'My landlord installed cameras because she took him to court so often': 20+ Extra petty neighbors

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
May 4, 2024 3:00 PM EDT

If you have good neighbors, count your blessings. As the people in this thread below can tell you, having bad neighbors can interfere with your life in endless ways. 

U/Collins71514 was curious to know people's stories of the pettiest things their neighbors ever did. There were a surprising amount of stories with a common theme: neighbors who were determined to move their property line. It doesn't matter if it's just a couple of inches or a few feet. These people were utterly determined to get back the property they were so sure was theirs. Odd! 

Others volunteered their neighbor stories that involved loud noises. One person had a super loud neighbor, and they eventually got some incredible revenge by playing the same song on repeat. How long on repeat, you ask? Four days. Four whole days of the same song! That's enough to break anyone's sanity, and sure enough, the constant loud noise from that dude stopped immediately after. Everyone has a breaking point, but luckily for most other people who shared tales, they didn't have to keep the music going for quite that long. 

Check out these great neighbor drama anecdotes below. Then, read about these homeowners who kept having to deal with their annoying HOA manager. 

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 9915900416
    via Alvin Engler on Unsplash
  • 02
    What's the most petty thing a neighbor has done to you?
    via u/Collins71514
  • 03
    [deleted] Parked his ugly truck on the street right in front of my house and left it there for a year.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 04
    discostud1515 We had our lot assessed and they put stakes in the ground on the property line. She pulled them up and moved them two inches over. It was very noticeable because they also made a small spray painted line along the stakes. I guess she didn't think we would notice that the stakes were no longer on the line.
    via u/discostud1515
  • 05
    ThisIsNotWorkingOut My neighbors play loud music and yell at each other quite frequently. Recently they realized they can turn the stereo into a PA and now scream obscenities at each other through the microphone. Lovely.
    via u/ThisIsNotWorkingOut
  • 06
    snoozer854 Stole the windshield wipers off of my car. I caught him on a security camera stealing them one night. Next day I went over to his house and told that some low life stole I wipers. The look he my gave me was priceless, don't think he liked me calling him a low life. After I told him I had him on video he goes fine take them back and that was the last time I spoke to him
    via u/snoozer854
  • 07
    A dorm neighbor was a huge and didn't care for anyone in the suite. So he did something like tip over his sub woofer, turn the music up and left for the weekend. The entire crew could feel it from our beds. I guess he didn't know that RA's have keys to the rooms. Maybe he also didn't know that you could get ejected from dorms. you Bosco. You
    via r/AskReddit
  • 08
    0 f_h I was at this neighbourhood treasure hunt when I was around 11. It was in a big park with lot of trees and rocks, parking lot and a community centre next to it. Me and my neighbours kid both figured out final clue and sprinted towards the finish, only for me to 'accidentally' bumped by his dad and fall. Still salty about it till this day
    via u/f_h
  • 09
    [deleted] Stole my trash bin because theirs got repossessed for lack of payment. Dumb thought I wouldn't know it was them. Trash collection company took my old trash bin away from them, gave me a brand new one, and gave me a credit for having to deal with all this
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    Violinist-Rich I had a neighbor who literally thought she owned the actual street and had some big beef with my landlord (she'd sued him several times for things that never made any sense). My landlord installed cameras because she took him to court so often and he needed proof that she was making stuff up. She would mark down the time that I or any friends of mine arrived at or left my house and would sit in her driveway watching us.
    via u/Violinist-Rich
  • 11
    Once, my landlord was going out of town and told me I was welcome to use his grill and have friends over (he lived next door to me). I did so, inviting maybe 5 friends, max, and we had a nice, mellow cook out. No loud music, no drunken debauchery or anything like that. True to form, the nosy neighbor called my landlord and told him that she was calling her lawyer and threatening legal action over our small party.
    via u/Violinist-Rich
  • 12
    Thankfully my landlord had footage of our gathering and deemed it all totally fine and completely within the bounds of what he'd invited me to do. She sucked. you, Sandra.
    via u/Violinist-Rich
  • 13
    pachatacha He's salty about a land survey that was done decades before I moved in. We have a decent neighborly relationship in general, but when I moved in he tried to convince me that a whole section of my yard was his. Fortunately, the previous owner had warned me he might try this.
    via u/pachatacha
  • 14
    Now we rent the house out. Every time a new tenant moves in, he walks the property with them and tries to move the property line again. Very petty, and so consistent!
    via u/pachatacha
  • 15
