Neighbor Nightmare--Need Advice (1 Viewer)

[Scott Merryfield]

By the way, never offer to clean up his property especially after you trim the tree. Cleaning his property is his responsibility, not yours.

While it may be his responsibility, since it is your tree it would be the neighborly thing to do to clean up the nuts (but since your neighbor is not being very neighborly, either, I wouldn't blame you for letting him clean up the mess).

The neighbor behind us has an apple tree near our property line, and the fruit falls into our yard each fall. Being very nice people, they clean up the fallen fruit before I even have a chance to do so.

 

[Cam S]

I know exactly how you feel about the neighbors not cooperating when it comes to stuff like this. I had a situation with my neighbors a few years ago. They had their septic field leaking into our yard down a huge rock face we have in the backyard, it was like a giant "shit slick" and in the winter it would freeze up like a moving glacier, truly disgusting and unhealthy. It took us many complaints to the city to finally get them to fix their septic field, but man, what a long battle that was.
With the tree. I would simply trim it back to the property line, then he has no reason to bitch, regardless of what falls on his property. I mean is this guy gonna bitch about any leafs that fall off from neighboring trees??
As for the sprinkler heads, how about some strategically placed barb wire, or a rose bush

 

[Allen W]

Cut the tree down while his car is parked under it! Doh! For the kids you can leave a 2x4 with some nails sticking up on the lawn by the sprinkler. I am kidding, I would not want to deal with the retaliation which I am positive would come back from this guy.
In all seriousness I like the idea of having the tree trimmed professionally. I would not encourage him to do it, he will get carried away and chop the whole thing down. I would never give the guy an inch or offer to do anything else for him. Next thing you know he'll be after you to paint your house a different color because he doesn't like it. He certainly does not understand the definition of being a good neighbor.
Find out what your city ordinance noise decibel limit is and measure the kids music with your trusty radio shack Sound Pressure Level Meter. If it is over the limit you can call the cops and have the kids ticketed.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I know this much, my dad's neighbor's insurance recently settled with him about an overhanging branch that fell on his house from a tree in his yard. I would definitely state that it is your responsibility to have the tree trimmed and applaud your decision on this.

Cops are a hit and miss thing as most cities view this as more as a battle of neighbor's egoes than maybe of justifiable actions. I would definitely record such incidents (preferably with other neighbors as witness) and see if you have local community groups and zoning ordinaces that might need to be enforced. Unfortunately some of these legal actions might not be effective though I would check with SRS about his kids, the health department about the trash, and the police for everything else if possible. You might also want to check if the realtor knew about these problems and didn't inform you as this might be more effective in court than going after the former owner. Your insurance company might be of some help also (vermin problem can affect the value of your house or make you make a claim).

In the event of all legal things not helping you, I have a few things to say and one is "Paladin Press" as they make all sorts of books to do nefarious deeds to other people and may stimulate a few good daydreams to pass time away with (I'd advise not doing things from their books as most are illegal but some of the pseudo legal things are quite good). I do not condone or advise you to follow up on this but maybe sometimes talking "crazy" gets some people to act right. I know that I came from an "eye for an eye" background and have done things illegal I wasn't proud of but did get things on a civilized note after some of the actions. Trust me Ozzy's an amateur.

 

[Jeremy Illingworth]

I meant to mention the hedge thing in my first post. Grandpa and my dad both have one. You can get thick, fast growing types and a nice hedge generally adds value to a house, so you don't have much to lose. They usually only take two trims a year to keep looking nice.

jeremy

 

[Andrew_Sch]

If you saw mice, you should definitely call the health department, personal issues aside. You do not want rodents on or near his property, because they'll eventually get tired of his space and move in on yours.

But, tempting as it may be to rattle their windows, I just don't want to put the other neighbors through that and refuse to sink to that level.

Just sink, man. We live in a duplex and our white trash (pardon the harsh terminology if it offends anyone, but it's the absolute truth) neighbors ocassionally blast rap on their crappy 80-watt stereo. A little SPR, Fast and the Furious, or Gladiator on the HT or Metallica on the stereo takes care of that problem rather quickly. It's a little childish and stupid, but sooooo gratifying.

