Neighbors could become the best of friends, or the greatest of enemies. Neighborly conflicts can arise from a variety of different places, including sharing walls, lawns, and property. From the neighbors who are WAY too nosy to the ones who own terrible pets, follow along as these people expose their stupidest neighbors.
1. A Strange Electrical Problem
When my dad was younger, he had a neighbor who had a habit of leaving his radio playing loudly all day long. This was the case even when he wasn't around or had traveled. But here's what he didn't know: My dad's an evil genius. Whenever this neighbor would leave with his radio blaring, my dad would wander over and flick the circuit breaker to his condo, effectively silencing the noise.
One day, the neighbor spotted my dad, who worked as an electrical engineer. He asked him a question that had been bothering him, "Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping? Could it be some faulty wiring?" Not one to reveal his tricks yet, my dad responded, "No, it's likely because your radio is contributing to an overload on the circuit when it's left on constantly."
He then suggested the neighbor try reducing the volume or turning off the radio when he was away to see if it made any difference. To the neighbor's astonishment, dialing down the radio usage indeed stopped the frequent breaker trips. Grateful for this simple solution to his recurrent electrical problem, the neighbor thanked my dad for his insightful advice.
2. Get A Move On
I experienced an issue with a neighbor who continuously drove his ATVs on my lawn, causing damage to my grass and shrubs. He promised to pay for the damage he'd caused but never did, and the situation continued despite my attempts to block his path with a trailer and additional barriers. But he got was was coming to him.
One day, I discovered a large branch that had fallen in the woods nearby, and I moved it to block the third path my neighbor was creating across my lawn. In the process, the branch got entangled with a cable that was laid across my lawn. Puzzled about why the cable wasn't properly buried, I called the cable company. They informed me that I was the only registered user for the cable and gave me their go-ahead to disconnect it.
Following the disconnection of the cable, my neighbor reacted angrily and threatened to call the police. Shortly afterwards, I received a call from law enforcement. They inquired whether my decision to disconnect the cable was related to the ongoing ATV problem. This surprised me, as I was not planning to bring up the topic, but it seemed my neighbor had already spilled the beans.
To sum it up, my neighbor received a warning ticket for trespassing and confessed to unauthorized use of the cable service. On that very day, I accepted an offer on my house and made arrangements to relocate.
3. All The Help In The Neighborhood
My next-door lady is a bit overweight and middle-aged, and strangely, her knee gives out, only when my children are outdoors during the summer. It became a truly bizarre situation quickly. Whenever they'd be playing in our fenced backyard, she would "fake fall" and my kids would rush to help her stand up. I went from encouraging my kids, saying "That's what good neighbors do" to questioning "Why is it that she only stumbles around when you're outside? She's fine when I'm gardening." Eventually, I asked them to inform me if she fell again.
Once I began requesting this, her recovery time seemed to rather speed up. In August, I had to go over and explain that my kids weren't equipped to help her up all the time. Reiterating that they were just seven and eight years old, I stressed, they can't provide medical assistance. I understand that she may feel lonely but hearing a shout for "Kids, Kids! help me up, I fell AGAIN" three or four times a week was more than I could bear.
4. An Eye For An Eye
Across the hall from my apartment, there's a couple who are habitually at odds and are not shy about exposing their arguments to the entire complex. One night, the woman discovered something on her partner's phone that didn't sit well with her. Maybe they were questionable pictures or proof of an infidelity; whatever it was, it was enough to make her go ballistic.
Her strong emotions got the better of her, and she began to scream, referring angrily to other women as 'skanks', among other insults. Overcome with fury, she hurled her partner's phone off their second-floor balcony, watched it sail through the night and listened as it smashed onto the solid concrete walkway below.
In retaliation, the man stormed back into the apartment, seized her phone and retaliated by throwing it off the balcony to share a similar fate with his own. Evidently, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.
And so, the key takeaway from this incident, worded playfully, is: "An iPhone for an iPhone keeps the whole neighborhood amused."
5. Enough To Write A Book
My perpetually tipsy neighbor once concocted a fascinating plan to gather the fallen leaves from our gravel parking space using his snowblower. The execution was far worse than I expected. He decided to stick a plastic trash bag to the snowblower's discharge pipe and without any delay, got to work. To my surprise, the bag did expand for a couple of moments... until he began launching stones.
Three of his garage windows could not withstand the stony onslaught and shattered, and numerous cars in the lot became victims of the airborne gravel. My hearty laughter was uncontrollable. His actions could indeed fill the pages of a book, given the amount of absurd scenarios I've witnessed.
6. The Noxious Neighbor
One day when I was home sick, my roommate returned from work for a quick bite and to check the mail. Inside was a mysterious envelope with no return address. It was addressed to "the rooftop weed smokers," but pointed to our address. We laughed because we knew it was meant for our neighbors - they were the ones with the rooftop hangout spot.
It was so oddly specific, I couldn't resist the temptation to open it. I regretted it instantly.
As I started tearing open the suspicious package, a cloud of white powder fell onto my lap, giving us quite a shock. Deciding to take more precautions, we took the envelope outdoors to finish opening it. After spilling a mess of white powder out of it, we quickly stowed it away in a ziploc bag, using kitchen tongs to avoid contact.
The envelope contained a typewriter-typed letter, peppered with threats and vague menaces. It was addressed to our neighbor, who had apparently upset the anonymous sender with his rooftop antics. The most disturbing part came at the end: He revealed that mysterious white powder was dangerous, prompting an immediate visit to the hospital.
Flips between nervous laughter and genuine concern led us to call 9-1-1, just to be on the safe side. The response was swift and serious, with officers, paramedics, fire trucks, RCMP, and a tactical unit all turning up. Our street was soon bustling with activity and temporarily off-limits, with neighbors curiously watching from their homes.
After being isolated in our garage, our home was entered by hazmat-suited teams to examine the strange powder. A nail-biting wait of almost three hours followed while they lab-tested the mystery substance. Thankfully, the powder was declared to be harmless, although further tests were needed to determine its nature.