    50 Cabbages When we bought our place, my husband went next door to introduce himself to the new neighbor. Mr. C led with "I don't like dogs or children, y'all better be quiet!" and it didn't get better from there. (He also took down the no trespassing sign that the previous owners had put up. That sign only faced Mr. C's property.) The pettiest thing he did was probably the day he cut our cable. because he thought the provider didn't bury it quickly enough.
    via u/50******Cabbages
  • 16
    (Mind you, it was entirely on our land.) Or maybe the day he had a fit because the movers took down a fence post to get their truck in, and inadvertently left it on Mr. C's lawn for 3-4 hours until they got the truck back out. Perhaps it was the morning that he came banging on the door at 7:30 am, like there was some emergency, and had the gall to yell at my husband because he answered the door shirtless. The
    via u/50******Cabbages
  • 17
    "emergency" was that the children walked to the bus stop on the right of way in front of his house. It's a dirt road, no sidewalk, and the other side of the road has a ditch and woods - not suitable for pedestrians. Mr. C made threatening noises about "teaching the girls a lesson" about staying out of his yard. And my husband lost.his.religion. Informed the old that the right of way extends 40 feet from the center of the road, per Georgia law, and that the old man better NEVER, EVER, EVER childr
    via u/50******Cabbages
  • 18
    The only other time he ever spoke to me was to complain about the noise from a cookout we'd had. I told him that if he continued, I would have my timber cut, but only that between his house and the highway. Then we'd talk about noise...
    via u/50******Cabbages
  • 19
    SystOus My neighbhor would put on house music at loud volume (for his stereo) then leave for the night. It was mildly annoying in certain parts of my home. So I bought some cerwin vega 15s, and played the same song back. Literally the same song, over and over and over..while I went on vacation for 4 days. I'm not sure who was the bigger but we both stopped doing it after that.
    via u/SystOus
  • 20
    Later when he was throwing a party he asked if he could use my speakers cause "they loud af".
    via u/SystOus
  • 21
    Prossdog Our neighbors CONSTANTLY complained for like 2 years about a tree in the back yard that looked like it was going to fall. They threatened to sue us if it did. Thing is, the tree was clearly on their property. Like by 5 feet.
    via u/Prossdog
  • 22
    Then one day during a strong storm, a huge, seemingly strong & healthy tree, smack dab in the middle of their front yard blows over onto their house. We went over the next day and helped them cut it up & remove it. They could barely make eye contact with us & never said thank you. They did shut up about the other tree though, that's still standing to this day.
    via u/Prossdog
  • 23
    rarestereocats Lived in a neighborhood for about a year that was also home to one of the city council members. This would send notices to everyone for anything she didn't like and she'd try and sway the council to crack down on those she deemed the "worst" offenders. We earned a spot at the top of her shitlist because we put our garbage cans at the curb in the afternoon rather than the evening. None of us were going
    via u/rarestereocats
  • 24
    out after dark and dealing with rats springing out of the cans like tiny, flea-ridden missiles. We didn't stop because legally, we weren't doing anything wrong. She was a stickler for making the neighborhood look fabulous even though most of the houses were condition and as in mentioned earlier, the entire city had (probably still has) a really bad rat problem. So every week,
    via u/rarestereocats
  • 25
    we'd get a new notice from her, though she always tried to say it was from the council as a collective. Yes, she hand delivered that
    via u/rarestereocats
  • 26
    RxHumdinger We were sort of that neighbor a few years ago. We were in the process of building our new house. and had everything staked out before any of the groundwork started. I guess our neighbor thought we were too close to their property and had some city official come out to measure and in the process delayed our contractor.
    via u/RxHumdinger
  • 27
    Turns out we were 1 foot further away from their property than necessary and so, without even bothering to ask, our annoyed contractor picked up all the stakes and moved them 1 foot closer to the neighbor
    via u/RxHumdinger
  • 28
    darkpixie1 He had a tree in his yard that threw a lot of shade on my side, which eventually killed everything that was growing there. So I spent a lot of time and money to plant a beautiful shade garden. He watched me the entire time, asking questions about the plants and how much they cost. The following spring, he cut the tree down.
    via u/darkpixie1
  • 29
    Eveningangel Had a weird neighbor. Friendly at first but slowly got colder and colder. They had the same landlord as us. We were going to have a neighbors back yard party with us, the neighbors on both sides and the neighbors across the alley. Only the weird neighbor declined. Everyone was bringin something, beer from across the alley, sides from most of the others. We were hosting so it was our job to grill some brats and
    via u/Eveningangel
  • 30
    host in the back yard. Had the charcoal grill fired up and put some store bought wood chips on at the end to give the sausages a smokey flavor. I'm stepping out of the kitchen with a big tray of raw meat when a firefighter pokes his head over the back gate. Firefighter: "Hi, we've had a smoke complaint that you are burning trash or yard waste?" Me: "God I hope not, I'm not that bad of a cook." Firefighter: "May I come in and look at your fire?"
