When Neighborhood Feuds Turned Into Unbelievable Acts of Pettiness You Have to See to Believe
You know that old saying, “Good fences make good neighbors”? Well, turns out it’s not just some catchy phrase from a poem — it’s a survival guide for dealing with neighbors who take petty to an art form. Ever wondered what counts as the most ridiculous, eye-roll-worthy thing someone next door might do just to drive you up the wall? Spoiler alert: it’s more than just borrowing your lawnmower without asking! From moving property stakes an inch at a time to filing legal battles over parking spots or even crashing backyard barbecues with smoke complaints — the lengths to which some folks will go are baffling and, frankly, hilarious. So grab a comfy seat, maybe a snack (you’ll need the sustenance), and dive into a world where neighborly disputes escalate in the most absurd ways possible. Ready to peek behind the fences and witness the true madness?
“Good fences make good neighbors” is one of those lines that gets thrown around, but sometimes one has to deal with folks next door so entitled that it becomes pretty clear why anyone would want a fence (and perhaps a guard dog) in the first place.
Someone asked “What’s the most petty thing a neighbor has done to you?” and netizens described some of the worst neighbors they’ve ever dealt with. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote the truly pettiest and be sure to share your own thoughts and experiences in the comments section down below.
We were sort of that neighbor a few years ago. We were in the process of building our new house and had everything staked out before any of the groundwork started. I guess our neighbor thought we were too close to their property and had some city official come out to measure and in the process delayed our contractor.
Turns out we were 1 foot further away from their property than necessary and so, without even bothering to ask, our annoyed contractor picked up all the stakes and moved them 1 foot closer to the neighbor.
It in was 2001, the neighbor wanted me to join an HOA. I had no interest. She contrived all these rules and insisted the neighborhood follow them. She would call the police, city inspectors, and everybody on anyone who didn’t follow her rules. She finally got me a warning from the city on my house needing paint. In her vision she wanted earth tones and encouraged me to change the color of my house from a light powder blue, to a tan. I painted the house PURPLE. I sold it as a purple house.
Had a weird neighbor. Friendly at first but slowly got colder and colder. They had the same landlord as us.
We were going to have a neighbors back yard party with us, the neighbors on both sides and the neighbors across the alley. Only the weird neighbor declined. Everyone was bringin something, beer from across the alley, sides from most of the others. We were hosting so it was our job to grill some brats and host in the back yard. Had the charcoal grill fired up and put some store bought wood chips on at the end to give the sausages a smokey flavor. I’m stepping out of the kitchen with a big tray of raw meat when a firefighter pokes his head over the back gate.
Firefighter: “Hi, we’ve had a smoke complaint that you are burning trash or yard waste?”
Me: “God I hope not, I’m not that bad of a cook.”
Firefighter: “May I come in and look at your fire?”
Me: “Uh, ok, let me put down this tray.”
I let the guy in, he looks at our charcoal grill.
Firefighter: “Did you put anything other than charcoal and lighter fluid in this?”
Me: “Yeah, some of these wood chips from the grocery store.”
Firefighter: “I hate to say this, but the city has an ordinance against any organic matter other than charcoal in grills.”
Everyone: “What.”
Firefighter: “Yeah, it’s a dumb law and almost never comes up unless you are really burning yard waste or if you have a neighbor who has it in for you. I won’t give you a citation, but I do have to stand here and watch to make sure the fire is completely extinguished before I go.”
Me: “So I can’t grill these dogs?”
Firefighter: “I’m afraid not.”
I proceed to take the tray of raw meat into the house, pop them in the oven to broil and come out to hose down my grill until the whole thing is cold and wet. The firefighter left with an apology and thanked me for not getting mad at him for the bad news. Only one person within six houses wasn’t there and I don’t think any of my guests called the FD on our own party.
Lived in a condo with concrete walls and high ceilings that had small gaps in top that allowed sound to pass through.
Cue new neighbor moving in, they have really nice furniture and seem okay.
Group of “friends” stay over and party pretty late during the weekend. No big deal, we like to party too.
Next week another group of “friends” stay over. No issue. She complains that our dogs bark too much. Understandable, as our rescue barks whenever someone is near our front door. I get dog collars to help ease the situation.
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