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Nightmare neighbours - have you ever had one?
- Thread starter Reecedouglas1
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Not really nightmare, in terms of fighting or criminal activity, but anyway...
We had live in a townhome, and had some issues with one unit two doors down. The owner had moved out and rented her unit to a series of ne'er-do-wells. One set was a group of young people who threw late-night parties with 30 of their closest friends on their small deck several times a week. So, until the wee hours of the morning, there would be yelling and loud music. Not awesome when you have a newborn. We spoke with them one day, and the issue got better.
They moved out, and another moved in, and he was far, far worse. He was this very loud, brash individual who spent the majority of his time in his driveway on his phone speaking VERY LOUDLY to people on the other end. He had five dogs in his townhome, while any more than three is illegal in our city. They were all small loud yippee dogs. He would open the back door to his unit, let them all out, and them close the door on the leashes, leaving them all out there. They would bark incessantly for half an hour at a time. It was so loud. And he would never clean up their poop, so it stank like hell. One call to animal control and a few of his dogs disappeared, but he continued to let them out like that. He also put up ridiculous amounts of holiday decorations, invading his neighbors lawns as well. As it turns out, the owner of the unit had foreclosed on it while he was living there, and he fell into a loophole that meant he didn't have to abide by HOA rules (remember this).
But the funniest thing was the day before he left. I was at home one afternoon, and I hear some very loud yelling out front. I look out and see him in his driveway, freaking out, with water running down the driveway. Apparently, he had been ignoring a small leak on the third floor of his unit, and it finally burst, sending water pouring down all three floors and out the front door. When our courtesy officer tried to turn off the water, he refused to let him, thinking that his water would never get turned back on. They finally managed to stop the flow. When the property manager showed up, he started screaming at her, as if it's her fault. He demanded that the HOA insurance pay to repair his house and that the HOA put him and his family up in a hotel until it was fixed. Of course, the manager laughed in his face. He moved out the next day.
My only other experiences were my roommate in college, who made me swear off roommates forever. He left so much crap on the floor, I literally had to scrape out paths to walk across the room. He was loud and had a really annoying northeastern-mixed-with-florida accent. He would lay in bed for literally days after a Miami Dolphins loss. Drove me insane.
We had live in a townhome, and had some issues with one unit two doors down. The owner had moved out and rented her unit to a series of ne'er-do-wells. One set was a group of young people who threw late-night parties with 30 of their closest friends on their small deck several times a week. So, until the wee hours of the morning, there would be yelling and loud music. Not awesome when you have a newborn. We spoke with them one day, and the issue got better.
They moved out, and another moved in, and he was far, far worse. He was this very loud, brash individual who spent the majority of his time in his driveway on his phone speaking VERY LOUDLY to people on the other end. He had five dogs in his townhome, while any more than three is illegal in our city. They were all small loud yippee dogs. He would open the back door to his unit, let them all out, and them close the door on the leashes, leaving them all out there. They would bark incessantly for half an hour at a time. It was so loud. And he would never clean up their poop, so it stank like hell. One call to animal control and a few of his dogs disappeared, but he continued to let them out like that. He also put up ridiculous amounts of holiday decorations, invading his neighbors lawns as well. As it turns out, the owner of the unit had foreclosed on it while he was living there, and he fell into a loophole that meant he didn't have to abide by HOA rules (remember this).
But the funniest thing was the day before he left. I was at home one afternoon, and I hear some very loud yelling out front. I look out and see him in his driveway, freaking out, with water running down the driveway. Apparently, he had been ignoring a small leak on the third floor of his unit, and it finally burst, sending water pouring down all three floors and out the front door. When our courtesy officer tried to turn off the water, he refused to let him, thinking that his water would never get turned back on. They finally managed to stop the flow. When the property manager showed up, he started screaming at her, as if it's her fault. He demanded that the HOA insurance pay to repair his house and that the HOA put him and his family up in a hotel until it was fixed. Of course, the manager laughed in his face. He moved out the next day.
My only other experiences were my roommate in college, who made me swear off roommates forever. He left so much crap on the floor, I literally had to scrape out paths to walk across the room. He was loud and had a really annoying northeastern-mixed-with-florida accent. He would lay in bed for literally days after a Miami Dolphins loss. Drove me insane.
No. People here tend to have class and keep their personal issues at bay. We did get some new neighbors across the street years ago who don't live there anymore. They were too nice. Extremely nice people. Overt niceness doesn't settle well for me. It wasn't fake nice either, such as that in the south.
bunnspecial
macrumors G3
Every neighbor I've had has either turned into a good friend or ended up being someone who keeps to themselves.
