crotchedy old neighbor

I will say that it does take way, way too much energy for a battle. I could be using that time fixing my car.

After I've had one, now I realize why people go out of their way to get along. It's just much less work.

That said, sometimes you gotta fight the good fight. The best defense really is a good offense.

edit: I went to go pick up some parts from a guy in the country here in Ohio. That kind of acreage seems to make for less neighbor complaints. And good offroad trails.

 

I have a neighbor that's just an asshole. He always cuts about 15' of my grass when he does his to make his yard look bigger. I've helped him with several things just to keep him from being a complete dickhead. Everything I get he's "...always wnated to get one..." and he even walks over into my yard to look at shit. No harm yet but he'll regret the day he causes me official grief. He loves draggin snow with his back blade on an old 8N. I asked him to NOT drag my gravel path to my shop and sometimes he does it anyway. The last time he was draggin snow he was draggin piles part way into the street. I asked why and he said "why not?" I said "the guys that ride their sleds up and down, could be serious problem, dont ya think?" "Oh well, too bad for them..." I was on my snowmobile at that time. What fuckhead, huh? He cuts his grass on Fridays. I purposely wait until Sundays. Drives him crazy and many times he'll re-cut on Sunday. I just smile and wave. "Oh well, too bad for him..." The other neighbor's a car guy with a 64 Vette conv. We get along very well.

 

Sometimes a crotchety old neighbor can be a good thing.
We had just put a fast engine in my boys '66 C10, but it still had open headers. He decided to turn the street into a dragstrip when I was gone for a few hours. (As evidenenced by 100 yard long tire streaks.) Neighbor called me saying he was going to call the sheriff. I said "Please Do!". Sherrif came out, had a heart to heart with my son, and there was no more burn offs in the neighborhood after that.
Problem solved, and this time I wasnt the bad guy!

 

I live in a community where I have to pay dues to an association, Never a good thing when it comes to code compliance. So far, knock on wood, I have stayed under the radar but planning to put up a garage and I'm thinking all that will change. First off My Neighbors (the 5 houses surrounding my house) are awesome and we all get along great and respect eachothers will to not want to see the others crap. The problem is actually people from other areas of the community who drive around looking for code violations, including trespassing, and report any permit or code violations to the town. At least thats what im told, I'm hoping they leave me alone if I try to follow rules.

 

I had a neighbor like that that lived down the street from me. He thought his house and kids were better than mine. He didn't want his kids to play with my kids. That was fine with me. The problem came about one day years later when my son was renting the house from me, as I had moved out and bought another house. My son parked a trailer out front of my house with a car body on it that he was taking to the scrap yard. The neighbor called the zoning people, saying the trailer was an eyesore. By the time they came a week later, the trailer was gone, but my son had another car setting in the driveway with a flat tire and expired tags. I got a citation to appear in court to answer charges. I talked to a police officer friend of mine to see what could and couldn't be done by the law. I told my son to either move the car, license it, or sell it. He sold it before the hearing. I asked the zoning officer to let me know who had filed the complaint, as I felt it was my right to know who reported my son. When I found out it was my neighbor down the street, who thought he was better than everybody else, I paid him a visit. I invited him out on the street, to talk things over man to man, but he declined. He said that people like me brought the property values down for people like him. I asked him just what he meant by people like me. He said lower class people that fool with old junk cars and stuff. Well, it was either punch him on his front porch, or leave. I left, but promised myself that it wasn't over. I appeared in court, with pictures to show that the property was cleared of any thing they might consider junk. The Judge ruled in my favor and even refused to make me pay a fine. I worked with a couple of guys that grew their own mary jane, so I got a handful of seeds. I went down to the jerks house one night and planted the seeds. When the crop started growing I reported him to the police. They made him destroy his "Crop". Then to turn the tables on him, I reported that he was running a Commercial fence business in a neighborhood that was zoned residential. Zoning made him move all his trucks and fence equipment out. He had to rent a piece of property that cost him over $800.00 a month. Revenge is sweet. I sold my property 6 months later.

