Is it me?? (Neighbor Rant)

**KWLinda** · 08-02-2007, 06:01 PM

I live in a one-story apartment building (converted army barracks) and the walls are thin. I also share a porch with the neighbor to my left. I am very concious of my noise level and try to be very respectful of their "space" on the porch.

On my side of the porch I have a small table and two chairs as well as plants and planting supplies (rose food, potting soil etc.) I keep these supplies in a square tub tucked under one of the chairs. I don't go onto the porch often as I use the back door as my main entrance. Today I go out there to get some potting soil and notice a black trash back sticking out from under the chair. I pull out the storage tub and there's a trash bag full of women's clothes, clean and neatly folded. WTF! Now, in order to fit said trash bag in my storage tub under the chair some of my supplies had been removed and placed on the opposite side of the porch. Again, WTF! This isn't the first time I've noticed things out of place but it is the first time someone has blatantly used an area I pay rent for to store their stuff. Needless to say, my things are back where they belong and the mystery bag has a new home in the dumpster. I dare them to question me about it!

When did neighbors become so inconsiderate?? Thanks for letting me vent.

**lottaLove** · 08-02-2007, 06:10 PM

I guess you never can choose your neighbours unless you buy the entire neighbourhood! I've had my share of...erm wonderful neighbours also

My neighbour to the right (townhouse) its a wonderful older woman with an alcoholism problem who passes out in her chair outside all times of the day, smokes inconsiderately close to my doorstep and steals food from my garden. On the other side is a pleasant man who boxes people into parking spots if they take his (and no, we don't have assigned parking!)

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 08-02-2007, 06:31 PM

Wow. That just sucks! I'm sorry they're being such jerks! Grrrrrr...

**Michelle68** · 08-02-2007, 06:51 PM

That's pretty nervy. We have neighbors who are really nice people. A little but goofy, but nice. Right before we went on vacation this summer, we received notice that the city would be making theire semiannual rounds to pick up old brush, furniture, etc. which was supposed to be placed on the curbs in front of our house. Our neighbor asked us just before we left if he could put a few branches on our curb because he had already filled up his curb. We said sure, since it was just a few branches and the crews would be around in a couple of days to pick everything up.

Well, fast forward almost two weeks later and we drive up to the house, back from vacation. There had been lots of rain in the area so the crews hadn't been around to pick our neighborhood junk up yet, AND the neighbor had not only put his branches on our curb, but also a couch and a loveseat which totally killed our grass while it had been sitting there while we were gone. Grrrr! I gues he figured that it would all be picked up before we got back. As Lottalove said, it's too bad you can't pick your neighbors. Sorry you have such a jerky one.

--Michelle

**baxjul** · 08-02-2007, 07:23 PM

That's horrible!

**Darlene** · 08-02-2007, 07:41 PM

I'd talk to them & ask what's up.
Doesn't have to be a big confrontation, just let them know you had some stuff set aside for whatever reason & then there was some new stuff, "What's up with that?" People are wierd but you won't know what they are doing unless you ask.

**KWLinda** · 08-02-2007, 07:45 PM

Thanks for sharing your stories, though I don't wish nasty neighbors on anyone, it does sort of comfort me that I'm not alone, kwim? Maybe someday I'll be able to afford a house with lots of land around it. For now I'll just chalk it up to "you get what you pay for" my rent is dirt cheap for the area.

I picked today to quit smoking and am a little bit testy (this is a serious understatement) this just set me off and I'm not sure if I overreacted by throwing it in the dumpster. Then again, even if I wanted to return the stuff to its owner I coudn't as I don't really know for sure who put it there, why or when.

**Jaded** · 08-02-2007, 07:55 PM

I have no neighbors. Just two abandoned houses falling to pieces on either side. I wish I had my old neighbors back, they were great, but sadly, both have gone on to their heavenly reward, and I got the "hell" of living with what was left behind.

The house on the left of me is due to be torn down, IF they can ever decided who owns it, the mortgage company, or the family of the deceased man. The other has grass two feet tall, and all the screens have been blown out of the lanai/pool cage since Hurricane Charley. For some strange reason, they actually replaced the roof. Found out they refinanced the house, got more money, supposedly for repairs, but never repaired anything but the roof. They live in New York, and come down here for a couple of days once a year or so. The pool is a breeding pond for frogs and mosquitoes.

I can't even think of selling my house with these two on either side of me. Nobody would want to live between these two houses!

**KWLinda** · 08-02-2007, 07:59 PM

Darlene,

I would do that but whenever I've tried to talk to them (about the noise) they conveniently "No habla Ingles" though I know they understand/speak English as the walls are very thin. (One Christmas they had the music so loud I couldn't hear my television in my bedroom with the doors and windows closed, two rooms away) The noise problem stopped when I mentioned it to my neighbor on the other side. She's a very tiny Cuban woman in her 60's (amazing woman, speaks 5 languages, love her to death) anyway, she went next door and gave them what for and I haven't heard music past 10 pm since.

On another occasion I opened the back door one Sunday morning to hang a comforter on my clothesline (in MY yard) and found someones clothes hanging there. I waited to see who showed up for them and was again met with "no habla". I got someone to translate my question of why was she using my clothesline without asking my permission and she responded with complete indignation that I had the nerve to even ask. I thought I was being reasonable in waiting for someone to show up instead of just dumping the clothes on the ground and leaving my stuff wadded up in a heap until they did.

**Persimmon Lace** · 08-02-2007, 08:27 PM

If it happens again I would call the police and have them fill out a report on a possible theft/break in. It's amazing how many things stop once the police car shows up in the driveway. I just mentioned doing this to a neighbor one time and never had another problem.

**KWLinda** · 08-03-2007, 01:10 AM

Well, I reconsidered my dumpster reaction and did the following instead; Luckily the bag was still on top of the other trash, I pulled it out and left it in clear sight on the edge of my porch with the following note in big black magic marker stapled to it:

To Whoever is Using My Porch:

Either start paying my rent or STOP making messes and leaving things on my porch! (Trash, birdseed, clothing...)

When the bag disappears I'll know they got the message. Maybe they'll start doing the right thing.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 08-03-2007, 03:00 AM

Is it still there?

**Daisygirl** · 08-03-2007, 05:34 AM

Wow - I cannot beleive how people just simply have no boundaries. Sometimes I see this kind of stuff and think I would NEVER do that! What are they thinking!?!?!

**YankeeMom** · 08-03-2007, 10:17 AM

Maybe you should have the Cuban lady translate the note into Spanish so there's no doubt that they got the meaning

I hate neighbors. Our next house is going to be in the boonies far far far from people.

**fernykins** · 08-03-2007, 10:41 AM

Well I wish someone would take my neighbor on my driveway side. I have complained to code enforcment, animal control, and mangement about all her cats and the smell that is coming out of her house.Code enforcement and animal control tell me its not their problem. The smell alone is enough to gage you. Now mind you the rules say 2 animals. Well she has 2 daogs and 30 to 50 cats. She can't figure out why she is sick. She come into my yard shuts my water off, I have a cat trap and she lets them go. the males spray on my car. They(cats) are sick they do not bury their s**t. My Dr has complained to management about the healt problems they are causing. They just ignore the problem. Somebody want her for a neighbor I'll give her up.
Fern