Growing up, we were on great terms with Ethel, who lived on one side, Gene who lived on the other side, and Pat who was behind us. Pat and Gene were sisters. Both of them were very sociable and used to sit out and talk to anyone who came by every evening. Ethel owned a local bakery(started by her late husband) and would bring me left over cookies almost every day 🙂 . All three have since passed on, although we kept in touch after moving.
My parents have been at their current house for near 20 years, and have had the same folks on one side and across the street that entire time. All are very friendly and approachable, although they haven't gotten to know them overly well. The house on the other side has had I think 5 different families in it in that time. We got to know two of them really well, while the other three(including the current ones) were always friendly but not overly approachable.
The folks where I live are friendly, but there again I don't known any of them beyond making small talk when our paths cross. I think there's only one person who has lived there longer than me. Virtually every there is what you'd class as a young professional with the exceptions being a few folks along the way who were professional school students-we've had a couple of medical and dental school students, and I lived there for most of my graduate school career. That demographic tends to invite a lot of turn-over as well as folks who have better things to do than cause trouble for the sake of it.
Growing up, we were on great terms with Ethel, who lived on one side, Gene who lived on the other side, and Pat who was behind us. Pat and Gene were sisters. Both of them were very sociable and used to sit out and talk to anyone who came by every evening. Ethel owned a local bakery(started by her late husband) and would bring me left over cookies almost every day 🙂 . All three have since passed on, although we kept in touch after moving.
My parents have been at their current house for near 20 years, and have had the same folks on one side and across the street that entire time. All are very friendly and approachable, although they haven't gotten to know them overly well. The house on the other side has had I think 5 different families in it in that time. We got to know two of them really well, while the other three(including the current ones) were always friendly but not overly approachable.
The folks where I live are friendly, but there again I don't known any of them beyond making small talk when our paths cross. I think there's only one person who has lived there longer than me. Virtually every there is what you'd class as a young professional with the exceptions being a few folks along the way who were professional school students-we've had a couple of medical and dental school students, and I lived there for most of my graduate school career. That demographic tends to invite a lot of turn-over as well as folks who have better things to do than cause trouble for the sake of it.
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
When I first got Married we rented a small one bedroom place in London. Opposite we had an Iranian couple who liked to row a lot (always sounds worse when you don't know the language). Next door was a bed sit where he came Home one night (about 1am) and put the Tv on full blast (I mean full blast not just slightly loud). I banged on his door for an hour, but clearly he had passed out as he didn't move.
Then one day the Iranian couple started playing some music at full blast which was odd as I'd never heard them play music before.
I went and knocked on their door and they eventually turned it down, when I immediately realised whilst it was so loud. The young girl who lived next door to them was 'entertaining' and having a very good time!
I think the walls were paper thin in that place and as we had no tv of computer or anything you tended to notice more.
That said I was working very long hours back then as we were saving for a deposit to buy our first place which we did 18 months later.
These days I live in a detached property and would never consider anything else. I like the quiet.
Then one day the Iranian couple started playing some music at full blast which was odd as I'd never heard them play music before.
I went and knocked on their door and they eventually turned it down, when I immediately realised whilst it was so loud. The young girl who lived next door to them was 'entertaining' and having a very good time!
I think the walls were paper thin in that place and as we had no tv of computer or anything you tended to notice more.
That said I was working very long hours back then as we were saving for a deposit to buy our first place which we did 18 months later.
These days I live in a detached property and would never consider anything else. I like the quiet.
AlliFlowers
macrumors 601
The people across from us can't park. And they constantly have friends over who can't park. They park in front of their house, directly across from my driveway. If they parked on the other side of their own driveway, they would be in nobody's way. But no. They have to park directly across from my driveway, making it difficult to get in our out. They also park directly in front of their mailbox. I'm surprised the mailman hasn't refused to deliver their mail.
CrickettGrrrl
macrumors 6502a
A.Goldberg
macrumors 68030
Yes.
#1 My next door neighbors in my current apartment. They moved out about a year and a half ago. They were Jews for Jesus, aka evangelical Christians. They literally harassed my GF and I to the brink of insanity to join their religion. My GF and I are Jewish but not particularly religious. The guilt shaming and flyers/invitations and attempts at debating religion were endless and eventually offensive. Things like my GF at the grocery store buying shrimp and the woman approaching her saying "oh I guess you're not eating Kosher today. You know with our community you don't have to". Or "I see you're not celebrating Shabbat, do you find you don't fit in with your congregation".