 

lived in a area of stockton that had a HOA, the guy in charge got me on my '40 parked on the (what was lawn/dirt) it leaked trans fluid, anyway i goto board meeting get a talking to ,have to move it, that sunday started it up put trans fuild in it and drive over to a-holes house, park it in front leave it running to show him it runs while dumping trans fuild in front of his house, the dickhead had his own projects in the driveway, but they didn't run, he never had todo anythings about them. guess its be on the board and do what you want, and screw the other home owners. power BS. RD

 

Well I've read just about all the thread and it appears that we have all been through it ,my story is just as bad. Same deal a neighbor who just lived on the phone about me. I had one day I had 3 letters from the township. It made it so bad you couldn't enjoy your own home. Well this person enjoyed spending days on their deck and in their pool, so I never talked shit on him about the letteres to the rest of the neighborhood ,never confronted him at all. I just exercised my other favorite hobby which is groundhog hunting. He had pine trees all around his yard so for the whole summer every hog I bagged got tossed under on of his trees in a few weeks he couldnt enjoy his porch or his pool from the stench. That fall the bastard couldn't hack it I guess and he moved. Now the new neighbor is cool were all living in harmony and no one knows what promped his move. Case closed.

 

When you are the new guy moving in to the neighborhood, I understand a bit of tension from the people who've lived there, as they don't know what you might do. But when everyone else has lived there, and some new guy shows up and decides to try and change everything to the way he wants it, that really pisses me off.

I live on a lake that is also utilized as an airport for float planes. Its been that way since the beginning of time. Everyone shares the lake, boats, jetskis, etc are welcome, but use common sense and watch and stay out of the way of planes. I dont think there has ever really been a complaint. A few years ago, this old hag moves up from California, buys a house on the edge of the lake, and then she decides that she doesnt like the float planes using the lake. She starts this huge thing to try and get them gone. After a long fight and lots off bullshit, the planes stayed, but now there are a list of rules, sectioned off areas of the lake, have to pay 100$ a year for dock permits, noise times, etc. Then to top it all off, after all the rules are finally set in place, she moves!!! I was so pissed I was about to hunt her down on the spot!! Completely screwed it up for everyone and then just bailed.

So sad that there are people in the world who have to do these kind of things.

 