A quick checkover in an ambulance then back to the garage for us, waiting for the final results. This time, the tension broke into laughter as it was revealed that our hazardous substance was nothing more than pancake mix! The responding teams shared our amusement before packing up and leaving, though the RCMP stuck around for statements and to question our bewildered neighbors.
In the following weeks, a detective checked in with us, reminding us that mailing threats is a severe offence. The prank item, despite revealing nothing of its origins in forensic testing, provoked deep thought about our troublesome neighbors. Their time beside us was filled with noise complaints and littering scandals, but this incident truly topped the list. Thankfully, soon after this shenanigans, they moved on, leaving us in welcome peace.
7. A Misplaced Sense Of Anger
I have approximately eight acres of land. Adjacent to my plot, there's a house with a right of way driveway that cuts through my property. This house was purchased by a couple roughly a decade ago.
One particular day, I noticed the couple planting some shrubbery near the mailboxes, which is part of my land. In response, I decided to amicably approach them. I kindly explained to them that what they just did was okay, but I would appreciate it if they could seek my permission before carrying out any future activities on my property.
The man, however, opined that they have entitlements to 35 inches of land on either side of the right of way. I clarified this misconception, elaborating that it wasn't accurate.
Since that encounter, the couple have been distant towards me, refusing both verbal communication and non-verbal gestures like a friendly wave. If anyone should be held accountable for their misconceptions about property rights, it shouldn't be me; instead, it should be the real estate agent who sold them the house. This agent should have clarified these details from the get-go.
8. I’m That Neighbor
Perhaps, in the past, I wasn't the best neighbor...or maybe even a bit unstable. You see, when my son was just a newborn, he suffered from severe colic. He could barely manage to get a few hours of sleep, which left me absolutely exhausted and on the brink of a breakdown.
There was this group of older bikers, living not too far down the street. They had a bad habit of roaring down our quiet road, revving their engines ridiculously loud. I'd like to make it clear here, my husband rides motorcycles too. I understand that it's possible to ride without shaking the entire neighborhood.
Anyway, this irritating habit always managed to startle my baby and interrupt his sleep - so, wanting to resolve this peacefully, I decided to talk to them. I calmly explained the situation, "Hey guys, I know this is your road as well, but my baby son wakes up whenever you rev your engines. Could you possibly avoid doing that on this street?"
The bikers initially responded positively - which left me feeling relieved. But, as it turned out, instead of addressing the problem, my plea only made things so much worse.
Suddenly, it was like this unspoken competition among them to REALLY gun their engines by my house. It was infuriating, like a consistent annoyance gnawing at my last strand of sanity. Each loud ride by my house steadily pushed me further towards my breaking point.
One day, I lost control. I marched down the street, stormed straight into their backyard, and confronted the group like a madwoman. I threatened to take severe actions, from challenging them physically, to getting law enforcement involved - even going so far as to threaten to damage their bikes if it would make them stop.
Fortunately, my outburst worked, and they finally stopped revving their engines near my house. But to this day, I cringe at how I behaved back then - it was a side of me I had never seen before, brought on my prolonged sleep deprivation. It's a tough ordeal, I'll tell you that.
9. On Yours But Not On Mine
I live on a sprawling 50-acre farm, located in charming New England. About two thirds of this grand expanse is covered by lush woodlands. After I had settled in for a year, I decided to take a casual stroll along the boundary marked by a stone wall - a feature distinct to my share of the land.
From the vicinity of a neighboring yard, a thunderous voice punctured the quiet, "YOU'D BETTER NOT BE ON MY LAND." Calmly, I responded, "I'm not. I'm strictly on my own property." From the concealed location within his tree-lined territory, he hollers back, "JUST SO YOU KNOW, NEVER SET FOOT ON MY LAND."
Patiently, I answer, "Agreed. Let's keep this mutual - you should stay off my land too, alright?" A grunt was his only response. Curiosity sparked in me and I inquired, "Just a quick question, isn't this deer hunting tree stand situated on my side of the wall?" His reaction was explosive, "THAT STAND HAS BEEN THERE FOR TEN YEARS!"
Surprisingly, he who was ready to pick a fight over territorial issues had himself been trespassing on my property for a good decade! And without any valid reason, he ended up consenting to refrain from stepping onto my land.
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10. Those Darn Teenagers
Our next-door neighbor is a grandmother who is responsible for raising her three teenage grandchildren. Unfortunately, these teens haven't been making the best decisions. They've gotten into trouble with their antics of dubious nature.
Their scheme involved offering to mow the neighbors' lawns. After they finished, they'd request to use the restrooms. During their bathroom breaks, they would snatch any medicines they found. It was quite clear who was behind the disappearing acts of the medication, given their conspicuous behavior.
This pattern repeated for various homes in our neighborhood, making it quite clear who was implicated. Their consistent behavior was all the evidence needed to make an educated assumption.
11. Not So Nice Guy
Back when I was a kid, in the mid 90s, our next-door neighbor was a man who owned a successful neon business. He initially seemed like a decent guy. However, things took a dive when he got involved with a drug addict. Over time, his life—and his house—fell into disarray.
Once, his septic system broke, but due to their drug addiction, they decided not to fix it and allowed it to turn into a cesspool. To say it was unpleasant would be an understatement. We lived in the mid-Atlantic, where summers can be especially hot and humid. That summer, the stench was unbearable, akin to a foul-smelling portable toilet at a summer festival.
By January, our neighborhood was under a blanket of snow. One day, we returned home to find our house had been burglarized. Among the items missing were our computer, TV, various DVDs, and medication.
When the police arrived, they started investigating and noticed tracks in the snow leading from our house to the neighbor's. Despite the evidence, our neighbors denied any wrongdoing. They didn't have enough sense to use different names when pawning the stolen goods, though.
Unsurprisingly, we had new neighbors move in a few months after this incident. As for the culprits, I can't imagine their future was too bright given their track record.
12. Too Large Of Holes
I had a bucolic childhood on a small farm, replete with cows and turkeys. Adjacent to us was a quaint produce farm. When I was around six, we had an interesting new neighbor move in. Fresh from a terse corporate law position in New York City, he proclaimed, "My life needs a total overhaul, I want to become a farm owner and breed exotic animals." Despite his city slicker background and lack of farming know-how, he was steadfast in his pursuit of this rural dream.