They didn't bother the couple in the other apartment out age who were Christain aside from sending them newsletters asking for donations and asking them to pray for the non believers (the neighbors made me a copy of the most ridiculous flyer ever). It honestly came to the point where I would come home, pull into the parking garage, see the guy next to his car (next to my parking space) waving at me with a stupid smile, and me throwing the car in reverse and leaving to kill time so I could hopefully not have to interact with him when I came back.
They eventually moved, "Baruch HaShem" to that 🙄. Jews for Jesus in Boston also ended up closing shop too.
#2) My parents have a summer house in Rhode Island. All the houses in the neighborhood are well kept and generally tasteful except for our next door neighbors. Their house is hideous to start off with. While nearly all the houses hve natural shingle style siding, they have vibrantly painted siding. Their landscaping looks like miniature golf course. Their yard is pretty much sand and filled with garbage. If it rains too much a cesspool forms in the side of their yard. It's literallly hillbillies sitting on a $1m 1/4 acre of property somehow.
Not only is their property and eyesore, they also are incredibly annoying. Always doing some sort of noisy construction project starting at 5AM, like powerwashining their deck. Digging a well. Reroofing. Mowing the weeds.
They guy has owned that house for like 50 years as a second home, I can respect that. But I gladly await the day he sells the house or passes it on to his children (who hopefully have money but I don't think so).
The general trend here is people buying up the 1960's era cottages and restoring them or rebuilding them. Our neighborhood has been good not constructing too many 8,0000sq ft monstrosities. But it would be nice to see this property leveled and rebuilt.
#1 My next door neighbors in my current apartment. They moved out about a year and a half ago. They were Jews for Jesus, aka evangelical Christians. They literally harassed my GF and I to the brink of insanity to join their religion. My GF and I are Jewish but not particularly religious. The guilt shaming and flyers/invitations and attempts at debating religion were endless and eventually offensive. Things like my GF at the grocery store buying shrimp and the woman approaching her saying "oh I guess you're not eating Kosher today. You know with our community you don't have to". Or "I see you're not celebrating Shabbat, do you find you don't fit in with your congregation".
They didn't bother the couple in the other apartment out age who were Christain aside from sending them newsletters asking for donations and asking them to pray for the non believers (the neighbors made me a copy of the most ridiculous flyer ever). It honestly came to the point where I would come home, pull into the parking garage, see the guy next to his car (next to my parking space) waving at me with a stupid smile, and me throwing the car in reverse and leaving to kill time so I could hopefully not have to interact with him when I came back.
They eventually moved, "Baruch HaShem" to that 🙄. Jews for Jesus in Boston also ended up closing shop too.
#2) My parents have a summer house in Rhode Island. All the houses in the neighborhood are well kept and generally tasteful except for our next door neighbors. Their house is hideous to start off with. While nearly all the houses hve natural shingle style siding, they have vibrantly painted siding. Their landscaping looks like miniature golf course. Their yard is pretty much sand and filled with garbage. If it rains too much a cesspool forms in the side of their yard. It's literallly hillbillies sitting on a $1m 1/4 acre of property somehow.
Not only is their property and eyesore, they also are incredibly annoying. Always doing some sort of noisy construction project starting at 5AM, like powerwashining their deck. Digging a well. Reroofing. Mowing the weeds.
They guy has owned that house for like 50 years as a second home, I can respect that. But I gladly await the day he sells the house or passes it on to his children (who hopefully have money but I don't think so).
The general trend here is people buying up the 1960's era cottages and restoring them or rebuilding them. Our neighborhood has been good not constructing too many 8,0000sq ft monstrosities. But it would be nice to see this property leveled and rebuilt.
Huntn
macrumors Penryn
Our friends who we visit often have a grumpy neighbor who resents anyone parking in front of his house, although it's a public street. When we come to visit for a couple of days, he parks his pickup on the edge of his property line (on the street) to keep us from parking slightly in front of his house.
ActionableMango
macrumors G3
Yes.
At the last homeowner's meeting about 90% of the people there had complaints about my neighbor, so at least I'm not alone in dealing with their crap. Also, many of the people there thought the problems were coming from me (including one call to the police on me), so I'm glad I was able to clear that up.
Also, they are renters. Why any homeowner would want them as renters is beyond me. They are nothing but trouble.
At the last homeowner's meeting about 90% of the people there had complaints about my neighbor, so at least I'm not alone in dealing with their crap. Also, many of the people there thought the problems were coming from me (including one call to the police on me), so I'm glad I was able to clear that up.
Also, they are renters. Why any homeowner would want them as renters is beyond me. They are nothing but trouble.
The-Real-Deal82
macrumors P6
I used to live in a flat where the couple upstairs would have very loud sex at 3am pretty much every night and the floors were just poorly insulated wooden beams. It's not that I didn't admire their commitment to each other, but it stopped me sleeping for weeks.
