Most people buy or rent a place without having any idea what their neighbors will be like. And that’s how we end up with neighbor horror stories that make us wish we never had to deal with strangers living around us again.
After all, much like your family and colleagues, you can’t really choose the people who end up living next to you. You might be the luckiest person alive, but you could also end up like the couple in today’s story. They were warned about their problematic, downright quarrelsome neighbor across the street, but decided to buy their dream house anyway, despite all the red flags that came their way.
Read more: Reddit
Neighbors are strangers, and strangers are unpredictable, but if someone warns you beforehand to be careful, maybe you should listen
Image credits: koldunova_anna / Magnific (not the actual photo)
A couple bought a home in a nice neighborhood, but the previous owners had warned them that their neighbor across the street, Gary, was a bit difficult to handle
Image credits: sharpiloandrey / Magnific (not the actual photo)
In spite of that, they bought the house, and within the first week of living in it, the couple had an inspector knocking on their door for a citation based on a baseboard not being in the garbage
Image credits: photoroyalty / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The second strike that showed Gary may be unpredictable involved the couple's niece and her friend, who had parked the car in front of Gary's house, only to wake up to slashed tires
Image credits: jlmcdon2
Without enough evidence to prove that it was the problematic neighbor, the couple are torn on what to do regarding this sudden situation
The story today comes from the Original Poster (OP), a worried woman who recently bought a house. Apparently, while she and her husband were looking at the property, the previous owner warned them about “Gary,” their neighbor across the street. At first, they didn't think it was important, just some typical quarrels, but over time, they realized it wasn't that simple.
Before moving in, the couple decided to renovate the house and kept a dumpster bag outside for debris. One week after they finally moved in, an inspector showed up and cited them for “blight.” Apparently, a single baseboard was sticking out of the bag, and they received a citation. Even the inspector seemed to think it was absurd, but she also said she had been at their house a lot in the past.
As it turned out, the inspector warned the woman that she would likely be visiting the property often because of a certain neighbor, though she never mentioned him by name. Of course, the OP knew she was talking about Gary. After that, she decided to ask the other neighbors about him, and once again, they all vented and warned her that he constantly finds reasons to report people. Then one day, things escalated.
The couple’s niece was staying with them, along with a friend. Apparently, they parked in front of Gary’s house, and the next day, their tires had been slashed. Obviously, the OP can't prove that Gary was responsible, but after speaking with a neighbor who had taken a photo of the car because this had happened before, they realized the vehicle had been parked legally—right in front of Gary’s house. Yikes.
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Unfortunately, the OP’s situation isn’t unique. In fact, research shows that 42% of American adults have been involved in formal disputes with their neighbors. Apparently, 18% of those disputes, much like Gary’s complaints, concern visual nuisances, property appearance, and trash. And as it seems, Gary has a tendency to involve city code enforcement inspectors, regardless of who the neighbor is.
That said, if the couple were able to gather enough evidence proving that Gary did, in fact, slash the girls’ tires, which would be quite difficult, the situation would shift from a petty neighborhood dispute into a criminal matter. In fact, legal guides indicate that once property damage occurs, victims can and should seek a restraining order, provided they have enough documentation.
Unfortunately, the only evidence they seem to have is based on Gary’s past behavior, which never appears to have led to any legal consequences. So, what can the neighbors do? Well, besides trying to avoid Gary, security experts suggest that installing a Ring camera or another CCTV system is one of the best ways to gather visual evidence in the event of a crime, or for any legal situation that may arise.
Netizens were quick to offer their own advice. From suggesting that the couple buy a car equipped with a surveillance system to simply documenting everything, many agreed that the couple should focus on preventing these situations from escalating. Some also warned that Gary may have a surveillance system of his own, making retaliation a bad idea. So, what would you do in this situation?
Netizens were quick to give them advice, mostly based around surveillance, just in case Gary tried to pull tricks like these again