Got one of those letters from the county a couple years ago, out of compliance, auto parts, vehicles in front, etc., blah blah. Contact so 'n so to to arrange a schedule for compliance. So instead of calling, I go down there. Up to the counter, can I talk to so 'n so about this letter, please? Couple minutes later, I see this guy poke his head through the doorway , finally came over, you can tell he's used to folks being somewhat less than nice when they show up- imagine that I should mention I'm 6'2" and 250 with a shaved head- but I stick my paw out and shake, smile, how ya doin', but he's still waiting for me to nut up at him. I ask, must be a complaint, yeah, complaint, you have this and that, blah blah, gets to "you have a tractor". I just looked at him, couldn't believe he said that, as I live in the "Ag Preserve" and get the annual letters, from the county, explaining the Ag Preserve, and why folks living in the area have to put up with most anything the farmers do, with no recourse. I say, still calm, I live in the AG Preserve, and you question a tractor? And besides, is it illegal to own a tractor? Well no, he says, but why do you need one? I smiled as I looked him in the eye and stated that I didn't have to give him or anyone else a reason for having a tractor, as it wasn't illegal or in violation of anything, and that there were at least 5 other tractors in sight on neighbor's properties (all at least one acre), besides the somewhat ridiculous questioning of having a tractor in the Ag Preserve- which made the gal behind him snicker, and made him blush. He backed off a bit, and I said I'd clean up a bit, and spread out a little pile of topsoil out back I was saving that had been complained about (which pinpointed who made the complaint). So things are cool for a couple months, and then I find a note stuck in the door of my dually, which was parked behind my shop at least 100' into the property, on the county guys' card, please give me a call. So I go down again, this time the guy is is liking me, as he had gone out and met with the 83 yr. old neighbor- then he tells me how the guy had been calling him and his boss at least once a week, and was yelling at both of them, and couldn't remember which one he had talked to about what- the county guy was kind of a skinny, nervous type, and he was pretty spun up- seems when he went out, the old guy had a loaded shotgun behind the front door, and was yelling right off the bat, and repeatedly told him he was a retired butcher, and how good he was at cutting up bones.. Pretty obvious the county guy has realized the guy's a bit of a nutcase, and has no desire to visit him again , and maybe I'm not so bad. So I invite he and his boss out for a visit, look things over, put a stop to it somehow. They come out, we walk the property, gee, not so bad, maybe you can park the backhoe and skiploader behind the shop out of site, move the '64 Fairlane out back, etc., sure, most of the time, but I'm not gonna be bullied by the old guy, they're actually chuckling by now, thanks, bye. So I still see the old buggar peeking out behind his garage, snooping. About a month later, we had a grass fire on the 26 acres right behind us, and as I had mowed a firebreak, and my well is right at the back and I had a lot of hose out there, the neighbor on the other side and I had the fire turned back down our way, and I can see Buggy's son out there with a hose, obvious he has no clue how to wet in front of a fire, and pretty soon, the fire burns the pole & wires that power their well- 30 feet from their garage, which is 10 feet from their house, and the wife, daughter, and Buggy are all panicking- so I drag my hose over, hand it to the son and tell him to connect his hose to it, and go get my skiploader, come back and cut a break around their house, then head up the other way cutting a break ahead of the fire. On the way, back, I notice a guy with a camera and telephoto lense chasing me taking pictures and waving Asks, did you do all this, wow (firemen just showed up) asks my name, yada yada. So when I finally get back down home, fire's out at Buggy's and when I go to get my hose, his wife is yelling oh thank you, thank you- and the old bastard turned his back on me and walked away So the next day there's big article in the paper about the fire, the guy with the camera was from the paper, and there's a big picture of an ugly guy on a tractor cutting a firebreak. Needless to say, no more calls to the county bitching about me having a tractor, and the wife always waves when she sees me- but the old buggar still turns his back and stomps away

 

same here. and you DON'T complain about your neighbors if you live in
the country on a dead end dirt road. it ain't healthy

 

Some people refuse to eat crow, nice gesture, At least the rest of the world likes you.

 

I used to live in a neighborhood with an HOA and got no greif from anyone. Sold that house and moved to a newer but cheaper neighborhood a half mile up the road. This place is so full of busy bodies it is unreal. I have gotten several letters from the HOA about inoperative or untagged vehicles, complaints about working on my own car in the driveway, etc. I invited the HOA to come out and inspect the cars, all had tags and all ran. I invited them to go for a ride in the vehicles with me. No response for about a month, then I get an email saying that it "appears" that I am breaking the rules by working on cars in my driveway instead of inside the garage. What a crock. It seems that all they need is an email from another homeowner accusing you of doing something wrong then they start sending out certified letters.

My neighbor on the one side has a teenage son that likes to crank up the bass on his stereo when his parents aren't home. Kept asking the son to turn it down. Visited with the Dad at least twice and he always promised me he would take care of it. Problem never went away. I started calling the cops every time he pounded his stereo. After 4 times of them being called out it is now quiet. Neighbor wont even talk to me, says I am just picking on his son. Truth is, he can't get his son to comply to the rules.

We are over living here, the house is going up for sale this week.

 

I think that falls into the "if you don't know how to do stuff, then don't piss on the people who do" category.

 

Sounds like a perfect solution to me.