    via u/Eveningangel
  • 31
    Me: "Uh, ok, let me put down this tray." I let the guy in, he looks at our charcoal grill. Firefighter: "Did you put anything other than charcoal and lighter fluid in this?" Me: "Yeah, some of these wood chips from the grocery store." Firefighter: "I hate to say this, but the city has an ordinance against any organic matter other than charcoal in grills."
    via u/Eveningangel
  • 32
    Everyone: "What." Firefighter: "Yeah, it's a dumb law and almost never comes up unless you are really burning yard waste or if you have a neighbor who has it in for you. I won't give you a citation, but I do have to stand here and watch to make sure the fire is completely extinguished before I go." Me: "So I can't grill these dogs?" Firefighter: "I'm afraid not."
    via u/Eveningangel
  • 33
    I proceed to take the tray of raw meat into the house, pop them in the oven to broil and come out to hose down my grill until the whole thing is cold and wet. The firefighter left with an apology and thanked me for not getting mad at him for the bad news. Only one person within six houses wasn't there and I don't think any of my guests called the FD on our own party.
    via u/Eveningangel
  • 34
    Notsodarknight Mine was a downstairs neighbor and they would constantly switch the drier plug to our outlet to charge our unit for drying their clothes.
    via u/Notsodarknight
  • 35
    gingersnap9210 Bought and moved into a condo and the previous owners apparently did not like cleaning. My third floor deck was green and growing things so went to my downstairs neighbors to let them know I wanted to power wash (note: nothing in condo bylaws prohibits this). First neighbor says of course, do whatever I need. But neighbor below me pitches a royal fit: how dare I inconvenience her? She'd have to move her furniture inside! Decks get dirty, that's just how it goes. So I talk to the o
    via u/gingersnap9210
  • 36
    (as does she) and she whines enough to get them to say no power washing but I can use a garden hose and scrub brush and (important later) soap. Well what would've been a 15 min power wash becomes an all day cleaning extravaganza of green soapy grossness going down to her deck. But is the neighbor satisfied? Oh no. She did not realize SOAP would be part of the deal. She is not pleased and come Monday morning is complaining to the office again. Thankfully they told her to shove it.
    via u/gingersnap9210
  • 37
    Runner up prize goes to the unknown neighbor who ran to the office as I was moving in to tell on me for having a doormat, which is, as I later learned, prohibited.
    via u/gingersnap9210
  • 38
    10Cinephiltopia9 Stolen my green trash can. What the I am I going to do? Go up to them and accuse them of doing. it? They only had one, but I knew they _ did it, but what if I was wrong? Would have been mortifying. Just unbelievably petty and shady
    via u/10Cinephiltopia9
  • 39
    Actuaryba When I was a kid, my brother and I were playing catch in the yard. Our ball ended up in the neighbor's yard (nowhere near the house like 5 feet into his grass) and I went to get it. He comes running outside yelling saying "If I ever see you on my grass again, I'm calling the cops." No kidding. The whole get off my yard kid thing.
    via u/Actuaryba
  • 40
    bubblegum1286 Called CPS on my family because we took a family vacation with our two older kids and let our youngest with special behavioral needs and violent outbursts spend the week with my mom. They did movies, swimming pools, children's museums, a food truck festival, and a fireworks show together in that time. He had a blast, and the rest of us got some badly needed respite. Neighbor thought it was blatant favoritism and reported us.
    via u/bubblegum1286
  • 41
    BigBendAstro Put rotting vegetables under the roof rack on my dads car. Stunk like Threw of mud at our backyard. Doesn't sound so bad but it was an insane amount of mud. Our backyard chairs were ruined.
    via u/BigBendAstro
  • 42
    50% [deleted] We had a small dirt driveway in front of our lawn, which was shaded by our giant tree. The neighbors liked to park there because they always had people over and apparently it was too difficult for them to park near their house. When I got my horse trailer (gooseneck, so think loong) it was a lot easier for me to park in the front so I could just load up and go. One day I come out and see that my tire is slashed on the trailer. I looked up and they were laughing.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 43
    Joke was on them. They thought I could buy a new tire. Buuuut I couldn't, so that trailer didn't move for months until I could.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 44
    PacoMahogany Spent thousands of dollars removing 2 very large trees from our property. About a month later the neighbor sent us certified mail claiming one of the trees we did not cut down, was not healthy. Of course this was not true because had all the trees inspected before removal. Because they sent us certified mail it forced us to get an
    via u/PacoMahogany
  • 45
    umbrella insurance policy to cover the event of the tree falling on their house. They never had one face to face conversation with us about it. When the did people stop acting like neighbors?
    via u/PacoMahogany

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