’re basicly building a mold factory. Give it way more time to dry than you think it needs.