When moving to a new house, one can only hope that the people living next door are kind, considerate, and chaos-free. Unfortunately, it doesn't always end up that way—some neighbors are just so awful that it seems their one and only mission is to ruin other people's lives. From peeping Toms who have absolutely no sense of privacy to no-chill Nellies who make non-issues just because they feel like it, here are some of the most unbearable nightmare neighbors ever:
1. Photographic Evidence
When we moved in, we threw a party for all the neighbors. Since I love to grill and my wife's a vegetarian, we make use of two grills. Though we invited all the folks on our street, one neighbor opted out. When they said it was because they were vegetarian, I reassured them we'd cater for that, too. But they dodged the invite with a note about a trip they had planned on the day. I got the hint - they didn't want to come, no questions asked. That's very British of us, right? Then, party day came and our spacious garden was jam-packed.
Interestingly, the barbecue pits were across from this particular neighbor's house. Around 5 pm, we spotted their upstairs windows open. I was like, "Hmm, weren't they supposed to be away?" Then we saw her: The wife was watching us and taking photos.
We stopped by their place to tell them they could still join in, but got no response, even though their curtains were moving. We shrugged and went back to our soiree, choosing to ignore it. After most of the parents and kids had left, we had a mix of old and young neighbors hanging around.
I was at the outdoor bar shaking up some cocktails when some officers casually strolled in through the back gate. Seems we had a noise complaint. Although it was only around nine and usually noise complaints aren't followed up until after eleven, this must've been special. Someone had called in about our "rowdy party," accusing us of "burning things" and "giving kids drinks".
Obviously, the officers could see our party was anything but uncivilized, so they quietly left. We thought the matter was closed, but boy were we wrong. The next Monday, mid unpacking, we got a revisit from our friendly officers. This time they had photos as "evidence" of us "giving drinks to a minor" and "setting things on fire".
In one photo, a neighborhood kid was carrying two unopened bottles to me and his dad at the grill. We were simply using a blowtorch to light my barbecue, a safe distance away from any property including ours. Thankfully, the officers saw how the situation had been exaggerated. They needed my statement to close the case, so I gave it. For the two years we lived there, those neighbors avoided us like a plague. It all just seemed so bizarre and unnecessary.
2. An Extended Favor
When I was a teenager, we had these peculiar neighbors. One day, the father came over and confessed they hadn't had electricity for a while. He asked us to allow them to plug into our outdoor outlet just for the day so their little ones could have chilled milk for breakfast.
My parents agreed, but only for that day, and our neighbors kept their promise, unplugging their cable by evening. But a week later we were taken completely by surprise: We discovered they'd sneakily connected the cable again. Our electricity bill for that month was double our usual rate.
After finding the cable still plugged into our outlet in the backyard, my parents confronted the neighbor. Initially, he just peered out slightly from behind the door, but after noticing he had a gun, my stepdad convinced him to engage in conversation. When asked why they had reconnected, all the father offered was an incoherent mumble before abruptly closing and locking his door.
The family lived in a half of a two-unit house, and their duplex neighbor came out to find out what was going on. We recounted everything to him and mentioned our intentions to involve the authorities. It turned out, he was a retired officer and had connections within the department. He made a call, and soon squad cars were at the scene.
Both parents were taken into custody. But the most shocking part? They'd been running a lab within their home. Their kids, a boy and a girl, who were underfed, were immediately placed into foster care. We haven't had a more distressing experience with a neighbor since.
3. High Expectations
Our neighbor had a habit of idling on the sidewalk every afternoon, a little tipsy, tossing insults about me at my husband. The routine began when he phoned one day to ask why my husband's car was in the driveway on a workday. I courteously appreciated his concern and informed him that my husband was just resting, under the weather with a cold - nothing to fret about. Yet that didn't stop him from making things SO much worse.
It seems like we were supposed to shower him with compliments for being such an attentive neighbor, and my husband was expected to return a call when he woke up, adding more words of appreciation. Since we failed to meet his expectations, we endured his loud afternoon tirades until we relocated a few months later.
4. A Proposed Renovation
My neighbor, Jerry, was truly a nightmare. At first glance, he seemed quirky yet harmless. But things quickly took a turn when he began to invade my personal space. It appeared my landlord had a chat with him about it, which didn't sit well with Jerry. In fact, you could say it enraged him.
One day, he caught me off guard at my doorstep, insisting I join him in his apartment. It was a mess, exhibiting a clear hoarding habit. He went through an entire bottle of some drink in half an hour, then sadly recounted his life for me. Luckily, he fell asleep, offering me a chance to escape.
Just a few weeks later, an early morning quarrel with his partner had the guy trying to take refuge in my apartment, only to settle for barging into a vacant one nearby. Law enforcement was alerted, detaining Jerry. Yet, within a week, the same partner was back, culminating in another heated row, followed by a loud display of reconciled passion. Their tumultuous relationship was a nuisance to everyone in the building.
And that's just the beginning of the nightmare. Jerry was notorious for his inconsiderate behaviors. He would flush unsuitable items, which would lead to my bathtubs and sinks getting clogged up. Once, he caused such a severe blockage that he had to rip his toilet from its place and simply left the mess there.