The new arrivals, both born and bred in the bustling New York City, had plunged themselves into farming during the frosty winter season. They bombarded my father with barrage of questions about animal pens, farm fencing, veterinarians, and the whole gamut of farming essentials.
One spring morning, we were jolted awake by frenzied pounding on our door. It was Jen, the wife, in high alarm because, "There's a horrible stench! Has our septic system malfunctioned? Who should we call?!"
My mother erupted in laughter, only serving to exacerbate Jen's heightened state of stress. My mom then divulged that the smell was actually due to the springtime application of fertilizer at the produce farm across the street. Even more, she clarified that 'fertilizer' was actually a sophisticated term for cow dung. Once Jen left, she was still within earshot, unleashing her vociferous complaints on her husband about hating life on the farm, regretting this drastic life shift, and yearning for city life again.
It's important to remember that our homes were situated on substantial plots of six to 10 acres, meaning you'd need quite the booming voice to carry that far. Using the farm's spacial context hints at just how strenuously she broadcasted her discontent. Not long after their arrival, emus and llamas became the newest residents on their farmland. Given the novelty of such animals, especially in the year 1990, my father expressed his admiration for the exotic livestock but voiced concerns about the fences Arthur opted for.
The fences were made of wire with sizable holes big enough for both the emus and llamas to fittingly stick their heads through. Many a time, their heads would get caught in the lower holes while attempting to quench their thirst from the water troughs, leaving Arthur rushing to us for assistance.
Remarkably, this became a monthly spectacle that spanned a decade where Arthur never remedied his fence situation, despite constant advice from my father to either refence or reposition the water troughs. Those rollercoaster years have passed, but the memories of the zany escapades of emus and llamas, frequent escapes by pygmy goats, and Jen's meltdowns over farm odors are still etched in my memory.
13. Caught In The Lies
One day when I was still living with my parents, our neighbors across the street knocked on our door in quite a state. They told us their car had been stolen overnight. The wife had seen a suspicious man loitering on the street and peering into car windows, including ours, the previous night.
They awoke to find their BMW was missing, along with the keys, which had been hung near their front door. They jumped to the conclusion that this suspicious man had somehow retrieved the keys through the letterbox. It seemed very peculiar; why not alert the police when a man is patrolling the neighborhood, checking out cars? But they didn't.
Fast forward a few months, and the neighbors split up and put their house up for sale. That's when the shocking truth got revealed. The reality was that they'd concocted the entire story, and had themselves dumped the car to claim insurance, as they had run into financial issues. Their fabricated story didn't hold up under scrutiny and they ended up being exposed. Who shares such an implausible tale? How could you portray yourself as foolish by not calling the police when a suspicious man is nosing around cars, and then share this with all your neighbors?
14. Fooled Him Twice
After a near-miss with a bike thief, I suggested to my neighbor that he ought to upgrade his bike lock. Ignoring my advice, he instead started placing his bike lock in a way that just made it appear to be locked up - unless you took a closer look. I tried to tell him that this wasn't the smartest move, especially given his recent brush with a theft attempt, but to no avail.
"I'll lock it up, promise," he assured me, although I had no idea why he felt the need to promise me anything. I was just trying to be a good neighbor. A week later, just as predicted, his bike was stolen. You’d think this would teach him a lesson, right? No such luck. The same thing repeated within two months – he left another bike, again without a lock, which, unsurprisingly, was stolen.
15. Saw That Coming
I have some truly unique neighbors. While they might be quite friendly, their family dynamic is an interesting one to observe. The household comprises two adult daughters and their teenage offspring, along with the latter's boyfriends. One even has a child. In total, around ten people live there who vary in age from five to 70 years. They keep the yard tidy and are usually quite private, but the antics within the family can be wild.
There are two reasons why I have a fondness for them. Firstly, they've built a reputation in our town for being wildly eccentric, resulting in others giving them a wide berth, which means fewer local disturbances. Secondly, they provide a source of genuine amusement. As an example, my aunt was visiting one morning, and we were exchanging stories about the neighborhood while sitting on the front porch. I was in the middle of sharing a tale about how one of the younger girls had a late-night tiff with her boyfriend right in the street, a spectacle that recurs roughly once a week.
As if on cue, the story came to life. One of the adult daughters came hurtling out of the house, shouting at someone inside before getting into her car. Her daughter then tried to prevent her from leaving, frantically grabbing a shovel from a nearby truck and using it to smash the car's windshield.
In response, they dialed 9-1-1. The granddaughter, holding the shovel, phoned her biological father who resided not too far away and he swiftly came to pick her up, not a moment too soon. Police officers arrived just two minutes later, but the granddaughter had already left the scene. This is just one instance from the countless encounters I've had with this unpredictable household.
16. The Geniuses Next Door
Our neighbor took pride in homeschooling his kids. He'd often boast about how his kids aced every single standardized test. Yes, they scored a full 1600 on the SAT, but they never got to socialize with us, the regular folks. Fast forward twenty years, his kids are still living at home. They're struggling to make friends or secure a job due to their poor social skills. It's asserting the fact - only academic scores aren't enough to succeed in life.
17. Popular For A Reason
During my high school years, an elderly woman and her adult sons moved in next door after our old neighbors moved out. She was quite peculiar, cutting down all the trees in her yard, claiming they had 'bad spirits.' The sons were frequently visited by various people at all hours. Things were generally peaceful till one day, when I was home alone, I received a knock on the door that gave me a huge shock.
Two distinguished men, dressed in sharp black suits and dark ties, stood on my doorstep and identified themselves as FBI agents. They questioned me if we were ever presented any buying proposals by the quirky woman or her sons. To this, I mentioned our mutual lack of communication, indicating that no such transactions occurred. They gave me their business cards, and then off they went.
