Few things are worse than being stuck with an insufferable neighbor. This becomes even worse when you are forced to deal with them, for example, when you want to build something near the property line or something that would affect your neighbor. If you’re on sour terms, they’ll do their best to make your life miserable, slowing down the process and being as specific about everything as possible.
Reddit user u/Sospuff details his story of petty revenge against a neighbor he calls a “heinous guy.” The neighbor took OP to court over his fence being 1.5 inches (4 cm) over the line, so he reported him when his fence wasn’t up to regulations. Eye for eye, fence for fence.
More info: Reddit
Dealing with untalkative neighbors is always a pain as there is no way to salvage your relationship without talking
Image credits: Field Outdoor Spaces (not the actual photo)
A dad wanted to share his petty revenge story after his neighbor refused to deal with him after a property dispute
Image credits: Sospuff
The neighbor had taken OP to court and won the property dispute, but not long after, OP noticed that the neighbors' fence was unsuitable for their dog
Image credits: Zepfanman.com (not the actual photo)
OP goes on to say that the neighbor encourages his dog to be aggressive towards his kids, praising it for barking when the kids are playing outside
Image credits: Sospuff
OP implies that he will report his neighbor for the fence inaccuracy as he didn't want to solve the property dispute in a civil way
Image credits: Sospuff
OP finally calls out the neighbor for being a hypocrite, shouting about the law and his rights, when he was in the right about OP's fence but ignoring his own fencing issue in this case
The neighborly dispute started when the Original Poster’s (OP) contractor made a mistake and went over the property line into the neighbor’s land when installing a fence. The neighbor was inflamed by this, even though the fence was over into the neighbor’s property by a mere 1.5 inches (4 cm), which was considered still in the margin of error for the contractor.
He took OP to court for encroaching on his land and won because he was in the right lawfully, even if he was petty. OP lost the case, which he doesn’t contest, but mentions that the neighbor would shout about the law and his rights all the time throughout the process. He further said that he insulted his wife and called him a thief, even though OP suggested buying the property line where his fence encroached on the neighbor's territory. The property line was behind a dense hedge, but the neighbor staunchly disagreed.
Some time later, OP found out that his neighbor’s dog is considered to be of a "dangerous breed," meaning that there are strict regulations for his fence. The fence should be at least 6.5 feet (2 meters) high, with a concrete base, and running around the entirety of his property.
Having measured the fence, OP specifies that his current fence is only 4.6 feet (1m 40cm) tall, nearly 2 feet (60 cm) short, and has no base. The poster then asks a rhetorical question: "Guess what complaint I'm going to file with the police?"
After some commenters disagreed with OP and looked down upon him for being so petty and incorrect, as the fence dispute was his fault originally, OP provided some more information about the neighbor and his dog. He says that he isn’t only doing it for vengeance but because he has young children, and the neighbor encourages his dog by calling him a “good boy” whenever he barks at OP’s children playing outside.
OP further mentions that the dog the neighbor owns is a “category 1” dog that has to be registered with the local authorities. Category 1 dogs include pit bulls, mastiffs, and other similar dogs. He mentions that he will inquire into this as the next step of petty revenge against the neighbor.
Image credits: Rebecca Siegel (not the actual photo)
This story shows just how difficult it may be to deal with neighbors sometimes. Having good neighbors is a huge blessing, because if you have created a relationship with them, you can ask them for favors, such as watching your house when you’re out, have your kids hang out together and help them in return.
If you’re on bad terms, you lose all the perks, and if your neighbors are especially incensed, they may actively work against you, making things difficult for you. Often it is the case that you can’t just move away and have to deal with your neighbor somehow or just put up with them.
LegalZoom has some great tips for dealing with pesky neighbors before resorting to courts or violence. If your neighbor is playing their music too loud, making noise very early in the morning or very late at night, or otherwise disturbing you in any other way, you shouldn’t call the police or sue them immediately.
What’s most likely to work is to speak to them in person. Sometimes people don’t even understand that they’re being a nuisance to others. If you can meet them face-to-face and tell them what’s bothering you, that may solve your problems immediately. If you can’t see them in person, perhaps a good idea would be to text them or write them a letter with your concerns.
Failing that, it’s time to begin an official process. Research whether you have any legal basis for your concerns. Then get a copy of local ordinances and/or talk to your HOA to find out whether the things your neighbor is doing are actually acceptable in the community. When you have collected enough information, you should hand the ordinance to your neighbor, telling them you’d like to solve this without going to the authorities.
If this still doesn’t work, you could attempt to call the police. Perhaps you could also look into mediation, which would listen to both sides of the conflict and be cheaper than going to court. This could help you achieve a compromise suitable for both sides.
Finally, if that still doesn’t solve your problems with them, you could attempt to go to small claims court, which should hopefully solve your issue.
The post received nearly 9 thousand upvotes in a couple of days, gathering more than 900 comments in the same amount of time. OP was very active in the comments, providing more details about the situation, and many are eagerly waiting for an update. A lot of people supported OP, with most telling him to pursue the contractor that made the original fencing error. What are your thoughts? Share your nightmare neighbor stories in the comments below.
Commenters showed support for OP, calling out the contractor who did poor work on his fence and asking for an update
Image credits: Tim Dorr (not the actual photo)