The highest point of his disregard for others was when he intruded into my apartment while I was out, sizing up my walls for his audacious plan of merging his apartment with mine. Despite my refusal, he insisted I could live with him post-renovation. Eventually, he was evicted but somehow managed to charm others into letting him in.
For a long while after, his mugshot was displayed at all entrances, cautioning residents not to let him into the building.
5. At A Crossroads
So, my neighbor had two ways he could get to his property. But he seemed to prefer the one that ran through our land, even though it was longer and not as well-maintained. He didn't have any right or permission to use this lane, he just assumed it was okay since it cut through our property.
He was always unfriendly for no apparent reason. He'd never bother to say hi, and he'd get mad if we even got near his property. And mind you, this was while he was practically driving through our living room every day. Karma caught up with him, though, when lightning knocked a tree onto the lane...on OUR land. He got a crew to come out and cut up the tree, promising they could keep the wood as payment.
He thought he could pull a fast one, but dad had other plans. He showed up with his property deeds, pointed out the markings that clearly outlined our property line, and got the neighbor to admit that the tree was on our side of it. He then promptly sent the crew home.
Dad warned them that if they even took a branch from that tree, he'd slam them with a theft charge and take them to court. And remember, he's a lawyer. Fast forward 15 years, and that tree is still there, blocking the lane. Our neighbor still gets to his property from the other road, so he doesn't really have any grounds to argue for using our lane.
6. Parking Privileges
My neighbor used his connections with officers to have stickers put on our cars, accusing us of violating parking rules. We had to relocate our cars so there would be parking room for his visitors. I own a corner lot in a recently developed estate, which means I have a curb and walkway on two sides of my property. My stepson and I occasionally park on the ample space available at the side of my house.
The neighbor who lives across the street from me lacks adequate road parking around his house. He is under the impression that the roadside parking on my side of the street is his because it's directly opposite his home. When I challenged him, explaining that the parking doesn't belong to him, me, or anyone else, he turned menacing—he hinted that he has "connections" who could resolve this issue.
He also decided to seize this moment to hurl some remarkably targeted insults at all his new neighbors, essentially saying we were all just as watchful as he is.
7. False Emergency
My neighbor buzzed my doorbell repeatedly at 4 AM, insisting I come with him for an urgent matter. Assuming it was serious, I followed: I was walking right into his trap. He led me to his car and started asking for my opinion on it, looking quite pleased with himself. Basically, he woke up every person in the building at 4 AM just to flaunt his new car, claiming that it was an emergency.
8. Invasion Of Privacy
First off, my neighbors own four tiny Dachshunds that don't ever stop barking. Just trying to step outdoors has these dogs in a frenzy, especially since they're always left outside. I appreciate sitting outdoors and enjoying a good read on a lovely day, but, regrettably, their yapping breaks my focus. Even as a dog owner and lover, the lack of consideration they're showing leaves me stunned.
Next up, while I own my property, they're renters. Despite this, the wife insists they have claim over a tiny sliver of my land and plan to shift the fence. My yard isn't huge, so every inch counts. Did I stress the point that they're renters? I brought out my property survey papers to prove the land was mine and wasn't up for grabs, but she claimed they had their own survey they refused to share with me.
Last, but certainly not the least, they don't seem to think twice about trespassing. I once returned from work to find they'd rerouted their water drainage into my backyard. They've criticized my tree, asked me to chop it down, and have used my driveway as storage for their bins and waste. I've even caught the wife dumping her vacuum cleaner's contents into my driveway.
She's also littered my driveway with piles of leaves, even ones that didn't fall from my trees. When I installed locks on my gate, she climbed a ladder and poured leaves she'd gathered into my yard by leaning over the fence. As a result, I installed cameras and have been considering taking action if she tries another similar stunt. But she just got crazier.
She accused me of reporting her daughter's car and posting a note about her trash, none of which I did. She, however, has reported me several times about my lawn being too tall. Those claims were false and weren't upheld by the health department. Honestly, all I want is to unwind with my dogs after a long day's work and not deal with nonsense.
I'm truly at a loss for how to handle her.
9. Problem After Problem
I'm not too fond of my neighbors. Last summer, their place was raided by the SWAT team, and the resulting mess had me calling in to work due to all the blockades. Arrests were surprisingly absent, but the details of the incident remain a mystery to me. While our homes lack backyard fences, that's never stopped them from letting their dog wander all around the neighborhood.
At first glance, it might not have seemed like a big deal, but it soon proved otherwise. They'd let their dog stroll freely around the neighborhood, while they stayed comfortably inside. Come winter, they'd bundle up and leave him outside for lengthy periods of time. They'd cap the evening off by repeatedly hollering, "PETE! PETE!" from their porch at 11 pm. Over time, Pete vanished...I presume a more responsible neighbor took him in.