 

[KeithAP]

You should contact an attorney that specializes in issues like this. If these issues existed previous to your purchase and were known by the seller you have a case against him. If the driveway and the addition are not up to code and proper permits weren't obtained your neighbor is in trouble. Just trim the tree and get a lawyer. Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.
-Keith

 

[BrianW]

"go to the mattresses"

My goodness, what kind of wrestling do you watch? :b

 

[matthew_rm]

Out KLIPSCH em' with about 10 SVS subs, open the windows. Krell amps, and some OZZY will show those stupid kids Cerwin-Vega is NO MATCH for your towers of power!
Oh yeah, or you could call the cop's. Plan B I guess!

 

[Henry Carmona]

As mentioned, id get my camcorder and tape the trash, and noise. Also show the noise on a SPL meter, you can play a stereo in court at that volume and see if the judge likes it .
Plant some bushes as close to your property line as possible to keep the kids from riding on your lawn.
Regardless of the new driveway, the owner can decide at anytime wether or not he likes nuts from your tree falling on his yard. He could complain even if there was NOT a driveway there.

 

[Sean Conklin]

I don't know, the ham worked for Ozzy, I think his neighbors moved out or something.
Ok, John I will check my e mail.

 

[Eve T]

Trim the friggin tree. To quote a very famous candy bar commercial..."Sometimes you feel like a nut...sometimes you don't."

If he complains after that I'd bring in the big guns and video tape the destruction of your sprinklers etc. If the kids won't turn down their music, call the cops. You can get them for disturbance of the peace. After the kids parents see a cop car pull into their drive after the first few times they will get the point.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I think if you want to stop them from blasting their stereo at you a horn loaded piezo tweeter, test Cd, and a small amp should do the trick. I think a 120+ db of 15k+ hz would breakdown most anyone and definitely get their attention (sort of like the sonic barking control collar).

 

[AviTevet]

Well there's one obvious answer that everyone has overlooked: snipers. Hire them to watch the tree, then shoot the nuts like skeets when they attempt to fall on his property. They could also take care of the mice & music problems. It's like 3 solutions in one.

 

[Bill Kane]

C'mon people, get real! Carl is suffering here, and undoubtedly has some reservations in being new to the neighborhood.

These bad-neighbor problems will have to be worked out probably a step at a time. Thank goodness Carl doesnt suffer the Barking-Dog Problem, y'know, the 24/7 yapper, at night and when the neighbor is at work. Cops detest this type of call as bad as domestic violence or loud stereos.

Certainly, the police will respond to a late-night party's loudness, but everyday teen stereo noise is almost a no-win enforcement. Police would hope that neighbors civilly work these things out themselves insofar as possible. As far as dogs go, I've heard of some communities that provide MEDIATION between the dog owner and neighbor.

Since there's a general consensus here over trimming the tree -- and it is a festering problem -- it might be best to bite the bullet and totally remove the tree esp. w/ the neighbor's "promise" of helping pay for it. Yes, this isnt cheap. Then replant a 20-gal replacement ornamental tree (again this'll be >$100).

Before you even get to litigiousness (dont use THAT word very often) -- lawyers, suing blah blah -- since you are new to the 'hood, you might try befriending the teen boys, give 'em some sodas, talk about music and stuff.

It's easy to block the end of your yard where bicycles trespass. The longrange problem lies in mutual respect. Obviously, the longer residence (years) of the neighbor makes him resentful toward the newcomer. Somehow, someway, y'all want to be civil and ultimately "neighborly."

But sometimes they're just THE NEIGHBORS FROM HELL and while calling the authorities might work briefly it likely will just entrench this clash.

 

[Ryan Wright]

You should contact an attorney that specializes in issues like this. If these issues existed previous to your purchase and were known by the seller you have a case against him.

