10+ Neighbors who never returned expensive items

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Mar 13, 2026 5:00 PM EDT

Don't lend anything to your neighbors if you're not prepared to lose it forever. 

It's a lesson that most of us learn the hard way. After all, we want to assume that our neighbors are good people. A lot of us get along with our neighbors pretty well. So when the guy next door asks to borrow your lawn mower, you agree — what's the worst that could happen? 

Well, some people get kind of weird about returning borrowed items. They'll keep putting off giving it back to you, which just makes you even more suspicious of them. Or they accidentally damage it, which makes them really reticent to return it to you. Instead, they might just pepper you with excuses, hoping you'll eventually forget. 

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  • 01
    Woman asks her neighbor about her missing property.
    via Nathan Anderson

    Woman asks her neighbor about her missing property. 

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • These people revealed the most costly items their neighbors ever stole from them, and some of these things are jaw-dropping. One person's neighbor refuses to return a pair of AirPods. Another person got their lawnmower stolen by neighbors who were moving that day, which is lowkey the perfect crime. And some folks just lent out things that had sentimental value, only to slowly realize that they wouldn't be getting that item back. 

    Funny enough, some commenters were telling people to have courage and stand up for themselves. But when you're accusing someone of taking your stuff, you're going to stir up trouble, and some people are nonconfrontational. They'd rather nurse a grudge for forever instead of demanding that they get their stuff back. Unless you've been in that situation, you can't rightfully judge them. But still… losing any item worth hundreds has got to be a blow to the ego.

  • 02

    Such a shady move

    MrsCathyBack2C... My hubby let my neighbor borrow our lawn mower before their moving day. They packed it up and took it with them
    via MrsCathyBack2Chat
  • 03
    Neighbor mows lawn with stolen mower.
    via Getty Images

    Neighbor mows lawn with stolen mower.

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 04

    This is taking it too far

    ConcernMediocre... my airpods :( left them at her place after studying and she "couldn't find them" but i literally saw them on her desk the next week.
    via ConcernMediocre6862
  • 05
    WillingContext2424 A heavy duty upright walker with pneumatic tires. I was storing it in my Dad's garage. He loaned it to his housekeeper for someone she knew who needed it for rehab after a fall. When he passed away I asked for it back, she refused saying that he gave it to her. I politely told her it was mine.
    via WillingContext2424
  • 06
    and not his to give away. She still refused. I asked for her to pay half what I paid for it. She again refused. I think she sold it and pocketed the money, there wasn't anyone who needed it for rehab.
    via WillingContext2424
  • 07

    Sheesh

    Elegant-Display-5... A power drill. He borrowed it to fix something "for an hour". Two months later I saw him using it in his garage... and he still pretends it's his.
    via Elegant-Display-5228

    I suppose to get it back, you have to ask him that same question, requesting to borrow your own drill for a project. 

  • 08

    Very impolite

    Cold-Committee-... A Yamaha Synthesizer keyboard. A friend and I were jamming one night and I left my keyboard there to let him use it. His mom got ahold of it and broke it. It wouldn't even turn on. They refused to replace it or compensate me. A h les.
    via Cold-Committee-7719
  • 09
    Ok_Spell_4165 Snow blower. Asked for it back a few times but just kept getting told he will try to remember next time. Didn't really want it back was just going to sell it anyway. Chalked it up as an expensive way of knowing not to trust that neighbor.
    via Ok_Spell_4165
  • 10
    OddWorldliness989 Wasn't expensive but it was a set of drill bits my father passed on to me. The set perhaps was no more than $20 back in 70s but it was my dad's loved possession.
    via OddWorldliness989
  • 11
    Neighbor one day came looking for drill bit of specific size and I just gave him an entire set like a dumb a. When I asked it back I got the whole you never gave me the set and I don't have it.
    via OddWorldliness989
  • 12
    Mysterious_Exam... A step ladder... Even had our family name on it... My kid. saw it at his house weeks later... He insisted it was his, with our name on the side rail. Go figure.
    via Mysterious_Exam1425
  • 13
    OriginallronDan A Sunn Beta Bass amplifier head and a JBL PA cube. He claimed the amp didn't work, and then he moved out of town and they never saw him or it again. Don't really care too much about the amp, but that speaker would've come in very handy. I got them both for free, so it's not really that big a deal, I guess.
    via OriginallronDan
  • 14
    Smith6612 Probably my nice city Scooter. Didn't loan it by choice. More like a sibling took it to a neighbor's home thinking they'd be okay using my scooter without asking, after I had already said "No" in the past for that reason.
    via Smith6612
  • 15
    My scooter never came back. I have no idea where it went. I miss riding that thing and never got around to replacing it.
    via Smith6612
  • 16

    Pricey!

    Sad-Rip8639 Golf clubs
    via Sad-Rip8639
  • 17
    2 neighbors awkwardly greet each other.
    via Natalia Blauth

    2 neighbors awkwardly greet each other.

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