Their disputes are unfortunately public, audible not only to me but also to those dwelling across the street. Frequently, about once a week, law enforcement intervenes, yet they've made a habit of bailing each other out. They once borrowed a pair of jumper cables and never returned them. To add to the audacity, they had the nerve to ask for another pair last week. My boyfriend reminded them about the unreturned cables.
In response, they threatened to sue us for falsely accusing them of theft.
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10. No More Songbirds
One of our neighbors was a dishonest contractor. He deceived the older couple living next door into spending $10,000 on a roof repair they didn't need; their tiles were practically new. What's worse, he took all their tiles to fix his own roof for free, replacing theirs with about 10% of his old tiles. To top it all off, he left the project unfinished.
But don't worry, he got what he deserved—he ended up behind bars, and the sale of his house was used to compensate his victims. However, the money from his house sale fell short of fully covering the damages. In another case, a different neighbor would head into his backyard at the break of dawn to target local birds with his crossbow.
Afterwards, he'd nonchalantly toss their bodies into standard trash bags and leave them on the street. Unsurprisingly, foxes would tear these bags open, spreading bird remains all over the place. As a result, we don't have the pleasant chirping of songbirds in our area anymore.
11. Theoretically An Overall Bad Guy
My neighbor, who has schizophrenia, has long thought that I'm into his electronic gadgets, snooping on his phone, and causing him distress. But that's not even the freaky part: Over time, he's insisted that I kept an elderly man captive in my condo, letting blood seep from my patio down to his. He leaves messages in his car pointing fingers at me for all these bizarre accusations.
12. Purposeful Potholes
I relocated to a country lane lined with numerous homes. My buddy has lived a bit further down this lane all his life. The folks next door to me only visit in the summer, they're never around in the winter. However, when summer rolls around, the lane is dotted with lots of potholes. Intrigued, I asked my buddy about it.
His explanation blew my mind—he told me that our neighbors actually create these potholes themselves each summer, with the intent to "cool down" the traffic.
13. The Monster Next Door
Just about every day, our next-door neighbor has these out-of-control fits. He doesn't just get a bit upset, he turns seriously scary: Loud yelling, stomping around, tossing his tools about, banging doors, and hollering at his family over trivial issues. His family really deserves my sympathy, and to be honest, hearing him each time truly gets under my skin.
14. Off To A Better Home
My neighbor always left her Pitbulls outside in the yard, regardless of the weather, without food or water. That happened rain or shine, hot or cold. When I noticed it, I couldn't ignore it. So, I went over and suggested she should bring the dogs inside, as it clearly wasn't good for them to be out in such conditions.
Her response was telling me to mind my business, yet she'd instruct her kids to let the dogs in. However, when I saw she wasn't changing her ways, I started reaching out to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Harm to Animals, repeatedly until they sent her a warning letter. She acted completely clueless about the reason behind their contact.
One day she approached me, completely baffled by the letter she got, implying she caused harm to her dogs. I persisted in reporting her, because despite knowing that the Society was keeping tabs on her, her attitude towards the dogs' welfare didn't change. The dogs would always scramble at my fence when I was out in the yard, almost pleading for help.
My sisters and I couldn't bear it, so we'd sneak them water and dog treats when she wasn't around. Then, one day, amid her loud ranting and kids' crying, the sight of justice unfolded. It was the Society, who came to take the dogs because of her neglect. After months of struggle, I felt an enormous relief seeing those dogs on their way to a much-deserving home.
15. The Lesser Evil
I was raised in the countryside, surrounded by a sizable amount of open space. The place used to be a massive farm that was gradually divided up as the original owner grew older. My parents ended up owning 10 acres of it, located behind the neighbors' plots. We lived a fairly decent distance from them. That said, among these neighbors, there was one who was downright awful. I recall seeing squad car lights at his place when I was just eight.
It was only later that I learnt the horrific truth. He had engaged in a vicious argument with his elderly father over his prescription medications. His dad owned the house and had let his 30-year-old son stay there without charging rent. After serving some time locked up, he returned to share the home with his father, whom he had nearly harmed severely. To top it all, he cultivated certain five-leafed plants on our property and even threatened my mother after my father and I got rid of them.
Despite everything, we refrained from involving the authorities. This sort of incident occurred often, it was almost routine. From my childhood, I remember him pounding on our door a multitude of times, hurling threats at my mother. Sometimes, I remember pondering over how to keep ourselves safe in case he ever got inside our house.
Such disturbances happened around eight to 10 times a year. After a second arrest and some anger management sessions, he has mellowed down a bit. Nowadays, he contents himself with holding noisy bonfires and littering our land with empty cans. It's annoying, no doubt but at least it's a step down from physical threats, and for that, we are somewhat grateful.
16. No More Water
It all began when my neighbor allowed her children and pets to freely roam my backyard. So, to solve this, I ended up spending $5000 on a privacy fence that my father-in-law and I constructed. Things escalated further when she had her water disconnected due to unpaid bills. That's when she did the most disgusting thing I've ever seen. She resorted to defecating in plastic bags and flinging them over my fence. When I confronted her, she politely denied it and instead aired her side of the story on social media.