 

I did have a problem with the stereo thing once. It seemed everytime Dad was at work, Junior would have his buddies over to wash cars and jam the bass. I would limp over and politely ask them to turn it down, as the windows in my house were rattling. They'd turn it down and it would be quiet for a few weeks, then repeat. Finally, one of his buddies grew some nuts and told me that he didn't have to turn down his stereo and that I could go "F#ck" myself. Apparently a dude walking with a cane isn't scary or something.

I looked over at the kid who lived there and asked him, "Haven't I always been respectful to you? Haven't I always came over here, like a man, and talked to you face to face? Now I come over here politely and you have your friend treat me like this? Am I a fool, maybe you think I'm a fool. No, you probably think I'm weak and scared, is that it? Maybe I'm not worthy of your respect because you think I'm just a bitch. Do you think I'm your bitch? Would you think I was your bitch if I came over here with a baseball bat and beat the living snot out of each and every one of you? I wouldn't threaten you like that though, that's something a bitch would do. Maybe I misjudged you, I apologize and I promise that the next time I come over I'll be very, very clear about how I never want to hear your f#cking radio ever again. Have a nice day boys, enjoy the sun."

...and you know what? I didn't hear that darn radio again but one time, and when I did hear it I heard the kid yell, "turn it down, don't you have any respect for my neighbors!?!" I'd like to think he learned something positive from the experience.

 

my neighbour knocked the old house down ,built a 3 story mansion with a balcony overlooking my backyard ;then complains to authorities I went out back with a rattle can sprayed a big swastika and a big fuck you on my old wagons roof .Then cleaned up the minimal amount to pass inspection. then every time I saw him using the balcony i take the lawn mower out into the backyard ,start it then go inside and have a beer.I,ve moved way out of town now.Funny I used to be the good neighbour who would do anything for my neighbours.

 

I had a nieghbor who waited until the snow was deep to complain about my cars,The city had a deadline,I was working on a monster truck crew at the time.....SOOOOOO we towed them out with that at about 1 AM.

 

Had a neighbor from hell for about 10-years. My family lived here since 1974 and never had a problem until they moved in next door. Worst 10-years of my life. They got forclosed on in `09,and had to leave....we win. Has been soooooooo quiet since,but now I`m paranoid.

 

Hahaha! I was reading this thread, and took time out to look for a picture of that vent. Didn't find it, but when I came back to the thread, there was your post. Thanks!

 

Glad I'm not the only one with a neighbor like this. Mine has called the cops and the city on me so many times I now know them all by name. I tried doing things to get on his good side, cut his grass while he's out of town, clean the snow out of his drive and sidewalks, my son and I even cut up a tree of his that had fallen and blocked his driveway. still he calls the cops and city on me at least twice a month. So now I've gone into F**KYOU mode. I will now do every thing within the law to make his life a living hell.

 

They do, but based on my own bad neighbor experience the city or county probably won't give it to you. Without going into a lot of detail, after over a year of harassment by a new neighbor I relocated to a new home with a bigger garage and no neighbors. On moving day I took the low road and said my piece, the wife was mortified but I got a lot of satisfaction out of it...

 

Had a neighbor a 2 blocks away turn me in for running an illegal business in my attached double garage. A widow from church stopped by to visit. She was just barely getting by and asked if I would change the oil and filter on her car while she visited with my wife.

Distant neighbor noticed it wasn't one of my cars I was under in my garage and turned me in. I explained to the inspector that I was doing a friend a favor without charge. He accepted that, but then said not to do it too often. Sure thing, limit the good Samaritan thing. You got it.

I was making a repair on my truck cap one day. Had to put it on a set of saw horses to do so. She pulls up out front and starts snapping pictures. I smiled and waved for the camera. Put the truck cap back on and never heard anything on that one.

Someone asked why I didn't just put her out of her misery. I said I felt bad for her. They gave me a puzzled look. I said I only have to deal with her now and then. She's stuck with herself 24/7......

