Many people would probably agree that the best neighbor is one you don’t know exists. But most often that’s not the case because you can hear them stomping upstairs, you can hear a baby crying below, and there is a party going on in the other apartment on your floor.
Noises can really drive you insane, but even more annoying are those neighbors who come over for no reason and are too nosy for a stranger. This Redditor was so fed up with her neighbor snooping around her front door that she swung it open at the moment the woman was searching for something on the floor, wanting to scare her off, but made her fall.
More info: Reddit
Woman was worried about her neighbor snooping around but didn't intend for her to injure herself
Image credits: Deb (not the actual photo)
The Original Poster (OP) is a woman living alone and she has been living in the same apartment for 5 years. The neighborhood she lives in is known for high crime levels and the building doesn’t have a secured gate, so the only extra security measure she has is her dog.
It’s a pretty big dog, but she isn’t aggressive and doesn't have any other behavioral problems, except for barking at strangers when she’s at home. The dog owner purposely trained her to do that so the OP would know when someone’s coming to her door.
She doesn’t share a landing with a neighbor, so when someone comes up to her floor, they are definitely there for her. Sometimes strangers come and just lurk there, but the dog scares them away as she has a big bark.
The poster of the story lives with her dog that she trained to bark whenever someone is at the door
Image credits: reallifecountrysong
The building is pet friendly and the OP isn’t the only one who has a dog, but recently, a neighbor from the first floor started suspecting that the woman actually has two dogs as she didn’t believe the dog she saw the OP taking for a walk was the same one who barked in her apartment.
It seems that the neighbor reported the woman as she got an email from the property manager asking to inform them if she actually has two dogs. It’s not a big deal, but they want to be aware of it.
It kept barking at this one neighbor who would sometimes come just to lurk on her landing
Image credits: reallifecountrysong
But the weirdest thing the neighbor would do is lurk on the OP’s landing for no apparent reason. Sometimes she would bring up packages and mail, but other times the woman would look through the peephole and see the neighbor without anything to drop off.
The last time the neighbor came without a reason, she was bending down in front of the door and the OP couldn’t see what she was doing, so she decided to open the door. She did it quite suddenly and it scared the neighbor, who fell on her butt.
The neighbor thought that the woman had two dogs because she assumed that the dog she took for walks wasn't the one barking
Image credits: reallifecountrysong
The neighbor cussed at the OP, but at least she proved to the nosy woman that she has only one dog and the low barking voice belonged to her. The Redditor realized that the neighbor must have hurt herself, but didn’t want any help.
The OP’s sister didn’t approve of the petty revenge because the neighbor who was older than the dog owner could have had a heart attack. But people in the comments immediately jumped to the conclusion that the neighbor was searching for a spare key and wanted to get into the OP’s apartment. The neighbor wouldn’t have been frightened if she was there with innocent intentions.
Once again, the neighbor came to snoop around and was bent over in front of the door, assumedly searching for something under the mat
Image credits: reallifecountrysong
Having a nosy neighbor is truly annoying because they aren’t technically doing anything illegal that you could report them for, but they make you feel uncomfortable. It bothers people so much that in a survey conducted in the UK, more than half of respondents revealed that the number one reason for disputes with neighbors is them being nosy.
This neighbor quality is more annoying to them than loud music, late night parties and dogs barking loudly.
The woman swung open the door to scare her off, but didn't expect the neighbor to fall on her butt, seemingly injuring her
Image credits: reallifecountrysong
Home Cadet suggests a few solutions to nosy neighbors. You can carefully confront them or even have a casual conversation before that. You can also avoid them if you know you’re moving out soon or you aren’t comfortable confronting them yet. What can discourage nosy neighbors are also doorbell cameras, security alarms, and privacy screens.
But catching the neighbor in the act is the best way to confront the neighbor, according to Home Cadet. “If you confront them while they are being nosy, they won’t be able to deny what they are doing. Make sure to keep a level head, and stay firm.”
The nosy neighbor stormed off and the woman was called a jerk by her sister for not considering that the neighbor could have gotten a heart attack
Image credits: reallifecountrysong
Image credits: Natasha de Vere & Col Ford (not the actual photo)
Have you ever needed to deal with a nosy neighbor? What did they do and how did you handle it? Do you think the OP handled it appropriately? Also, do you agree with other Redditors that the neighbor might have wanted to find a spare key and get into the apartment? Do you think it was related to the dog? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Readers disagreed and believed the woman was right to scare the neighbor off as she wouldn't have fallen if she wasn't snooping
Image credits: Max Barners (not the actual photo)