I reached out to the landlord and managed to get an eviction notice served the following day. Fast forward four years later, I still have the screenshots from her social media post.
17. An Absolute Disgrace
My neighbor recklessly tore apart and got rid of my mom's sweet pea plant that she received from her friend who we unfortunately lost to cancer. When she voiced her displeasure, he absolutely lost it. He started going on about how our garden is an eyesore and a humiliation to the entire neighborhood, suggesting we need to swap all our grass and plants for concrete. Such a frustrating guy.
18. Door To Door Sales
I recently shifted into a new apartment in Chicago and was rudely awakened by loud knocking on my door at three in the morning. Given the city's reputation, my mind instantly went into survival mode, expecting someone with bad intentions on the other side of the door. As I sat in bed mapping out self-defense strategies, there was a brief silence.
Then, a woman's voice echoed through my door and threw me off balance. She exclaimed, "This is your neighbor. Would you be interested in buying some Girl Scout cookies?" I of course immediately ignored the offer and tried to drift back to sleep feeling a mix of annoyance and bewilderment. Either my neighbor was utterly lost or making an attempt to rob me.
19. Loud And Louder
Whenever I carried out simple tasks, like shutting a door or showering, my neighbor would repeatedly shout disrespectful comments loud enough for me to hear through my apartment wall. I wasn’t making much noise. It seems he just had a lot of personal issues. Eventually, I had enough and involved our landlord.
To assess the situation, the landlord closed a door and the guy automatically started with his disrespectful shouting. This was the last straw for the landlord.
He addressed the issue head-on and warned that the neighbor would be evicted if he didn’t curb his behavior. Thankfully, it worked. Even though I no longer live there, that scenario is still fresh in my memory.
20. Caught In The Act
My neighbor was incredibly intrusive and seemed to have a dislike for me for inexplicable reasons. At just 14 years old, I can't recall ever bothering this man, but he'd repetitively snitch on me to my parents if he spotted me outdoors. Baseless allegations such as me smoking, flirting with boys in the tree on our front lawn, dealing in substances, and even causing harm to animals were just some of his insane claims.
This man would just make things up! If I was in my backyard, he wouldn't hesitate to spy on me through our private fence. On one occasion, while I sat enjoying a soda outdoors, he appeared from behind the fence with a sly grin. Delighted, he exclaimed, "CAUGHT YOU!", intending to inform my parents. When my dad found out, he was FURIOUS. While swearing and growling, dad dragged him over to show him that it was obviously a soda bottle.
He also warned him sternly that if he was ever caught peeking through our fence, he wouldn't hesitate to call law enforcement. As time passed, we found him in our backyard one day, collecting pecans. He even justified his intent to help himself to our wagon because it had been sitting unused for a while, convincing him we didn't need it. Clearly, his logic and behaviors were off. Eventually, he moved out and we were relieved not to see him ever again.
21. Couldn’t Be Billed
The next-door neighbor's puppy sneaked into our garbage and wound up feeling ill. The poor thing had to be taken to the veterinarian. My neighbor broke this news to me when we unexpectedly met at my erstwhile place of employment. His words were, "Yeah, it cost like $5,000 to nurse her back to good health. You're lucky I don't send you the bill". But here's the part that makes me mad: This guy freely allowed his dog to roam all backyards and litter wherever it fancied. It's a case of him carelessly allowing this, not his pup escaping unknowingly.
The most recent time I spotted him, law enforcement was present at his premises, apparently for a domestic issue.
22. The Intentional Leaf Leaver
My neighbor had six cars, all parked on our crowded block filled with apartments. He spent endless hours caring for them, yet somehow they always ended up looking more rusted afterward. If a leaf so much as touched one of his cars, he'd claim someone from the neighborhood put it there on purpose just to bug him.
23. To-ma-to, To-mah-to
My partner and I moved into a middle flat in a one-floor, triple apartment building. Our front door had a direct walkway leading up to it, with two mini garden beds just off either side of the path, nestled by our entrance. For the first half-year, these beds remained barren, so to add some charm, we bought flowers and planted them.
The following day, we were taken aback by a shocking note on our door. Our left-hand neighbor had written, upset that we'd planted flowers in what he claimed was his garden, located on his side of the footpath. He made it clear he planned to grow a tomato plant in that spot, despite the presence of our flowers.
We wrote back, pointing out it was a flower bed and it wouldn't be suitable to put a tomato plant right outside our door. But, to our dismay, the next day, we found our fresh flowers dug out and placed by our door. And right there in the flower bed - a tomato plant tightly secured inside its metal enclosure.
24. Bright And Early
Every morning at seven, my neighbors would repetitively honk their car horns right in their driveway, often rousing me and my family from sleep. And the most frustrating part of it all is that they seemed indifferent about causing a disturbance. The parents would simply sit in their car, honking impatiently to get their kids moving for school. Honestly, I find it hard to like my neighbors.
25. Cut Off Communication
I recall my next-door friend persuading us kids to gather some snails for his little snail zoo. We happily did and handed them over in a paper box. Then he told us, "Check this out," and what he did next completely shocked us. He displayed a hairspray and a lighter, then used it to set the snails on fire. It was so disturbing just watching him do it with that freaky grin.
