neighbor problems

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I have been so lucky with the neighbors I've had. As close quarters as we have things could be really bad if everyone were not easy-going. A friend has had property line problems and between the two parties, I think $10,000 must have already been spent. The issue has not yet even made it to court.

I was told that the previous owner of my house did not like trees and shrubs and would poison or cut those the immediate neighbors planted. Yikes

Have you ever had a really unpleasant neighbor? Like someone who cut down the tree or hedge on your property? Someone who would allow their kids to rough up your landscaping despite your requests to stay away? Someone who tossed their trash over the fence? Someone who let the dog roam the neighborhood?...What did you do?

[vsjhoc]

My parents didn't get along with the next-door neighbors in the house where I grew up. Loooooooong story.

Anyway, they had a large German shepherd. What did they do with its poo? Shoveled it over the fence and onto our driveway. We'd drive up and it would get tracked along and stuck in the tires. Really yucky.

My mother reported them to the city officials. They laughed at her. They said, "you mean, the dog gets out and poops on your driveway." She told them no, the neighbors were purposely shoveling it at us. They didn't believe her. This neighbor was a dentist; he wouldn't do something like that.

My mother bugged the city until they sent an inspector out who witnessed the disposal in action. Result: no more dog poo on the driveway!

[DebbieL]

I guess we were always lucky. We had great neighbors on both sides (and across the road) growing up. My parents still have the same neighbors on both sides! I live in a condo, and everybody around seems pretty good. I've been there 6 years (I just rent). I would sure hate to own a place and find out the neighbors are pricks.

[DayByDay]

Where we used to live, the nextdoor kids treated my front yard as if it were an extension of theirs and would tramp all over my plants. I would see their mother observe her kids doing this, and she would do nothing. Those same neighbors frequently parked their cars in the street so that they partially blocked my driveway. I had to go over more than once and ask them to move their vehicle so I could get out of my own driveway. Then they would just do it again the next day. I was so glad when they sold their house and moved.

[Aleta]

I live on a zero lot line lot and it can be a little close. For years we had good neighbors all around, I have a neighbor that lives caticorned to me and when he has a party, my art work falls off the walls. It has been so loud that it actually hurts my chest. We've called the police numerous times and they just turn it back up again. The wife also works for the police department. He has no plants in his yard, - all concrete. If a palm leaf is on his side, he cuts it thus injuring your healthy palm tree. He turns his motorcycle up and just lets it run and does the same with his boat.

Beside him is a neighbor beside him renting that thinks we all like her music and puts it outside and hte bass just rumbles. We haven't spoke with them in 3 years. But, guess what? They moved Sunday. I am so happy. They were friends with the whacko next door. This id one of the big problems that we have here in South Florida is the constant music all day long, 20 thousand cars parked in the front, and constant parties. I will be very happy when I finally move away from here. So when you talk about neighbors, I know what you mean. The police are part of the problem here because they are sympathetic to people having fun.

[DebbieL]

Oh my God! That's horrible. I really am convinced that I should go around and talk to all the neighbors before I ever wind up buying a place (and of course even then there's no guarantees because people move and new ones come in). I have been truly lucky so far.

[Aleta]

But you can't really tell. You have to visit the places at night and on weekends. I used to be friendly with my neighbors and now I just wait to see how they are. I'm not rude. I wave to them, but I just want to know who they are.

You just have to stay on top of the problems as much as you can.

[MonkeyMama]

We had some pretty horrid neighbors when I was a kid. Was fine and we were friends until they got 15 dogs or so. My parents complained and eventually they went to mediation - endless barking - they took some of their dogs (clearly too many. I mean this is California - 1/10 acre lots - they just left them outside all day while they were at work).

Anyway, they started throwing stuff at our house, blahblahblah. A couple of years later they moved and we had a big party. LOL.

Like it was our fault they had too many damn dogs and din't even bother to care fo them properly. The wife would send nasty letters to neighbors all the time about how ugly their homes and yards and landscaping was (signed from the whole neighborhood and stuff). Not nice people.

