Respectful neighbors are way less likely to invade your space, be loud and wild, and make daily life stressful. But this story is about that type of person. No no, it's about someone who doesn't care for you or your property.
Karens are everywhere. At retail stores, at the movies, in restaurants, even at the office. But Reddit user u/Unique_username504 had the pleasure of living right next door to a particularly obnoxious one.
After spending a decade saving for their dream home, she and her husband found themselves in a situation where their neighbor made their lives pure hell. But luckily, they were able to do something about it.
Nothing says you've won the war with your neighbor like telling them that you're their new landlord
Image credits: Flickr (not the actual photo)
After her post went viral, u/Unique_username504 saw that quite a few people misunderstood the setup, so she made a clarification: "Let's call our side of the duplex, Duplex OP. The other duplex is Duplex Karen," the Redditor wrote.
"We purchased Duplex OP. After we bought it, Duplex OP was no longer a rental. Both Duplex OP and Duplex Karen were for sale independently, but we only had the money to buy Duplex OP. Duplex Karen is still a rental because it has never sold."
Now, the woman and her husband own both Duplex OP and Duplex Karen. Duplex Karen is still a rental, and Duplex OP isn't. When they made property improvements to Duplex OP, it was theirs and not a rental.
At first, things were going pretty smoothly. Karen paid her rent on time and wasn't looking for a new place. u/Unique_username504 and her husband were not planning to renew the lease and suggested that Karen leave early, saying they would not ask her to pay the termination if she chose to do so.
"Beyond the near-weekly loud parties and having to call the police because the kids were throwing lit fireworks at our boat, not much beyond the norm," the Redditor said.
The lease was supposed to expire at the end of July, 2020. But in August, u/Unique_username504 shared another update:
"Long story short, Karen and family are still in the place and not paying any rent," she wrote. "They were served with eviction, but due to COVID stuff, we can't actually do anything about it. At least Karen and BillyBob had a giant fight which ended up in him being arrested and he hasn't returned."
"I've been told by our lawyer, once some laws are changed/removed in September, we can have the police escort them off the property that day since we've already filed the eviction. It's just a sh**show right now."
"Karen is being extra smug. She tried to push her bounds and kept coming over to our property. A talk with the cops set her straight, but she's playing music loud and just tossing her trash everywhere."
"We really wanted to move our elderly parents in after a quick remodel because dad needs shoulder surgery badly and mom now needs a walker. They need more care and it's getting harder driving two hours a day to do that. Our parents want their own space though and won't live on our side with us. My husband and I are trying not to be angry and make things worse with Karen, but we are both exhausted. Things just suck."
Another update came a few months later, in December that same year.
"Karen is still here. Since we couldn't evict her, my partner went to stay with their parents for a few months so in-laws could get the surgery/care they needed. They are doing better now which is great," u/Unique_username504 explained. "Here's the weird part though. In October, Karen's mother, Susan, came to live with her since Susan's landlord chose not to renew her lease."
Susan turned out to be "an angel" and was apparently "mortified" at Karen's behavior. "Susan is a tough one and has been cleaning house (both figuratively and literally). The kids are so much better behaved and Karen stomps around like a sullen child."
"Susan and I share drinks every few days in the backyard. We bake together too every weekend. For Thanksgiving and Christmas, since no one was traveling for the holidays, we made a big feast and set it up outside with some backyard games. It was a great time and even Karen was being pleasant."
u/Unique_username504 tried to tell Susan not to worry about rent until they find another place, but she insisted on paying. "I lied about how much the rent was so it's only a half payment, but it just covers the taxes and insurance. We drew up another lease that is month-to-month."
According to the woman, Susan wanted to move back home at some point and take her daughter with her. Karen looked like she was ready for a change too, but with COVID, u/Unique_username504 thought it would have taken some time. "It's pretty pleasant right now though, so I'm in no hurry for them to leave," the woman wrote. The Redditor hasn't shared any updates since.
People were glad that Karen got what she deserved