Peeping through the window, I noticed a small fleet of FBI vehicles: five blue Ford Tauruses, three red Ford Astro Vans, and a VIACOM truck. Much to my surprise, they were filling the truck with boxes from my neighbor's garage, which reportedly contained those unique cable boxes enabling access to all channels for free. Following this incident, only the quirky woman remained; the rest was silence.
18. It’s Always Time To Rake
In my previous home, an interesting quirk led to a portion of our backyard - about a third - technically being our neighbor's property. The root of this took shape when the past tenants set up the fence without proper measurement.
Our neighbor dedicated his time to lawn care like clockwork. Two, sometimes three times a week, he'd emerge with his rake in hand, ready to rid his yard of leaves. Transitioning from his lawn, he'd lug a massive trash can over to our backyard, meticulously cleaning his piece of the pie for hours on end.
But he didn’t stop there. The front yard would be his next target, followed by a trip back through our backyard, with the brimming trash can in tow. His journey would conclude deep in the forests, where he would discard the leafy debris.
His dedication was so intense, he actually managed to prevent grass from sprouting in his section of our yard by his constant patrolling! Come summer, despite it void of any grass, he'd still mow this barren patch. He even did this after dusk, under the cloak of the dark night.
19. Scared The Guy Away
While attending to my gardening duties, filling in holes and planting new grass, I was alerted by the loud remarks of my neighbor. He's an elderly man but carries an intimidating aura about him. Turning my attention towards the commotion, I spotted a groundhog nonchalantly exploring his yard. My neighbor was caught up in a futile attempt to shoo the creature away, but to no avail. The groundhog merely continued towards the garage, undeterred.
In a desperate attempt to deter the intruder, my neighbor empowered himself with a hose from his garage, prepared for a standoff. However, the groundhog, startled by the unexpected noise, darted straight towards the garage, unable to pinpoint the source. What happens next was a sight to behold - a fully grown man, sprinting like a deer chased by a predator. He managed to dive into the safety of his home much quicker than one would anticipate.
Subsequently, I ventured across to his yard and ushered the now frightened groundhog out of the garage, a quiet deed unbeknownst to him. I believe he safeguarded himself in his home for a good three hours.
20. No Parents In Sight
Just a few days back, we dealt with a frustrating incident in our apartment block - a building of six floors housing 39 apartments. After a substantial shopping outing, we were in the building garage, anticipating the arrival of the lift. Several minutes passed, and amidst the sounds of the lift's mechanism, we could distinctly hear the sounds of children's giggles and commotion. Five more minutes went by and the lift was still a no-show.
Curious about the unusual delay, my partner decided to investigate. It turned out to be a bunch of unattended kids who had pried the lift doors open with a screwdriver and were rampaging around. With not a single parent present, the lift was now rendered inoperable because of their reckless antics.
On our building's Facebook page, I brought up the fact that we witnessed these kids tampering with the lift, hoping their parents would accept responsibility for their actions. But instead of displaying accountability, the parents merely brushed it off, attributing the dysfunctional lift to a "mysterious" automatic malfunction, refusing to acknowledge their children's misdemeanor, despite us catching them red handed!
Ironically, the last laugh is mine. Being on the ground floor, while these inconsiderate families now have to endeavor daily climbs of six flights of stairs with their prams, all courtesy their lack of disciplining their children.
21. The Worst Solution
My elderly neighbors, who live just across the road, are a delightful couple always ready to lend a hand. It must have been a frosty morning, and my car's windshield was layered with a fair coating of frost. It wasn't solid ice, so I was working away - scraping off the frozen dew and cranking up the heater inside the car.
Suddenly, the gentleman from the couple emerged from his house with a jug full of hot water. It felt like a scene out of a movie, a joyous moment swiftly turning into panic. He was casually sauntering towards me, jug in hand, as I tried to manoeuvre around my car door and the hood to intercept him. I watched the scene unfold helplessly, unable to reach him in time.
The next thing I knew, he'd splashed the entire jug of hot water onto my windshield. Surprisingly, the glass didn't shatter, thanks to sheer good luck I reckon. Yet, it was no victory as the outside temperature was freezing, which meant instead of patches of frost, I now had to deal with a solid half-inch layer of ice across the entire windshield.
To this day, I cannot figure out how an elderly gentleman like him, presumably a long-term resident of our area, still believed that this was an effective approach to de-icing a car windshield. It was quite the experience!
22. The Cows Upstairs
My roomie and I have quite a peculiar situation. Our upstairs neighbors have an odd habit — they "moo" at each other, and rather loudly at that! Having spent time in the countryside, I can say it's a perfect imitation of a cow's "moo." As eccentric as it sounds, both I and my roommate are at a loss for why they do it. The strange thing is folks often don't buy our story until they drop by our place and hear the spectacle themselves. To keep things light-hearted on our end, if the "cow conversation" gets too noisy, we join in and throw a "moo" their way. That usually quiets them down for a bit. They really are a quirky pair, those upstairs folk.
23. From Bad To Worse
My neighbors made the purchase of their home three years back and have been tirelessly renovated it ever since. Their home renovation activities seemed to be a never-ending saga, with constant drilling, hammering, and high energy chatter regardless of what time of day it is. Their project involved an extensive interior overhaul which included tearing down most of the walls, and the lack of barriers made their day-to-day activities incredibly audible. This incessant noise disruption had begun to fray my nerves.
Any attempt at a neighborly dialogue to discuss a possible solution was futile. Unfortunately, my extrovert neighbor doesn't believe in the art of courteous communication and responds to such requests with an unwarranted barrage of hostility, telling you in no uncertain terms where you can put your complaints.
In a surprising recent event, a team of law enforcement officers made an unexpected entry into their house. The specific reason for such a dramatic intervention is currently unknown to me, but I find it hard to believe that it had anything to do with their continuous cacophony resulting from their ambitious home make-over project.
24. Had To Rock With It
Before I became the owner of my current residence, my neighbor had a daily habit of parking his car by sweeping a wide curve directly over my lawn. Despite my numerous pleas for him to cease this behavior, it continued unabated. In response, I positioned a large boulder smack in the middle of his usual path—a location firmly within my property boundaries.