We were not friends from then onward.
26. Taking His Sweet Time
My neighbor took down a section of my fence, claiming he was just repairing a couple of posts... but for almost two months, he's made no effort to actually FIX it. The last time we spoke, we agreed to bring in a fencing company for the repair and he gave his word. I thought we had sorted it all out, but turns out I was wrong. Two months have passed and he's made no progress.
27. The Loud Olympics
My brother and I were sharing a place, and we had new neighbors move in downstairs. It was a single mother with her two teenage sons and, as we understood it, they were going through a pretty tough time due to a recent divorce. The teenagers were a noisy bunch, always fighting with each other. I did my best to be understanding and tolerant, without complaining.
We did mention their racket to their mom occasionally, and though she was always sorry, the noise persisted. One early Sunday morning, we were woken at 6am by the sound of slamming doors, throwings objects, and general loud behavior. Fed up; my brother and I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. We assembled all our audio gear in the house, which included a bass amp, two public address systems, and a full drum kit.
We cranked up "Hypnotize" by Biggie, and played along on the bass and drums at max volume for about 10 minutes. Oddly enough, we never heard any loud noises from them again after that. I can't say if we shocked them into silence or they just finally understood the nuisance they were causing. But, I guess you could say we won the battle of loudness.
28. Not A Good Friend
We'd just settled into our new home over summer, which came with a pool in the fenced backyard. My siblings and I decided to cool off in the pool one hot day as I, being the eldest, watched everyone. Suddenly, I spotted our neighbor wandering in our yard towards the backyard fire pit, just outside the pool fence.
I felt a bit uneasy since I'd only met him once before, when we first moved in. He flashed us a smile and waved, at which point I asked my siblings to leave the pool. When I told my mom, she was beyond furious. That same week, mom and dad added a lock to our gate, preventing the neighbor from entering our backyard unchecked.
A while later, he noticed he couldn't access our backyard anymore, causing him some upset. It turns out the previous owners allowed him to use the backyard and the fire pit to burn leaves and branches. Well, good on them, but now it's our house and you can't just stroll in without permission.
We hardly knew him! So, even if he truly meant no harm, it was still pretty creepy and downright weird how he was upset about us locking the gate and asserting our right to privacy. Communication between us dwindled after that.
29. Time For Revenge
Our neighbor managed to clog his sink pipes with toilet paper which resulted in a flooding bathroom that also seeped into our apartment below. We confronted him about it, and surprisingly, he admitted he was intentionally trying to damage our place as a way to retaliate against the landlords. Both the corrections department and the landlord shrugged off their responsibility, each blaming the other.
It took several interventions by the authorities that night to get him to stop. Even then, he defiantly ran his sink for an extra two minutes while loudly stomping and shouting at us, causing even more water damage. When we sought the authorities's help again, we were shocked by their reaction. They simply laughed it off and told us to handle it ourselves. A few days later, the corrections department, landlord, and a plumber had to literally force his door open to fix the sink after acquiring a warrant - he was unwilling to cooperate otherwise.
He got evicted a month later. I suspect he held a grudge against us. After all, we had to intervene four times when he passed out while cooking in the middle of the night. His smoke alarm would trigger everyone else's and fill our apartment with smoke, forcing us to either wake him or involve the fire department when he wouldn’t respond from his smoke-filled room.
That's without even considering his relentless harassment of women and his numerous attempts to break into our apartment when we were away.
30. Longer Than Life
Our neighbor has lodged complaints against us with the authorities numerous times. The grounds for his complaints were utterly ridiculous: 1) our pool not being clean and operational by early May, 2) kids' hockey sticks and Wiffle Ball bats scattered on our front lawn, 3) the sub-par quality of our fence, and 4) our pool gate being too low. In addition, he lives with his troublemaking grandson who takes pleasure in destroying my flowers routinely.
He even complained to the authorities about a storage container in our driveway. The funny part is, the guy has a car that he's kept parked at his own driveway for longer than we've lived here.
31. Slamming And Screaming
Our neighbor tends to get pretty loud, often going on extensive tirades and slamming doors, which continues to create quite a fuss. This can happen at any point during the day, lasting anywhere from five minutes up to an hour, and continues sporadically throughout the day. Even with all our doors shut, we can still hear her, despite our house having solid, double brick walls.
We've attempted to discuss the situation with her, but without success. The authorities can't really take any action because it's not happening all the time, and our local government officials can't do much either, citing it's merely anti-social behavior. Essentially, they've told us we just have to put up with it. We haven't been able to reach the person who owns the house, so our next step could involve determining which real estate agent is handling the property, and then filing a formal complaint with them.
Though this might sound like a lot of effort that may not necessarily resolve anything.
32. A Terrible Allergy
My neighbor from upstairs got pretty ticked off because I once missed greeting him in the hallway. He pinned his bad mood on doing laundry, of all things. Last Wednesday afternoon, he actually tried entering my apartment while under influence! Then he asked if I had an issue with him. When I said his actions make me uncomfortable, his reply just made me want to roll my eyes.
