Neighbor treats next door's backyard like his own, gets offended when told to stay away: 'Mark is chilling on my deck like it's community property'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 9, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Should we be obliged to share our personal property with our neighbors?

There is no doubt that living close to other people is a much more pleasant experience when you can cultivate a friendly relationship with them. Being on good terms with your neighbors is a key part of building that much sought-after community that is supposed to be so good for us, and it can turn out to be pretty handy when we need a favor done, too.

However, making this kind of effort does come with certain risks. A big example of this is making an acquaintance with a neighbor who decides that they have the right to take much more from you than you are comfortable with. They may decide that you are the best person to turn to for help in a way that is totally unsustainable, or they want to use the facilities of your home far more often than the occasional friendly invitation.

This can be an awkward issue to address, because it isn't like you can avoid them if you need to escalate the matter to a confrontation. Nonetheless, it is important to stand your ground and let them know what is and isn't acceptable.

via Pablo Merchán Montes (Unsplash+)

_{^{A representation of a neighbor drinking from a bottle while grilling on a barbecue in a backyard}}
A homeowner was happy with the improvements that they had made to their back yard since buying their house, and it appeared that they were not the only ones to take notice of the difference. Their neighbor, Mark, had complimented them on the changes, and he asked if he was able to temporarily put a compost bin on their side of the fence.
They agreed, but this ended up being a precursor to more and more entitled behavior when it came to Mark and his family using their yard. When this became too frequent, they told him that enough was enough. The neighbor wasn't happy about this, but should he have been allowed to go that far in the first place?
Am I wrong for telling my neighbor to stay off my property after he started treating my backyard like his personal extension?

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via Pablo Merchán Montes (Unsplash+)

_{^{A representation of a neighbor sitting in a camping chair on a lawn, holding a bottle}}
via Equivalent-File-5910
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