Predictably, he drove right into the rock with a hefty impact. Upon this event, he reacted with vociferous threats of legal action. However, I made it known to him that I practice law for a living. I pointed out that, legally, he was the one who had caused damage to a personal object situated on my private property. Therefore, he would be required to cover the cost of any damage inflicted on my newly-placed boulder.
Following this exchange, he promptly ceased driving over my lawn.
25. Poor Decisions Were Made
My law professor lived next to folks who built a fence on his land. Usually, this wouldn't have been an issue, but the neighbors continually disrespected his partner, so he decided to take the matter to court. The court's verdict came down in favor of my professor, and new instructions were given to the neighbors: they must pay for fence removal.
Being unwilling to comply with these costs, the man attempted to dig up and remove the fence all by himself. This backfired immediately. Though he successfully evaded the fence removal charges, he inadvertently cut through a rather expensive fiber optic cable in his haste. The cost to repair this mishap wasn't inexpensive - the man had to front $10,000 to get it fixed. So, the takeaway here is simple: Treat your neighbors with respect. It might save you a lot of trouble - and a lot of money!
26. Right Where They Took It
The summer before I moved into my off-campus apartment in junior year, I lived on campus for free, thanks to my RA job. I had bought bicycles for my girlfriend and me, hoping to make the summer more enjoyable. But after our first ride, we returned from dinner to find one bicycle missing, its lock cut open.
We reported the theft and the authorities took photos of the remaining bike's logos. Days turned into weeks, then months, with no news about my stolen bicycle. Eventually, when I had already moved to my new apartment, I received a call. The police had found my bicycle, perfectly intact, at a local pawnshop.
Overflowing with joy, I rode my bicycle back home. It sure felt good to have it back so easily. Interestingly, letters from the state's attorney regarding the case associated a familiar name with the thief. It was none other than my next door neighbor, the one with the loud girlfriend whose yelling often penetrated the shared wall of our bedrooms.
In an uncanny twist, the man who had stolen my bicycle turned out to be my neighbor. He had moved in next to his victim just a few months after the theft.
27. Brain Full Of Junk
Bulk trash collection at our place is scheduled for Saturdays. A couple of months back, we were renovating our home and as a result, had a substantial amount of trash to discard. Unfortunately, our neighbors parked their car in front of our trash on the curb the night before collection day. Imagine our disappointment when we found a tag on our piled trash in the morning, essentially saying, "We couldn't pick up your trash due to obstructions."
This was quite frustrating, as we had no intention of moving the accumulated junk back to our yard, only to lug it out again the following week. What was even more infuriating was that our neighbors made a habit of parking in that particular spot solely on Friday nights. This blocked the trash pickup every Saturday morning for weeks!
Fed up, I decided to take matters into my own hands and parked my own car in that spot on Friday night. I woke up extra early on Saturday to move it, allowing the garbage truck access to our trash. After three agonizing weeks, our bulk trash was finally removed. Three weeks down the line, karma came calling as our neighbor made the same parking mistake, this time obstructing his own trash pickup. Needless to say, his bulk trash sat there for weeks, while we smartly relocated our trash to ensure weekly pickups.
28. Stuck In The Snow
An elderly neighbor sought assistance from a younger neighbor to help free his car from his snow-laden driveway. I decided to join in to lend a hand. We placed tracks under his front wheels since it was a front-wheel drive car. We then positioned ourselves at the rear to push, while he drove the car out of the snowy mess. Once he moved onto the street, I noticed something odd. His rear wheels weren't turning at all, only the front ones were.
At that point, I suddenly realized what was happening. I turned to the younger neighbor and asked, "Did he forget to release his parking brake?" Sure enough, that was the issue and the reason why his car was stuck.
29. Right Over His Head
One of my neighbors thought it would be simple to move a faulty dishwasher down the stairs by balancing it on his head. As he attempted this, the rest of us on the block looked on, curious as to how he planned on freeing himself from this precarious situation. Eventually, he managed to do so, but not without unceremoniously dropping the machine on his foot, resulting in quite a bit of swearing.
30. Living By One Rule
In my childhood, I had neighbors who strongly believed the phrase "What God gives, God can take away." Consequently, they never bothered sweeping up leaves or shoveling snow from their driveways. They believed that if it was God's will for them to drive, He'd surely make the weather warmer.
31. Basketball Over Everything
During my college years, I resided in a large apartment complex. My place was a cozy two-bedroom unit with neighbors on only one side. These folks also had only one neighboring wall which they shared with us. Suddenly, a relentless tumultuous banging against the wall became a daily nuisance. The noise intermittimittently lasted for several days, driving us completely insane. Then, the mystery was finally unraveled through a guy's Snapchat story, and it left me gobsmacked.
These fellows had somehow put up a full-scale basketball hoop on our common wall, and the persistent noise was their endearing attempts at scoring baskets. This was all the more irritating because the wall opposite to the hoop was isolated, shared with no one. So, we decided to have a friendly chat with them about relocating their newly installed sports equipment. We hoped for some quiet the following day. However, we were instead greeted with the aggressive sounds of drilling. They were not removing the hoop as we'd hoped. Instead, they had either placed a second hoop or fortified the first one against the shared wall.
32. Some Silly, Funny, Things
We have a quirky neighbor who always keeps things lively. She's known for her unique antics. One day, we were visited by some Jehovah's Witnesses. After speaking with us, they ventured next door towards this eccentric neighbor's house. From our window, we had the perfect view of them crossing over. No sooner than 15 seconds later, these witnesses were seen darting back past our window at full speed, with our amusing neighbor hot on their tail.
33. Caught Red Handed
My dad and our neighbor have always had a tense relationship. The neighbor, an often grouchy elderly man, was notorious for not being fond of children, and that included my sister and me. When my dad started to think our neighbor was purposely throwing stones at his beloved car each morning—an automobile that held sentimental value since it was the first vehicle he'd ever bought—he didn't fly off the handle like I expected.