He tagged me as a slightly passive-aggressive queen of drama. He claimed he couldn't find his apartment as he was too caught up humming up the stairs. It's astounding how avoidant he is in admitting he did something wrong.
33. The Free Concert
The lady living above me was attempting to drive me out of my apartment. To do so, she placed her speakers on the floor, facing downward, and cranked up the music to full blast. The moment it started, I was initially furious at her nerve. However, within a few seconds, I found myself grinning. The song was one that I enjoyed a lot. So, I decided to let it play one more time while gearing up to confront her afterwards.
Much to my amusement, the next song that played was another one of my all-time favorites. By the third song, which I also enjoyed, I didn't even feel the need to get angry. She stopped the music at midnight due to the local regulations, and seemingly noticed that her attempt to annoy me was unsuccessful. Consequently, she didn't try that again.
34. The Unwanted Gift
One of my housemates at university started getting stoned all the time. It didn't bother me, really, but since I was studying law and meeting officers for school, I asked him to do it in his room, not the shared areas. He agreed at first. When I came back from winter break, I found a shocking scene in the kitchen. His stuff was scattered on the counter—papers, a half-empty bag, the works. I steered clear.
Later that night, around 2 a.m., a guy with blood on his head showed up at the door, yelling for "ROB" because he felt cheated. Turns out, my housemate had gone from smoking to dealing, and the guy at the door was his supplier demanding payment.
35. A Last Resort
Our next-door neighbors just wouldn't clean their apartment. It was home to a trio: a mother and her two grown-up children, and they'd never once scrubbed anything there in their decade-long stay. The son would practically bathe in cologne after a shower, while the daughter, oddly phobic, wouldn't bathe at all. When she was around, there was no missing it.
They had a cat that eventually gave up on grooming itself. Anytime their door opened, a stink spread through the stairwell that lasted for hours. And they were surprisingly upset when other residents lit incense to counteract the smell. The floor of their place was so filthy, it was sticky; your shoes could get stuck because of the grime.
In the end, they were tossed out. The landlord was left with a hefty bill that was nothing short of ridiculous; He had to dish out nearly $20,000 just to eliminate the odor and restore the apartment.
36. Do Not Contact
My neighbor reported my three-year-old daughter to the authorities because she was walking "too noisily" at two in the afternoon on a Saturday. On another occasion, he attempted to kick our door in because my husband used the toilet too late at night. Several other incidents led to us being granted a "No contact" warning against him by a judge, which he breached twice within a month.
Fortunately, things finally swung in our favor - our landlord kindly allowed us to break our lease early without any charge, and even accompanied me to court to give evidence against the neighbor.
37. Messing With The Senses
A while back, when I was still living with my frequently-inebriated, devout father post his divorce from my mom, we moved to a quaint street on the island's east end. We shall refer to our new neighbors as Max and Eva, who at first seemed pretty friendly and we got along well for some months. Unexpectedly, one day, Max showed up at our doorstep requesting my dad to shift his car from their house's front, even though it wasn't impeding them in any way as they owned two cars to our one.
Considering my dad was in an indifferent mood, he complied. However, a few weeks later, while my dad was under the influence, Max requested him to move his car forward slightly. This enraged my dad—and made him retaliate. He headed to their front door, demanding Max to shift his car instead, leading to a heated argument. Max mock-headbutted my dad, who, being Welsh, reciprocated and ended up breaking Max’s nose.
Chaos broke loose when Eva started screaming about alerting the authorities. Now, my dad might seem like the bad guy so far, and rightly so as he was far from perfect - to be honest, he's a man with no redeeming qualities. But this saga was just getting started.
Shockingly, the neighbors escalated matters further. Communication between us ceased entirely, which made regular encounters like leaving for school or work incredibly awkward. All was calm until one day when my sober dad decided to do some gardening.
While pulling out weeds, he sensed a metallic flavor on his tongue. He spat on his hand to find blood. Following a coughing fit that produced more blood and painful itching in his mouth, he composed himself enough to call for medical help. Much to his surprise, it was the firefighters who showed up, as they handled dangerous substance incidents.
After swabbing his mouth for samples, they found a substantial amount of white powder all over the garden, even on his gloves. He had failed to notice it due to his poor eyesight and general obliviousness - a testament to his lack of redeeming qualities.
Days later, officials informed us the powder was indeed a chemical used to destroy tree roots. On further inspection, traces of the chemical were found leading from our fence to Max and Eva's garden where a crate of the same substance was discovered. They had scattered it over our garden, resulting in my dad inhaling it and damaging his sinuses.
38. The Indoor Skatepark
My next-door neighbor used to practice his skateboard tricks at home and it would always make this persistent BANG noise. We were just a short walk away from a spacious park where he could've easily practiced, but nope, he seemed too lazy for that. I had to ask him repeatedly to stop and even had to get the building manager to intervene.
Fast-forward a few months and karma caught up with him – he got kicked out because he couldn't pay his rent. I can't exactly say I was upset to see him go.
