Neighbors, Love'em or Sue'em?

[myrdale]

Around 2017 I put new siding on my house. This past winter insurance paid for a new roof. This past spring my neighbor decided to take up golf.

The guy has a home made net, and for the past several months I've had the occasional errant ball in my yard. It's a nuisances, but no biggy right? Well last month his son pegged my house. A nice round indention. I immediately went over and told him about it, and that I wasn't happy, and that I would be getting prices for the repair. He assured me he would take care of it.

I call a few companies including the one who installed the siding. No one will do repairs for less that $2,000.

I passed him driving through the neighborhood a couple days later and told him that. He got irate but still said he would cover it.

Since then I have found more balls in my yard.

I keep looking for a better solution and decide to patch it myself. $90 of materials and paint.

Yesterday while mowing the grass he decided to start hitting golf balls (with me down range of him). They are all going in his makeshift backstop, but still they have a history of landing in my yard where I am currently mowing.

I go over and ask if there is any better solution for the direction he is aiming. He tells me to go get bent. He tells me he can do what he wants to do on his property. I tell him not when it affects me on mine.

I've got a lock on the gate between our yards. He demands I remove it. I say no. He keeps driving balls, I tell him I will let the cops sort it out. He gets more irate and accuses me of reporting his dog for barking (I haven't).

I call, the deputy shows up. Not much to do but now at least I have a police report detailing the damage and the situation.

Honestly I was thinking about letting the $90 go, but I am still finding balls in my yard. Maybe I should have just ignored him yesterday, but either way I now have a paper trail established.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to handle it?

[crazyliblady]

Around 2017 I put new siding on my house. This past winter insurance paid for a new roof. This past spring my neighbor decided to take up golf.

The guy has a home made net, and for the past several months I've had the occasional errant ball in my yard. It's a nuisances, but no biggy right? Well last month his son pegged my house. A nice round indention. I immediately went over and told him about it, and that I wasn't happy, and that I would be getting prices for the repair. He assured me he would take care of it.

I call a few companies including the one who installed the siding. No one will do repairs for less that $2,000.

I passed him driving through the neighborhood a couple days later and told him that. He got irate but still said he would cover it.

Since then I have found more balls in my yard.

I keep looking for a better solution and decide to patch it myself. $90 of materials and paint.

Yesterday while mowing the grass he decided to start hitting golf balls (with me down range of him). They are all going in his makeshift backstop, but still they have a history of landing in my yard where I am currently mowing.

I go over and ask if there is any better solution for the direction he is aiming. He tells me to go get bent. He tells me he can do what he wants to do on his property. I tell him not when it affects me on mine.

I've got a lock on the gate between our yards. He demands I remove it. I say no. He keeps driving balls, I tell him I will let the cops sort it out. He gets more irate and accuses me of reporting his dog for barking (I haven't).

I call, the deputy shows up. Not much to do but now at least I have a police report detailing the damage and the situation.

Honestly I was thinking about letting the $90 go, but I am still finding balls in my yard. Maybe I should have just ignored him yesterday, but either way I now have a paper trail established.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to handle it?

I have never had to deal with this kind of issue. Is there any kind of city code that deals with damage to your property by neighbors?

Could you go ahead and get the repair done, have the company charge you $2,000 (even though that is over-priced), and then get the payment from the neighbor?

Would putting up a really tall fence do any good to prevent balls coming into your yard?

[Like2Plan]

Another vote for a Tall fence. (or tall trees on the boundary?)
I'm sorry you are having difficulties. I doubt the situation will get better but it could always get worse.

[crazyliblady]

Around 2017 I put new siding on my house. This past winter insurance paid for a new roof. This past spring my neighbor decided to take up golf.

The guy has a home made net, and for the past several months I've had the occasional errant ball in my yard. It's a nuisances, but no biggy right? Well last month his son pegged my house. A nice round indention. I immediately went over and told him about it, and that I wasn't happy, and that I would be getting prices for the repair. He assured me he would take care of it.

I call a few companies including the one who installed the siding. No one will do repairs for less that $2,000.

I passed him driving through the neighborhood a couple days later and told him that. He got irate but still said he would cover it.

Since then I have found more balls in my yard.

I keep looking for a better solution and decide to patch it myself. $90 of materials and paint.

Yesterday while mowing the grass he decided to start hitting golf balls (with me down range of him). They are all going in his makeshift backstop, but still they have a history of landing in my yard where I am currently mowing.

I go over and ask if there is any better solution for the direction he is aiming. He tells me to go get bent. He tells me he can do what he wants to do on his property. I tell him not when it affects me on mine.

I've got a lock on the gate between our yards. He demands I remove it. I say no. He keeps driving balls, I tell him I will let the cops sort it out. He gets more irate and accuses me of reporting his dog for barking (I haven't).

I call, the deputy shows up. Not much to do but now at least I have a police report detailing the damage and the situation.

Honestly I was thinking about letting the $90 go, but I am still finding balls in my yard. Maybe I should have just ignored him yesterday, but either way I now have a paper trail established.

Anyone have any thoughts on how to handle it?

I forgot to ask if you live in an HOA or have a neighborhood association. Maybe that could be of help.