You see, my dad is a rather intimidating fellow, and it's crucial to mind your manners around him. So, when he suspected our neighbor of damaging his car, I braced myself for a dramatic reaction. Instead, he chose a more stealthy approach. He got up earlier than usual one day, hid in the back seat of his car with a camera in hand, and patiently waited until he captured footage of the neighbor actually tossing stones at his car.
I can still vividly remember his satisfied grin as he stepped out of his car, looking at the dumbfounded neighbor, and offering only a simple, "Thanks."
34. The Plant Must Be Fed
One of the most hilarious things my neighbor has ever done involves them growing marijuana in their backyard. Now, don't get me wrong, we all have our hobbies and interests. If cultivating cannabis is theirs, it's all good. However, their approach was downright comedic. They nurtured just one plant, placing it in an enormous pot, which they would dutifully lug outside to bask in the sun for a few hours a day.
After a while, the plant flourished, reaching a formidable size. It was then time to transport it to its next destination. Here's where the humor really kicks in. They carted this massive pot all the way out to the curb and strained to load it into the back of a car. The poor car's suspension groaned under its weight. However, to top this off, they had to leave the trunk open so the weed plant could protrude, avoiding harm. All in all, it was quite the spectacle!
35. Take It Out In The Morning
It's funny, my friend’s family, who live next door, have this habit I've noticed over a decade. They routinely place their trash bags on the curb every week, the night before the garbage truck's due. We're situated at a suburb right next to a vast forest and a river, which ensures plenty of wildlife.
Every week like a scheduled event, their trash bags suffer a predictable fate. The raccoons, who are ever so notorious, would tear open the bags and scatter their contents around, on their own lawn, on the streets, and even on to the neighboring properties.
My dad has often chimed in to provide a simple suggestion - invest in some sturdy garbage bins. This would ensure the trash stays intact until the morning when the garbage truck arrives, just like how everyone else in the neighborhood manages it. The neighbor's curt reply was usually positive but seemed to lack commitment, considering they only decided to adopt his suggestion around two years ago.
36. The Very Last Time
The house adjacent to ours was transformed into a rental accommodation. A woman and her daughter became our new neighbours - they seemed pleasant. Over some time, we realised that she was rather simple and scatter-brained. There was an incident where I had to replace my kitchen faucet, during which the shut off valve beneath the sink burst when I was shutting it.
Just like anyone would guess, water began to flood on our new laminate flooring. My house didn't have an external water shut off, causing me to rush outdoors to seal the main water supply for the house. I was battling a kitchen flood and needed to shut off the water immediately. The main valve was buried under a foot of sand, prompting me to start digging to find it as quickly as I could.
It was a sight of pure chaos – me panicking, head over heels, trying to handle the situation. Suddenly, my neighbour stepped out and approached me. She initiated a conversation, which I ignored due to the urgency of the situation. Yet, she persisted in talking. She narrated her recent escapade of cooking Chinese Chicken for her daughter.
She elaborated on the recipe, how it turned out and what they paired it with. You can imagine, me, soaked, grimy and just managing to shut the valve, and she continued to chat as I went back to my house to mop up all the spilled water. She didn't stop talking even when I walked away.
That incident went down in our history as the "Chinese Chicken episode". A few months after this, we moved out. Surprisingly, that was the last conversation we ever had with our neighbour.
37. Cruella De Cars
In our friendly little community of eight houses, there's one neighbor who's been causing a bit of a fuss. We'll call her Cruella for storytelling's sake. She's been in charge of the parking situation which proved to be a bit of a problem. About a year ago, she cut down our parking allotment from two spaces per household to just one, without any logical reasoning.
Despite her age of 37, Cruella didn't hesitate to bully an 18-year-old lad who resides with his parents. But we, the rest of the community, didn't let this pass unnoticed. We all banded together and stood up against Cruella's unfair practices. The outcome? She's now limited to two parking spaces, far less than the five she was previously hoarding, and usually stays out of sight when we're outside. The moral of the story - she will never come out on top with such behavior.
38. A Bad Situation All Around
My neighbor owned a couple of large, noisy dogs that would bark incessantly whenever she wasn't home. Even after several polite requests to address the issue, she would dismiss our claims insisting, "It's not my dogs making the noise." It's important to note this often happened late at night, disrupting our sleep. On occasion, she would even leave them outdoors throughout the night, leaving us to deal with their relentless barking. In our area, allowing dogs to bark for more than an hour is considered against the law.
We ended up taking this issue to what is known as a "barking court," which is essentially a hearing. Here, both sides present their evidence before a judge. We had to do this four times, and each time, she lost the case. Despite this, she neglected to pay the fines. In the end, her estranged husband stepped in, fed up with all the complaints from the neighbors, even though he wasn't living with her. He took the responsibility of taking the dogs to the local animal shelter.
She was unable to reclaim them from the shelter without settling the pending fines. Regrettably, the story does not have a happy ending. The dogs, due to lack of training and discipline, were considered dangerous and not suitable for adoption. Eventually, they had to be euthanized. Moreover, she ended up losing her house to foreclosure after her divorce. It was a grim situation for all involved.
39. It Won’t Be Long
We use to live next to an unpleasant pair. At first, they were all smiles and seemed friendly but this didn't last. We had a series of unfortunate incidents with them which eventually led us to move to a different place.
Initially, we decided to keep chickens and asked our immediate neighbors for their consent. They had no objections. The trouble began when we increased the chicken count from three to six. The couple on our right lodged a complaint with the council, stating that we were unlawfully keeping non-domestic animals. Thankfully, a quick conversation with the council confirmed our right to have chickens. We assured the couple that a chicken, scientifically known as Gallus Gallus Domesticus, was indeed a domesticated animal.
Once, after a caravan trip, we received another complaint from them. They claimed that our Caravan, parked in our front yard, was blocking their light. They requested us to remove it andridiculously asked us to get rid of three chickens as well. When we rejected their absurd demands, they wanted us to pay for a new boundary wall taller than the caravan, which would actually block more light. We didn't comply. To our shock, one day we returned home to find builders busyerecting this wall and damaging our beautiful picket fence. The couple had misleadingly told the builders they had our permission. When my dad threatened to call the police, the builders left. The couple later confronted my dad over this.