 

I think that about 90% of us have had a go around with someone who decides to stick their nose in our business and decide that whatever we do in our yards or have in our yards doesn't meet their standards and they need to call city hall or the county on it.

In my case it was a group of old biddies in McGregor, Texas who rode around in the new Cadillac that one of them owned making notes of things in town that they thought needed attention and they would then deliver the list to the city manager. Since I lived in the house on one of the well traveled corners in town they usually drove by my place at least once in their rounds and usually one of my cars got their attention.

I did figure out that if you do have non-running cars in your yard or driveway one thing to keep the hassles down is to move them around the yard at least once a week. Don't grass or weeds grow up around them and keep plates current on them if they are visible from the street. I had a 67 Camaro with no engine in the yard for most of a year but it was always washed and every few days it got moved to a different place or side of the driveway. I got a lot of exercise that way but nosy people driving by didn't see the same car sitting with grass growing up around it for months at a time.

Even though I live in the big middle of 70 acres and 400 ft off the road I still shuffle the vehicles that don't run around the yard every once in a while but now that is more to keep the local sticky finger boys guessing if anyone is home or not.

 

My nightmare neighbor forced me to move my 62 Belair from his 'line of sight' into a part of my back yard where I didn't want it (by calling Code Enforcement). So EVERYTIME he and his super family are in the back yard having a cookout, I make sure to mow my lawn back there. And I scalp it too. Dirt and dust flying all over. Once on Labor Day, I was mowing away during the Barbeque next door, when he tried to 'jump' the 6' chain link fence. He failed, fell and sliced his calf about three inches long and blood was a gushin'! I turned off the mower and heard him yell to his wife to call 911 that I attacked him! And she did! Cops had me cuffed and stuffed until my daughter played the tape in her camcorder showing the whole event! Bless her lil' soul! I didn't know she's been taping her danged kittens and had recorded his jump, his injury AND his voice telling his wife to lie. Cops took the camcorder over to him as he was being treated by paramedics and gave him the opportunity to retract his charges. He's been quiet ever since.

 

I usually pack a few guns around one on my side and one on shoulder every now and then. Apparently someone said i was packing machine guns in my vehicle. The cops told the neighbor that is normal for me. Haven't herd much since then. He still gives me the old evil eye so i do a burn out for him sometimes. Ya i had to build a fence also to comply with city codes. I also told them if they don't quit fucking with me id put historical plates on everything i own and park that shit all over town.

 

I moved to wisconsin in august to get rid of pesky neighbors and to my surprise they are here in gods country too. round here they got balls though. chatty kathy down the street would poke her nose around trying to peek at what i had going on in the garage and in the house so she could report anything to the city and the rest of the neighborhood. she didnt much like the click clack of my pump action before I opened the door last time she came around. havent seen her since then and it was her backside running out of my yard as fast as she could. that was late september and now life is good.

 

I'm with Warren...land of the free??? doesn't sound that way to me..

But then we all have restrictions on us of some kind or other..thankfully here things haven't gotten toooo bad, I do have a couple of yuppie (we call em Dinks-double income no kids) neighbours givin me a hard time bout noise ( I'm a bodywork guy)..next time they whinge I'm gona tell them I'm taking up a new hobby..doin wood carving with my big 'ol chainsaw..

 

My experience has been that a $30 car cover went a long way to making my vehicle invisible.

An old car like mine attracted unwanted attention, which makes sense after all , you don't see them all over the place.

Put a car cover on it and it may as well be a Honda underneath, hidden in plain sight.

I learned my lesson.

 

fear factor works great !!scare the shit out of them 1 or2 times they will move soon.

 

If you buy a house in a neighborhood with restrictions and then proceed to do whatever the hell you want, you had better not get pissed off because somebody complains.

If you don't want restrictions, move someplace where there aren't any.

That's what I plan to do, I realize that there is risk involved in this plan, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.