Your fellow residents can make or break a neighborhood. If you’re lucky, they’ll bring a lasagna over when you’re having a bad day or surprise you with cupcakes on your birthday. But if you don’t win the neighbor lottery, you might end up praying for the day when the family next door finally moves out.
One woman who knows all too well what it’s like to have neighbors from hell recently reached out to Reddit detailing the ways her neighbors have wreaked havoc on her apartment complex for over a year. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as an update the author later shared and some of the replies invested readers left her.
Influencers tend to document everything that happens in their lives
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
But this woman's neighbors crossed a line when they began posting content about her and her children
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Excellent_Yam_7563
Concerned readers left supportive comments, and the mother shared some more details about her situation
Many readers also shared advice on how to keep the neighbors from uploading videos of the author and her children
Later, the mom shared an update on the status of the influencers' living situation
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Excellent_Yam_7563
Three quarters of Americans have at least one neighbor that they can't stand
On television, it often seems like everyone is best friends with their neighbors. They’re allowed to waltz into another person’s home without even knocking, and they’re essentially treated like members of the family. But we all know that isn’t realistic. In fact, a 2022 survey from Lending Tree found that 75% of Americans dislike at least one of their neighbors.
As far as why that is, the most common complaints are neighbors giving off “a weird vibe,” being too loud, being rude, having disruptive pets, being nosy, failing to maintain the exterior of their home, having unruly or noisy children, stealing parking spots, smoking, having conflicting political views and using their homes as short-term rental properties.
But most people don’t hate all of their neighbors. Lending Tree actually found that 74% of Americans say they are friends with at least one neighbor.
However, that doesn’t mean that there’s no competition within neighborhoods. 17% of Americans feel pressure to keep up financially with those living around them, and that number jumps up to 36% amongst people living in communities with homeowners associations.
So what’s the best course of action when you have a neighbor from hell, like the couple described in this story? FindLaw notes that, as uncomfortable as it may be, many conflicts with neighbors can actually be resolved with a simple conversation.
When cordial conversations aren't enough, resolving conflicts with neighbors might require legal action
But when that doesn’t work, it might be helpful to bring in a mediator to help solve the issue. They may be able to help the neighbors find a solution that suits all parties without the need for legal action. If the neighborhood has a homeowner’s association, they might be able to help get to the bottom of the issue too.
If speaking with the neighbor has gotten you nowhere, and you can’t peacefully resolve the conflict, your next step might be calling in law enforcement. Now, you don’t want to waste a police officer’s time by complaining about your neighbor’s dog doing his business in your front yard. But if they’re making excessive noise, threatening you or parking illegally, a cop might be able to help out.
And if all else fails, it might be time to take legal action against your neighbors. If you’re going to go down this route, make sure that you’ve documented everything and have as much evidence as possible to present in court.
Once the situation escalates to this point, it’s also important to note that your relationship with your neighbor will be permanently tarnished. There’s no going back to inviting them over for coffee or enjoying a barbecue together after you’ve sued someone. But if they’re as entitled and cruel as the people described in this story, it might be a blessing to say “sayonara” to them.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. What would you have done about these terrible neighbors if you were in the author’s shoes? Feel free to weigh in. Then, you can find another Bored Panda article discussing neighbors from hell right here.
Readers continued to share advice and support for the mom, and she joined in on the conversation once again