39. A Very Bad Influence
My neighbor tried to take me to court because I allowed all the local children to carve pumpkins with mine. After these kids took their pumpkins home, my neighbors spoiled everyone's fun - they phoned the authorities and made a claim that we were trying to sway their kids with evil lessons. Sure was a pleasure living next to them for a couple of years.
40. The Missing Oven
When we moved from our old house to the new one, we left the door ajar. Somehow, our neighbors managed to swipe the oven from our old place's kitchen. But that's not the whole story - they even sold our oven and pocketed the cash, without our knowledge. We mistakenly thought we'd been burgled until they came clean about it after we'd fully moved into our new home.
41. It’s Raining Inside
In our college accommodation, we had a living area, bathroom, a sink room, and two bedrooms. Just two days before my planned move-out, I noticed water dripping from our Air Conditioning vent in the sink room. The minor leak quickly escalated into a stream of water within just five minutes. Surprisingly, after another ten minutes or so, I heard more water dripping, this time from the bathroom. Before I knew it, water was actually gushing from the top of my living room window.
It literally felt like indoor rain. Roughly an hour of continual leakage ensued before school officials shut down the water supply. By that time, my room was a soaked mess. We were almost knee-deep in water, about two inches spread everywhere across the room. When school officials looked into the matter, they discovered a shocking truth. Apparently, our upstairs neighbors, known to despise my roommate and me, had moved out prematurely against regulations.
They not only violated the move-out rules, but they also instigated the whole flooding chaos. You might be wondering, how is that even possible? Here's the appalling part: THEY PURPOSELY CLOGGED THEIR SHOWER DRAIN WITH TOWELS AND INTENTIONALLY FLOODED THEIR DORM, which in turn flooded ours! All damages that resulted from this nasty prank, from their floor, to our ceiling, our floor, down to the unit below us, were fortunately to be paid for by them.
I heard whispers that they might have even been expelled over this, but I can't confirm that.
42. The Good Place
My neighbors were intensely religious. They persistently tried to influence my parents with their beliefs. One day, when my parents were out, they approached me. They warned me that my parents were destined for a terrible, frightening place in the afterlife. However, they offered me a chance to reach a beautiful place where I could even embrace wild animals. I let my dad in on this and his face turned beet red. He promptly confronted the neighbor and the intensity of their dispute was audible from within our home.
43. How Times Have Changed
My next-door neighbor was actually a local girl who moved back into her childhood home a decade after marrying and leaving the area. When her folks wanted to retire elsewhere, she bought their home. But right away she wasn't pleased that things had changed since she was a girl.
Interestingly enough, my youngest and her eldest were the same age, but they weren't friends. She warned the whole neighbourhood, or anyone who'd listen really, that my kids were trouble and advised other kids to steer clear. The crazy part was about the bus stop. It's been in the same spot since we moved here -- she wanted it moved back to where it used to be in her younger days!
Her issue? She had to walk a couple of extra feet and she wasn't able to monitor her kid from her own windows. For two whole years, she pestered the school and the bus company to move the stop. And here's the ridiculous part: She actually succeeded -- aaaand her son used the relocated stop for a whole 12 days before being transferred to a private Christian school. And lo and behold, two years down the line the stop was moved back to its original location.
44. Straight To Lockup
My neighbor was secretly watching me and taking photos and videos from my bedroom window. I should mention, our family's house stands on two and a half acres of land, so he really had to go out of his way to invade my privacy; I was not simply an easy target across the boundary. Fortunately, I was still a minor at that time, and that fact turned out to be a significant advantage for me.
Several years past when his employer's IT department discovered the inappropriate photographs of me, taken when I was underage, on his work computer during a routine maintenance check. He was promptly arrested.
45. A Whole New Level Of Stress
The elderly woman living in the condo beneath us reported us to Child Protective Services, asserting, "I'm a retired nurse, and I can tell a baby shouldn't cry that much." Let me clarify something - I had newborn twins, so she wasn't hearing just one infant crying, but two. Additionally, one of my twins was colicky, causing him to wail from around 5 to 8 in the evening, and there was little I could do to soothe him.
Instead of assuming the worst, how about she knocked on our door to make sure things were fine or even offer to lend a hand, before contacting CPS? My husband and I were livid, but luckily, things worked out in our favor. The investigation concluded quickly, as it was clear our children were not neglected. But, it added another layer of stress to an already tense situation. Not long after, we decided to pack up and move.
46. A Very Nasty Shower
I reside in a flat. My upstairs neighbors' dog peed on their balcony, and it trickled down on me while I was sitting outside, engrossed in a book. Startled, I dashed off to take a shower. When I messaged them to please walk their dog downstairs for future toilet breaks, their reply literally sent a chill down my spine. They denied it was their dog and suggested that it must have drifted from another source. Can you believe that?
47. Ours, Not Yours
I once had a neighbor who constantly picked up our mail and other items from our porch and front yard. One day, I managed to catch her in the act and tried to talk to her about it. Instead of owning up, she raised her voice at me and made false accusations that I was the one taking her things. That was the last straw. I decided to involve law enforcement and put a restraining order on her.