[Fishindude77]

Should have gotten the repairs done professionally by a contractor and billed him the $2,000
$90 Doesn't seem to concern him much?

[myrdale]

No HOA. My personal view has always been it's none of my concern what someone else does, so long as it doesn't directly affect my property (property values aside).

I have not yet priced fencing, but it's 120ft roughly. I should imagine I could spend $2-3k easy. I'd rather not spend that money on this.Thought this would reduce the other problem I have had about people transiting my yard.

I use to have a DVR system watching my driveway. I took it down when the siding was done, and threw it away this past year because it had sat in a closet unused for going on 5 years. I ordered an NVR system last night. (NVR is the same as DVR, but the cameras are all EtherNet). I had actually be considering this for a while now.

[scfr]

Start yelling FORE! really loudly every time he hits a ball.

Sorry you're having to deal with this. Common courtesy says he should set up his net inside his garage or, at the very least, hit towards his own house.

At the very least, he shouldn't let his son hit balls towards your house if he doesn't have the control to prevent damage. Maybe ask him to do that much (have his son practice at a driving range) at a minimum?

[bjl584]

You should have had the repair done professionally and sent him the bill. When he didn't pay you could take him to court. The police report would be your evidence.
That is, assuming you want to go that route.

It can be tricky dealing with a bad neighbor, because you can't get away from them.

Someone I graduated high school with was having issues with his neighbor.
It ended by having the neighbor ambush him while he was mowing grass and shooting him point blank in the back of his head killing him instantly.
Not saying your situation is the same, but things can escalate out of control rather quickly.
Just be methodical about your moves and be careful.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Wow that is crazy.

[Jluke]

Might be time for you to start practicing your golf swing.

can you use the back of his setup to do the same???

[Drake3287]

Yep, I would have sent him the $2k bill. No different than if a ball had gone through your siding glass door. I hate these a$$ hole neighbor types, we've got our share of misfits around us also. Me, I've lived in the same house for 30 years and have never bothered a single neighbor with anything with the exception of maybe yelling during a touchdown or home run on TV. If and when we move I'll never have neighbors next to me again. Not worth the hassle. For those of you with great neighbors, consider yourself lucky. Many of us don't.

[kork13]

Ugh..... Sorry to hear that. My first thought is "make peace not war" .... Finding a way to build the relationship while meeting their desire to shoot balls might be effective. For example, purchasing/installing a larger, purpose-built net in their yard (maybe in a different/less destructive direction), and walking it over with driver in hand to test it out with them. Rebuilding the relationship would increase your chances of him paying for the repairs & working out better options than taking him to small claims court (though that would work as well).

But it seems like the peaceful route may be turning sour. I think adding some tall, bushy evergreens would do the trick in a more passive manner. Keeping the gate lock, then collecting & selling his golf balls back to him (or on the street corner) would probably send a message, but again, only harm the relationship further.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Um wow I don't know what to do except be careful?

I have great neighbors until recently. Like really nice neighbors who help each other out all the time.

Something really weird happened a new family moved in next door. As in we look from our house down into their house. And last month we heard screaming and raging and slamming of doors. I didn't hear much but dh swears he heard cursing and hitting and we were outside putting the kids trampoline together. We went quiet and didn't do anything. We still haven't gone over to introduce ourselves but me and the kids were out for town and dh was hesitant. So now for the first time in the numerous places we've rented and owned have we ever been a little weirded out by our neighbors.

I thought maybe the yelling as at the dog but I have no clue. And yes the screaming was definitely adults and kid so I don't know. But i guess this is one of those times when people say I thought something was odd but I never did anything. And yes before we would watch our neighbors in the same house wash dishes. And our dog would sit outside and watch them and the kids. But now the people who just moved in are never outside and the windows are always drawn and it's dark.

[ua_guy]

There's no good answer here, but my recommendation would be to maintain civility even if he's belligerent at times. Try to avoid escalations, tough as it can be sometimes.

We've had our fair share of awful neighbors over the years. There's a list of things we've been accused of, multiple properties now, fences that existed 20+ years before we even bought the place, property line disputes over forested land - and we have never been the aggressors, in fact, we've paid for surveys just to settle things. Seriously, we've been through some wild stuff with just weird-AF neighbors and their BS, oh the stories I can tell.

I'm probably jinxing myself, but we have the perfect neighbors now. We met them once, 3 years ago. They keep to themselves, and so do we. We wave when we see each other. They seem mindful and respectful, they maintain their property. Literally and exactly the kind of neighbors I've always hoped for.

[myrdale]

And last month we heard screaming and raging and slamming of doors. I didn't hear much but dh swears he heard cursing and hitting and we were outside putting the kids trampoline together. We went quiet and didn't do anything...

It amazes me how common this sort of behavior is. I grew up in a home completely free of it. Four of the houses within ear shot of mine have had some amount of this go on at one point or another over the last 15 years as families have come and gone. On more than a couple of occasions I've heard it coming from his side of the fence. I've never called the police over domestic disputes.

I did send him a letter by certified mail stating he owed me $90 and that I expected to be paid in the next 30 days. I've got my fingers crossed he steps up, but if not I will get to learn about the court system.