Things turned bitter from then on, and they became intolerable. They made loud noises, from slamming cupboard doors to their sadistic laughter, which were audible in our home. They frequently harassed my mom, by gazing intensely at her while she took my brother to school, and hurled offensive verbal abuses at my dad in front of us kids.
Soon after these incidents, we moved away. We've been told that their new neighbors aren't as quiet as us. Given their attitude, it wouldn’t be surprising if they start causing trouble for them soon.
40. Not A Moment To Forget
One calm night, while my spouse and I were enjoying Call of Duty at home, we were caught off guard by a gentle knock at our door. With no visitors expected, I rose to see who was at our doorstep. On opening the door, I found our 14-year-old neighbor's daughter visibly troubled. As soon as she saw me, she started narrating her rather bizarre tale in a flurry of words.
Her story revolved around her grandmother, who was temporarily staying with her while her parents were out for a wedding. It seemed that the grandmother was undressed and had urinated on the floor. As someone who seems to attract strange situations, I wasn't too shocked, but this story was seriously one for the books.
I bombarded her with a series of questions to understand the situation better. "Did your grandmother hit her head? Did she take any medications or alcohol? Was her speech slurred?" As I oscillated between notifying the police or inspecting the situation firsthand, I decided to accompany the teenager to help her gather some clothes and invited her to stay with us until her parents returned.
I wanted to ascertain if the grandmother was experiencing a stroke, alcohol intoxication, or a mental health condition. I found her undressed exactly as described, with a sprawling mess of urine on the floor that, despite my best efforts, I couldn't avoid stepping in. The grandmother offered me pizza, which I declined. After numerous attempts, we managed to contact the parents, and the mother was livid.
She instructed the girl to go back and get the grandmother to sleep. Ultimately, we discovered that the grandmother had been abusing prescription drugs. Once home, I cleaned my shoes and took solace in the fact that I was able to assist a distressed child. Nonetheless, I know this strange evening will be etched deeply in my memory forever.
41. Took It To Go
A new resident moved into the neighborhood. I made my way to greet him and found him to be quite sociable. Following our introductions, he showed me his three Rottweilers. I didn't object as I'm a dog lover. A few hours later, I noticed him securing three robust metal stakes in his front yard where he secured his dogs. This arrangement led to the dogs barking continuously from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m., causing regular disturbances.
In merely three days, the green grass integrating his landscape transformed into a sea of mud. I voiced my concern about the consistent dog barking to him in a respectful manner, several times. However, his efforts to address the issue were disappointingly inadequate. Hence, I found myself frequently dialing up animal control services to report the situation.
Feeling cornered and out of solutions, I offered him $1,000 to build a privacy fence in an attempt to alleviate the noise. Agreeing to this, he constructed the fence. Nonetheless, I still made a quick decision to sell my house and relocate. Ironically, I got news that he moved shortly after, and surprisingly, he took the recently built fence along with him!
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42. Searching For Evidence
Back in high school, I recall our neighbor suddenly having a gaggle of goslings in her yard. No idea where they came from, but they appeared out of nowhere. After a couple of months - poof, they were gone. This led to a wild rumor that took our neighborhood by storm: according to her, my dad sneakily climbed her tall fence, outwitted her two German shepherds, and horrifically decapitated all eight goslings using a fishing line.
The tale continued that he then not only cleaned the whole scene but also carried all bodies back over the fence - all by himself. Please bear in mind, my dad was not some action movie star; he was a 65-year-old, slightly out of shape guy. It was clear to us that these goslings had just grown up and flew away. We tried to calm the neighbors, urging them to just disregard her irrational claims.
However, it didn't end there. Not by a long shot.
The very next day, while having breakfast, I noticed my dad looking out the window. He pointed out, "She's digging into our trash,". Indeed, our eccentric neighbor had moved on from allegations to investigations, hauling our trash bags off the verge back to her home. I guess she was in search of damning evidence. Obviously, her search was fruitless, as my dad never ended up in jail accused of 'gooslaughter.'
And so, it's remained a mystery - why on earth she singled out my dad as a suspect in her over-the-top goose murder conspiracy.
43. They’d Been Warned
We used to live next to a couple that had no fence, while we had one to keep our two dogs in our yard. Their dog mostly stayed indoors but was pretty well-trained, so they didn't feel the need to leash him. One day, we noticed one of our fence boards facing their yard was broken. No big deal, we just grabbed a spare board and headed out to fix it.
Suddenly, their wife rushed over, shouting about us trespassing on their property, and threatening that her dog might attack. She knew who we were, since we'd only moved in a few months ago. I was heavily pregnant at the time, about eight months along.
She seemed unaware that property boundaries usually extend beyond the physical fence, based on the property survey we had done when we bought the house. I showed her where our actual boundary was, a few feet beyond the fence, and warned that I'd call the police if she crossed it. A few weeks later, they erected their own fence - without a permit, and not adhering to the city's building codes, since they did it themselves. I did not hesitate to notify the city authorities about this. I do hope they received a fine.
44. Just Like Their Own Daughter
I once lived above an elderly brother-sister duo in a duplex. They were hovering around their 80s, and their apartment was a labyrinth of antiquated keepsakes. Our landlords often fretted over the state of the apartment, well aware of the inevitable painstaking cleanup once they passed away.
Their kitchen, perpetually shrouded in darkness, was a battlefield of splattered oil, resulting in a sticky yellow-brown film smearing every surface. It was a dust magnet, making it the worst possible environment for people with allergies. The persistent aroma of used oil was occasionally punctuated with musty hints of pipe smoke.
At some point, they took up this idea of considering me their surrogate daughter. Initially, it sounded sweet, especially when the brother offered to take out my garbage. But things took an awkward turn when I realized they were literally digging through my trash. It began with unsolicited remarks about my diet and escalated to them being insulted when I started disposing my waste elsewhere, accusing me of mistrusting them.
I also politely refused their offer to cook meals for me, mainly because of the excessive gratitude they expected in the days following. Their overbearing behavior occasionally veered towards complaining about my lifestyle, from my schedule to my visitors.