48. A Momma’s Boy
Nobody in our neighborhood can tolerate this lady down our street. She's managed to upset everyone around her. Being a mom to a cop, she siccs him on you whenever you ruffle her feathers. She played this card when our dog annoyed her because she can't stand pets. When my wife answered the door, he thought he could pull some strings, but he wasn't ready for the storm he walked into.
The poor guy got a good talking-to from my wife, who then went ahead and dialed his boss to let him know about the "mother’s pet" next door with a hobby of pestering folks. Trust me, it was a hoot. She also butts heads regularly with her other neighbor, which is a blunder in itself, given this other lady spends her days caring for a husband with dementia and has zero patience for such nonsense. I often overhear her giving the woman down our street a piece of her mind.
Her other son, who's in college, is usually home these days and they always end up in heated exchanges out in the backyard, slinging names and all. It’s got to be exhausting being so disagreeable all the time.
49. The Diaper War
Recently, my new neighbors started tossing their used diapers into my driveway. We're pretty sure it's them since they're the only family with a toddler on the block. My wife threw the diapers back into their driveway, but miraculously, they reappeared in ours within a couple of hours, accompanied by an extra one near our front door.
I asked my wife to leave the diapers for me to handle after work. I had just the perfect payback in mind. When I got home, I launched all three diapers onto their roof where they'd be out of sight... until the summer heat in the Midwest turns them into a stinky fiasco that they'll have to deal with.
50. Lack Of Fear
When I was around 12 or 13, living in a neighborhood near Orlando, Florida, something unforgettable happened. Our area was a typical American suburb, and we had this grumpy neighbor who never seemed to be in a good mood. Upon moving in, when my parents tried to introduce themselves, he flatly shouted "Go away!" through his closed door.
His house was always dark, and he religiously attended to his lawn every Saturday morning at 7 a.m. We never really interacted with him for about three to four years, until one particular event in 2003, during a blisteringly hot and humid summer day.
We kids were outside playing normally with a hose and basketballs when, without any warning, he came out of his garage and made his way toward me. What he did next was genuinely the most terrifying moment of my life. He lunged at me, gripped my throat, hoisted me in the air with one hand, and ominously warned, "If you kids don't calm down, I'm going to use my shovel to bury each and every one of you." Remember, we were just kids then.
He was a large and physically imposing man, who gripped my throat so fiercely that it caused a blood vessel to burst. When I eventually got back inside, the force of his grip had left my throat bruised. My mom was away when it happened, so I called her, and she quickly contacted my dad who was at his job.
Upon hearing the news, my dad was unusually composed, which was strange considering his typically cheerful demeanor. He silently pulled out his .45 from his safe, loaded it, and walked towards the door, despite my mom's pleas. He invited me to accompany him to have a word with the neighbor.
At the neighbor's doorstep, my dad calmly asked the man to step outside and explain himself. But instead, my dad hit him with the butt of his .45, knocking him to the ground comically, and warned, "Never threaten a child again, especially those only playing outside, or you'll face consequences." He then asked me to head back home. Shortly afterwards, the authorities showed up and busted my dad over the assault. Makes sense.
Thankfully, it only resulted in a 100-hour community service sentence and a minor trespassing charge, thanks to evidence and witness accounts supporting my side of the story. The grouchy neighbor moved out a few weeks later. Years on, we learned that he died after confronting some young thugs over a game of football in his new neighborhood. The news reported that he was affected by manic-depression, as well as bipolar and schizophrenic tendencies. Looking back, I believe I inherited my fearless spirit from my dad.
51. It Wasn’t Me
My neighbor isn't the easiest person to get along with. Just yesterday, she popped over, pounding on our door. Earlier, she and her son had been outside by our house scrutinizing the drain. Some grimy baby wipes were clogging the main pipe out on the street, and she was convinced we were to blame. When I asked her why she believed it was us, her response was that we have a baby and these were baby wipes.
My significant other joined the conversation to declare that we never flush baby wipes. She remained skeptical, standing firm in her belief that we were the culprits since we're the ones with a baby in the house. I tried explaining that the wipes could well be cosmetics-related. Given the neighbor's fondness for heavy makeup and dubious fake tan, it's plausible she goes through a fair amount of make-up wipes. She walked away in a huff, vowing to send the bill our way.
Today, a professional arrived to unblock the drains. He chatted with my partner and revealed that our neighbor had, indeed, asked for the bill to be sent to us. However, he said they couldn’t do that—they would bill the person who called them, leaving it to our neighbor to sort out cost recovery from others. On asking for more info, my partner discovered that, lo and behold, the blockage was located upstream from our connection point to the main pipe.
The blockage source has to be either from our neighbor's house or the other neighboring house, which is currently unoccupied and up for sale. We've contacted the drain-fixing company and they’ve sent us a brief report of the blockage's location. Later this evening, our neighbor stopped by to let us know the sum she believes we owe her. We calmly told her that if she wants us to pay up, she should take the matter to small claims court.
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