Neighbor's kids turn homeowner's private yard into their own baseball field, parents brush off complaints until homeowner calls the sheriff: ‘We don't share a yard’

Author image for Cata Holmes
Cata Holmes • Writer
Oct 21, 2026 8:00 AM EDT

When does harmless neighborhood fun turn into a complete disregard for someone else's property? 

There's a fine line between being a good neighbor and having to put up with everything they do. Nobody wants to be "that neighbor", the one who's always complaining and has no patience for typical neighborhood stuff. But it's a whole different game to have to accept entitled situations that were never discussed, especially when they involve breaking the boundaries of private property and yards. But where do we draw the line between being understanding and letting people take advantage of your kindness?

Kids will be kids, and nobody can say anything about that. They want to play, and sometimes they'll do whatever it takes to have the most fun, even if that means forgetting there are other private yards. Parents should set limits and tell them what to do, and they shouldn't expect neighbors to discipline your kids. Teaching children to respect what belongs to others is a valuable life lesson and helps keep the neighborhood peaceful.

Unfortunately, many people don't understand what private property is, and even a simple conversation about limits and trespassing isn't enough to set the record straight.

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  • There's a situation a Florida homeowner had to face with the next-door neighbors. They had just recently moved to their new home, and at first, everything was going fine. Over time, they realized the neighbors' kids didn't understand where their yard ended and started using it as an extension of their own, especially on days when they played baseball. The homeowners didn't mind them coming in to pick up a stray ball, but the problem was that the kids set up baseball bases and went all in on the matches. They decided to talk to their parents, who didn't pay much attention and didn't really care. Since things weren't working out, she contacted the local sheriff for a professional opinion on how to handle the situation.

     

  • A group of children running and playing together in the front yard of the home.
    via Unsplash+ (via Getty Images)

    A group of children running and playing together in the front yard of the home.

    Representative only.

  • AITA for not wanting my neighbors’ kids and their friends using our yard as their own?

    My husband and I recently bought a home in Florida, and we've been dealing with an ongoing situation involving our neighbors' children and other kids coming onto our property.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • For some background, our neighbors aren't necessarily bad people. They've been friendly toward us before, and we don't have any personal issues with them. However, we've noticed their children and their friends repeatedly coming onto our property.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • To clarify, we have absolutely no problem with the children coming into our yard to retrieve a ball and then going back to playing in their own yard. We understand that kids play outside and balls occasionally end up on someone else's property. That's not the issue.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • The issue is that they've gone beyond simply retrieving a ball. They've actually set up baseball bases and started playing in our yard as though it's an extension of theirs. We've also seen three kids, including what appeared to be their friends or other children, walking through our backyard.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • That's where we draw the line. We don't share a yard, and we don't want our property being used as a playground or walkway without permission.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • My husband eventually contacted the neighbor to address the situation and explain that we don't want the children using our property to play. We weren't trying to start an argument. We just wanted to establish boundaries.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • The neighbor's response didn't really sit right with me because I felt like our concerns weren't being taken seriously. We understand that children will be children, but I don't believe that means they should be allowed to use someone else's property however they please.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • Eventually, we contacted the sheriff's office about the situation. The responding officer explained that children entering our yard just to retrieve a ball wouldn't necessarily be treated as criminal trespassing. He also mentioned
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • something about malicious intent being necessary, which confused me because I thought entering someone's property after being told not to could potentially constitute trespassing under Florida law.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • We were also told that if we continued calling over what the department considered petty situations, we could potentially be placed on some type of do-not- call or do-not-respond list.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • What frustrated me about that conversation is that our issue was never simply about a child retrieving a ball. It was about children setting up to play on our property and other kids walking through our backyard without permission.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • I genuinely want outside opinions because we're not trying to be difficult neighbors. We just don't want our yard treated like shared property when it isn't.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • Frustrated homeowner sitting at her computer, hands on her head.
    via Unsplash+ (via Getty Images)

    Frustrated homeowner sitting at her computer, hands on her head.

    Model portrayal.

  • Who doesn't understand her position? On one side, she wants to be respected and have her yard available for kids and their friends, but on the other, she doesn't want to create a major issue with the other family. It's a tough position, and the worst part is that the neighbor brushes off her complaints as if they were nothing. She reached out to the internet community for advice, and most people recommend putting up a fence. It sounds like a good idea and would create a physical boundary between the two homes. It doesn't get clearer than that.

  • Shells17619 fences make great neighbors.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • RustManiac123 NTA - you didn't buy your property for their kids.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • Ok_Elephant2777 You live in Florida. Have you considered keeping a pet alligator on your property? s/, just in case anyone were to take this seriously.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • ACTSATGuyonReddit If you can't afford a fence, there's not much you can do.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • Two children are playing with a ball outside a house.
    via Unsplash+ (via Star Ev)

    Two children are playing with a ball outside a house.

    Models for explanatory purposes only.  

  • ImpressiveLeopard 719 Hmmm. Who is gonna be sued if onw of the kids gets hurt on your property?
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • SweetPlant I'm always skeptical of posts like this after watching the documentary Perfect Neighbor
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • No_Lettuce 1081 NTA, but you should probably think about putting up a fence. If they can't respect a simple request it's probably the only way to deter them.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • gmanose Get some motion activated sprinklers and set them up where you don't want them to play. Or fence your yard.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • Spookendocker1 I wonder if the neighbors would understand better if you said it was an insurance issue - that you don't want their kids getting hurt on your property, you'd feel horrible about it and also it's an insurance issue.
    via u/Own-Topic3621
  • Old-Razzmatazz5446 There's a lot of boring reasons it won't count as trespassing but a great way to solve that and the rest of this problem is to build a fence
    via u/Own-Topic3621

  • Why does being a good neighbor mean accepting your yard becoming the kids' common playground? These homeowners don't want to deprive the kids of playing, but they also want their boundaries respected. And there's nothing wrong with that. They aren't mean and seemed open to a conversation about where to draw the line, but since the next-door parents wouldn't listen, they had no choice but to build a fence to separate the homes and call it a day. 

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Tags

kids homeowner yard bad neighbors baseball trespassing property boundaries
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