8 Ways to Cope with Irritating Neighbors ...

Photo Credit: mslavick

Every neighborhood has a certain standard that occupants are obliged to maintain, right? So it wouldn’t be fair for you to bust your behind trying to get the front lawn looking neat only to have their dog ruin it next morning! Well, the first thing you need to do is talk to your neighbors and let them now how much that bothers you. If they continue to let their dog run free, call animal control and let them deal with it – if they care for their pet they will start paying more attention. However, if you don’t want to tamper with the poor animal’s well-being and put the dog in the position to lose the only family he knows, put up electric fences. These things are practically invisible and made for these purposes. The electric shock won’t hurt the poor guy; it will just teach him that your garden is off limits.

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Ok, let’s be real – if you’re moping over your neighbor’s loud birthday party, you are the petty, irritating Grinch! Birthdays and anniversaries happen once in every few months and everybody is allowed to celebrate their own way. However, if your neighbors have a habit of throwing wild parties or playing loud music almost every day of the week, you should definitely do something. Keep a record of the times in which you were disturbed and compare it with the copy of your lease. Maybe you are the one that hasn’t read the “fine print”, maybe loud music is allowed in those times. If it is, you can’t do much but be honest with your neighbor and try to find a compromise . If your neighbor is not willing to settle, call the police.

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Although piling up trash doesn’t qualify as invading your space, it can look and smell bad and bring negative points to your neighborhood and its appearance. Talking is, again, the first thing you should resort to because you don’t know what kind of a problem your neighbor might have. Maybe there is a disabled person living there? If everything is ok and your neighbors are nothing more than a bunch of lazy people, see if you can talk to their landlord or contact your homeowner’s association and explain that disciplining the people next door is in everybody’s best interest.

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If their trashcan is always full while yours is half empty they might think filling up your can is better than leaving the excess garbage laying around. What they don’t know is that, depending on the country and area you live in, this can qualify as illegal. Calm down and explain them that, if they need to use anything that’s yours, it’s only fair to ask first. Inform them about their legal rights and restrictions and, if things can’t be worked out in a civilized manner, don’t be afraid to seek justice.

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They think your fence is on their land and you are constantly trying to prove that piece of back yard they use to pile their junk on belongs to you. Well, there’s nothing left to do but to get some hard evidence- your lease, blueprints, ownership documents. Call in a legal representative or give your neighbour a chance to pick one himself.

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I tend to look at only the best in people and, although this might be interpreted as the delusional part of my personality, I strongly believe all problems involving kids can be sorted out with an honest conversation. Talk to the parents and, if that doesn’t work, talk to the kids. Crashing windows or ruining your flowerbeds scream for attention so give them the love and attention they need and they will never turn on you again.

Photo Credit: Gabriela Camerotti

I’ve had my dog poisoned by a neighbor so I think I have the right to say this– talking will get you nowhere because these people are MONSTERS! If you can’t find a way to get your pet out of the harm’s way, set up cameras and call the police as soon as you have a piece of solid evidence of their monstrous acts!

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I’m sure your don’t mind your neighbor using his powerdrill, land mower or any of those loud tools… just as long as he doesn’t start his routine at 6 AM! You are probably not the only one who finds this noise disturbing so gather as many aggravated neighbors as possible and let the noise-maker know he’s not the only one on the planet. In most countries “public peace and resting time” ends at 8 or 9 AM so, if there is no racket before that time, I’m afraid the power of the majority is the only thing you can all do to try to shush him.

Are your dear neighbors nice people or a real couple from hell? Have you had any incidents with them lately and what tactics do you normally use to sort these things out? I have a real piece of work living next to me – a retired, nagging, evil old-timer whose only fun in life is cutting my phone and internet cables!

Top Photo Credit: Patrick Henson