I got chatting to another neighbour and it transpired they both worked in a market where they started at 5am and would sleep late afternoon and stay up all night. I used to get home from work and play music with a speaker in the top of the wardrobe. The guy came down one day to ask me to keep it down so I said I would. As he was walking away I asked if his girlfriend could keep it down at 3am? He went very red and said he'd put his hand over her mouth. We laughed and the problem went away. Thankfully a happy ending
I got chatting to another neighbour and it transpired they both worked in a market where they started at 5am and would sleep late afternoon and stay up all night. I used to get home from work and play music with a speaker in the top of the wardrobe. The guy came down one day to ask me to keep it down so I said I would. As he was walking away I asked if his girlfriend could keep it down at 3am? He went very red and said he'd put his hand over her mouth. We laughed and the problem went away. Thankfully a happy ending
Apple fanboy
macrumors Ivy Bridge
Well it was for him! 😉I used to live in a flat where the couple upstairs would have very loud sex at 3am pretty much every night and the floors were just poorly insulated wooden beams. It's not that I didn't admire their commitment to each other, but it stopped me sleeping for weeks.
I got chatting to another neighbour and it transpired they both worked in a market where they started at 5am and would sleep late afternoon and stay up all night. I used to get home from work and play music with a speaker in the top of the wardrobe. The guy came down one day to ask me to keep it down so I said I would. As he was walking away I asked if his girlfriend could keep it down at 3am? He went very red and said he'd put his hand over her mouth. We laughed and the problem went away. Thankfully a happy ending
The neighbour who moved in beside our house bought the thing and has done every bit of work possible, including adding in a new basement. Sleeping in isnt exactly the easiest with all the banging I have to hear.
This thread made me curious of how our second set of neighbors really are.
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Do you guys not have local ordinance laws on when work can be done?
I was involved in a lawsuit. My neighbour didn't like the speed it was progressing, and sued me. Cost me a massive amount of money to prepare to defend the suit. They dropped the suit the day it was to go to court. (It was also clearly determined their issue had nothing to do with mine.) I was barely above water at the time funding my suit. (The Legal system is nothing like what you see on TV. Attorneys win. The little guy tends not to win. Sometimes they do, but mostly no.)
Other neighbour leaves cars regularly parked in front of my house, one of which leaks oil on the street. This contravenes the neighbourhood covenant (no cars parked on the street for more than 24 hours and the county code which says 72 hours.) That may seem really pissy to complain about. I took it in stride for years. Then one day, no cars were in front of my house. Shocked how different it made everything look and feel. And, I paid for that privilege by buying a house in a neighbourhood with the covenant. They still do it, even though I do call the police to track the parking a couple times a year. I welcome any suggestions on how to get them to stop....
Other neighbour leaves cars regularly parked in front of my house, one of which leaks oil on the street. This contravenes the neighbourhood covenant (no cars parked on the street for more than 24 hours and the county code which says 72 hours.) That may seem really pissy to complain about. I took it in stride for years. Then one day, no cars were in front of my house. Shocked how different it made everything look and feel. And, I paid for that privilege by buying a house in a neighbourhood with the covenant. They still do it, even though I do call the police to track the parking a couple times a year. I welcome any suggestions on how to get them to stop....
He follows them which is still quite early. Did I mention the all the equipment that is always parked in front of our house?
I think our remodel permits only allowed noisy construction between the hours of 7 and 6 on weekdays, and 9 to 5 on weekends. It might have changed since then. I can't speak for your city or area, but I was able to keep one of those trash dump beds at the curb to dump old material and then have a truck come by and take it away. I can understand why you're upset. Have you tried talking with the guy? I'm sure provided he's sane, he can be a little more quiet about it. Maybe you two can become fast friends and help each other out. Share a beer or two. He might be an Apple addict too.
Thomas Veil
macrumors 68030
My neighbors aren't really bad, they're just weird.
Keep in mind I live in a nice community. However, bordering us on each side we have:
Keep in mind I live in a nice community. However, bordering us on each side we have:
- People who somehow manage to put out four or five cans of trash every week...which would be okay if they consistently paid their trash bill. But they don't. So every so often we go through a period where those garbage cans sit there for literally weeks.
- A Vietnam vet (so the rumor mill goes) who talks to other neighbors but not to us. Okay.
- A mom with a young adult daughter who has...problems. Let's just say this past summer ambulances were there several times. I feel for the girl, I really do. And the poor mom is a nervous wreck.
- A cantankerous retired guy who once came over to talk to my wife wearing a gun on his hip. He's nice enough to us, but the gun scared the bejesus out of her. He said he needs it because the Muslims are coming for him.