We are so blessed that in both our homes that we have owned that we had the most wonderful neighbors. We have this big dude that lives across the street and keeps an eye out for everyone (which helps that he can scare off unwanted people with his stature, though he is just a big teddy bear). We tried to get a neighborhood watch going but only our immediate neighbors were interested - not much else. But it is nice to know we have such caring immediate neighbors. We just look out for each other overall, but mind our own business all the same.

We have always lived in close quarters to our neighbors but lucky to live next to quiet people.

For some of these problems, video cameras work. That is what helped in my parent's case - catching all those barky dogs on tape. I imagine that could have helped with the poo shoveling too...

[FrugalTexan75]

I live in an apartment - on the second floor. The people who live directly next to me have quite a few more people in the apartment than probably is allowed (I don't know this for a fact, since I haven't seen their lease). They're nice people overall, but boy are they noisy! Or, should I say their kids are. Running up and down the steps at all hours of the day and night. Loudly banging on the door at all hours of the day and night. Baby crying (although I guess it's not a baby anymore - more like a small toddler.) Then there's the neighbors directly below me. They have a really great stereo with really good bass. How do I know this? Because my floor shakes rattles and rolls when they decide to listen to music. Sometimes I get so fed up and start to get the really childish urge to let them know that, hey, I have a really great stereo system too - with a subwoofer!

All that I could generally live with and not be too terribly bugged by. What is SO annoying - especially at 1 a.m. on a weeknight - are these idiots who drive through the apartment complex with their stereo bass pumping loudly enough to set off the numerous car alarms.

Car alarms are a nuisance themselves - but adding into it the bone rattling. apartment shaking bass of a car driving 5 mph through an apartment complex at 1,2,3,4 a.m. in the morning? Pure torture.

[Coleroo]

We have one set of neighbors right now (trees on the other side, thank god!) - and we really could do without them... well, just the lady actually. Her husband isn't that bad. But they are sooooooooo nosy... just stick their business (and opinions of how we should live) where it doesnt belong. She even tells my parents about how she worries about things we dont do with our yard, house, etc. Its none of her business.

[Aleta]

Thank God for fences. As they say, fences make good neighbors and especially ones that hide your neighbors yard from view.

[sakigt]

Back when I was young and rude, I had a neighbor who would walk her dog in MY yard. Annoying. So my roomates and I collected the droppings and put them on her first step. When she walked outside the next morning *squish*

So rude now that I think about it, but it was awesome.

[mom-from-missouri]

The only neighbors we have that we don't get along with are the racoons that keep raiding the hen house.
Oh-the coyotes that run in our yard and bring all their babies with them.
When I lived in town (college town) it was horrible. Even had kids throw up in my yard one night while they were walking home from the bars...

[katwoman]

This topic is a real sore spot for me. Ever since I had to move back into my mother's home I've had problems with the whole neighborhood, it seems.

This is a high turnover area of mostly renters who have no respect for anyone's property. I've had people walk their dogs up on my driveway and assume it's OK to let them urinate/defacate. When overcrowding of cars were at peak times I found cars in my driveway! We have stone chairs flanking an outside door and one day I came out to see a guy sittiing there casually smoking his cigarette. Another time I found another dude sitting out back drinking his beer and leaving the empty cans for me to pick up.

I could go on and on about the many incidences I've had with various neighbors but like someone mentioned above the cops contribute BIG TIME to the problem by not taking these squabbles more seriously.

[Ima saver]

My problem was the teenage boy that lived across the street with his grandma. He would stay up all night. He kept all the outside lights on (flood lights) and they shined directly into our bedroom. Then they got a nightwatchman, like you would put on a bank, and it stayed on all night too. We have huge windows with fancy trim and did not want heavy curtains. We asked them very nicely to please turn the lights off after midnight, but he would not do it. i try calling and walking grandma up, but she slept on the other side of the house and they didn't bother her.
Finally, my husband took a ladder and went over and unscrew all the light bulbs.
The kid was too lazy to screw them back in. He also damaged lots of our bushes chasing his dog all over my yard. After 10 years, they moved and the new neighbors are great!