To top it all off, they were far too interested in my personal life and didn't miss an opportunity to discuss it with other neighbors. They had an uncanny knack for being a constant pain. After a year and a half, I finally understood our landlords' frustration.
Apparently, they had been pouring this relentless torment on every resident of the duplex, but their advanced age and timely rent payments shielded them from eviction. To put it lightly, they were the epitome of the worst neighbors ever.
45. A Very Particular Lifestyle
My neighbor is a gentleman of middle age who finds himself not working. He maintains unconventional waking hours, being awake by 4 AM and retiring to sleep by 8 PM. He holds an expectation that his entire neighborhood would follow the same schedule. Yet, this area houses many young and industrious professionals who reside in our condo community.
During summer, particularly on the vibrant nights of Friday and Saturday, you would typically find these energetic souls unwinding by our condo's pool, or possibly lighting up barbecues, rejoicing in the balmy air until the stroke of 11 PM.
This behavior, as you can imagine, causes my neighbor great distress. He frequently expresses his annoyance, often in a vexed manner, imploring his neighbors to conclude their activites by his bedtime of 8 PM. On one particularly heightened occasion, his fury reached such a peak that he fiercely slammed his bedroom window. The force was so intense, it resulted in the window shattering into pieces.
46. They Just Want To Be Involved
Every time I step outside, it seems my neighbors do the same. If I'm mowing the lawn, they'll join me, typically finishing their own yards a little after I've finished mine. When I get a delivery, they pop out to comment, "Another project, huh?" And whenever guests arrive at my place, they'll mysteriously need to let their dogs out or "check their mail".
There are only five homes on our out-of-the-way road, and I happen to be the youngest resident at 27, with all my neighbors being over 60. Although their constant presence can be slightly irritating, I appreciate their friendliness. Plus, I have peace of mind knowing they're likely keeping an eye on my home when I'm at work, ready to alert the police at the first sign of trouble. I'll gladly take this minor annoyance over dealing with rowdy younger neighbors who host loud parties.
47. Just Trying To Keep Warm
During the Hurricane Sandy aftermath, my neighborhood and I suffered without services like power, heat, and hot water for two weeks. It felt extremely chilly indoors, especially during the night as the temperature struggled to go beyond the 20s or 30s Fahrenheit. I occupied the western wing of the house, while a family resided in the central part of the house, and another tenant lived in a small studio spot between us.
One day, after work, I decided to pass by the house to pick up some clothes for a warm shower at a friend’s place. To my surprise, my street was cordoned off. Various emergency vehicles and personnel were scattered around. Hesitant, I moved towards my house, my street resembled a buzzing hive of activity. Recognizing my neighbor among the crowd, I asked him about the situation, and shockingly, he pointed out the disturbances were at my house.
Feeling a jolt of adrenaline, I quickly headed to my house, worrying about my cat. Absolute chaos waited for me. The family from the main section of the house was being rushed away on stretchers, to my relief, there was no sign of fire or smoke. My front door was broken open, and my cat was wandering outside, looking bewildered. My driveway and lawn had practically become a meet-up spot for the entire neighborhood.
A firefighter approached me to explain what had occurred. The family had been desperate to battle the cold, so they decided to bring their charcoal grill inside the house and light it for warmth. Unfortunately, this led to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide accumulating in the house. The mother fainted, but the daughter, feeling weak, managed to call for help.
48. All That Over A Snake
Our neighbor had a cluster of banana plants at the corner of his property. He believed he spotted a snake creeping into the plants and decided to smoke it out to chase it away. Unfortunately, this was a terrible decision. Dry banana leaves are like tinder, they burn rapidly and furiously. Within seconds, the entire cluster was ablaze with intensely hot fire.
By the time our neighbor managed to get a water hose, his pine hedge was already catching fire, and so was the neighboring wooden fence. He was left in the pickle of having to save the neighboring fence while his own pine hedge continued to burn, spreading halfway across his yard. In the end, we couldn't determine whether the snake made it out or not.
49. Filled To The Brim
We shared our apartment building with a large fellow. Both of our front doors opened up to an interior hallway. The guy was really amiable, but every couple of days, we would spot him mopping up a puddle stretching from his door. Whenever we asked if he was okay, he would respond with complaints about the management that were hard to understand.
Driven by curiosity, I approached the management one day when I was at the rental office. The lady's answer made me burst out laughing. She rolled her eyes and explained, "This guy fills his bathtub to the edge, then plops himself in it. Naturally, the water spills all over his apartment, seeping into the hallway. And somehow, he has the nerve to point fingers at us!"
I just replied, "Wow, that's quite a situation," and hurried back to my apartment. If this bathtub explanation is accurate, this guy might not be the sharpest tool in the shed.
50. A Costly Error
I unknowingly landed in quite the predicament when my idiot neighbor built his house smack-dab on my vast property while I was gone for a few weeks. The area in question was one of two large clearings on my land, separated by a stretch of trees, each with its own access road. As the property is expansive, I didn't routinely check every nook and cranny of it.
Upon my return, a real estate attorney and surveyors were immediately approached to ascertain that the newcomer's house was indeed on my territory. The initial plan was to sell him the clearing on my land where he had built at a fair price. However, upon meeting him, our conversation took an unfavorable turn. The man, whom I'd never met before, accused me of misleading him into thinking it was his property. To add to the unpleasant exchange, his wife was rude to my girlfriend and myself as we left their place.
Needless to say, that encounter didn't sit well with me. Hence, a mere four months later, I decided to get my revenge. I filed a lawsuit and I gave him a straightforward choice: Either demolish the house he built or transfer ownership to me. Tallying up the costs, he realized demolition and restoration would be more costly, so he opted to sign the house over. Though he was still liable for the construction expenses, this resulted in an unexpected windfall for me. I went from living with my girlfriend in a single house to owning an additional brand new 2,600 square foot home fully outfitted with water, electricity, and cable connections - at no cost to me.
I acquired the entire lot at a token amount and eventually sold it for almost 50 times the original value, thanks to the unexpected house addition.
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