That's insane. He's obligated to disclose issues related to the house itself, not the neighbors. While I'm sure a lawyer could twist and mangle the law to extract money from the previous owner, I think it's sick that anybody would stoop to that level. He has a rotten neighbor, it sucks, but it's not the previous owner's fault.
Want to stoop to their level?
Take one of the caps off their car tire. Find a small pebble and glue it up inside the cap. Put it back on, and the tire will slowly go flat. The best part about this: Nobody's going to look in there. They're going to fill the tire back up and put the cap back on, thus letting the air back out. With any luck they'll air up all their tires, get the caps mixed up, and put the "special" cap on a different tire. Finally, there's no damage done to their property - you've just wasted their time.
Other great ideas: Get yourself a copy of all city laws that relate to property. They've surely violated some. You might find some great ones - a friend of mine had a rotten neighbor who had spent an awful lot of money to build a shed (on a nice concrete foundation, no less). The shed was too close to the property line. A phone call and a couple of days later, the guy was out there tearing it down.
If you see the kids drinking alcohol, call 911 and make a big stink about it. They will be cited for minor in possession, and with any luck, their parents cited for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. This will force the asshole to pay more attention to what his children are up to, with the end result of him having less time to harass you.
It could be worse. A neighbor down the street from my parents put his house up for sale, at which point the people who had recently purchased the house next door to him filed suit. Seems when the house was built (in the late 70s), the builder oriented it wrong, and his driveway is on her property. Problem is, the way the house is oriented, you can't move it - if she took that property back, he'd have no driveway at all. Well, nothing has been done for nearly 30 years, and due to the length of time, legally the property is his. That hasn't stopped her. He can't sell his house now due to the lawsuit, and to avoid bankruptcy he's having to rent it out (he already bought another house), but she's harassing the renters to the point that they move out. Now she's camping in her vehicle outside of his new house (on the other side of town!), following him around town, destroying his property in the middle of the night, harassing him over the phone, and last week she started making death threats against his wife and children. The cops won't do anything about it because a death threat is "just a threat" - she has to actually attempt to follow through before they take interest. (My take on this: You can't sue me and harass my family if you're laying dead in a ditch somewhere. Oops, did I say that out loud?)
So, look on the bright side. Things could be worse.

 

[KyleS]

I was thinking like Bill, instead of paying to have the tree trimmed which sounds pretty expensive and it will simply grow back over his property causing you more money. Take him up on his offer, cut down the old tree, and replace it with a large young tree ($100-250) Then in just a few years you will have a full grown tree, your shade will be back, and the problems with your other tree will be gone. Putting something prickly between your properties may not work since bikes go over them but you may want to seriosly consider large growing hedges. 1) it will help with the noise. 2) It cant hurt blocking the view of the them. 3) It will increase the value of your home if not by simply being there by the fact that they would block the view which would help when prospective buyers come to look at your property they wont see his trash.
Best of luck I also have a neighbor that is unfriendly but luckily he hasnt caused any problems. Then again the other day he had someone from the city come out and measure property lines since he didnt like me killing grass. Lucky for me he was WAY off and I was right on where our property line is
KyleS

 

[Andrew_Sch]

Somebody in my friend's neighborhood has this invisible fence, I think it's made out of plastic wire that's so thin it can't be seen. Apparently my friends ran into it once and got cut up a little bit, so that's always something to consider as far as the bike problem goes.

 

[Bill_D]

Carl,
What Kyle said.
Right thing. Trim the tree ....... atleast.
Unfortunately, if the local laws or neighborhood covenants don't restrict in any way, he can put in 2 more driveways if he wants too. His property. He can muck it up and do whatever he wants within the confines of the rules and regulations.
But remember, you also have that same right.
In my area, some consider fences to be rather unneighborly unless you have a dog or pool or something of that nature. Let me correct that: traditional fences of wood or metal are considered rude, but natural fencing is the rave. Commonly Cypress fences are used to provide privacy and noise control without the need for trimming or upkeep. These trees (Leland Cypress) are cheap when young and grow very fast. I planted 15 ~3.5ft (3 GAL) Lelands 18 months ago and they are about 9 feet tall today on their way to 30-40 feet tall. They don't require any trimming. The Lelands are commonly used on golf courses around here to keep the rich, non-golf playin’, 72 handicap "individuals" from shattering the custom glass in their million dollar estates. OK, I'm done.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/c...pa_risley.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...273613726.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...150420818.html
These might grow too big for your application but they would do the trick.
Cam S, that's nasty.

 

[Cam S]

Nasty didn't even begin to describe it, it was about a foot thick and ran the ENTIRE length of this natural rock wall which was about 16 feet, that's ALOT of shit! Don't even get me started on how it was in the spring time when the snow was melting