We often choose a new home based on the reputation of the area, the features of the property and whether it suits our needs - but one factor that we can't control until move-in day is our neighbours, as it is the luck of the draw whether you end up with friendly next door folk or people that make you feel like you're in a living nightmare.
For those unfortunate enough to experience the latter, battling with difficult neighbours can often involve nasty spats over parking spots, stolen wheelie bins or relentless noise - but it can be draining to confront the problem head-on. One person has been left in an impossible situation as they claim that their volatile neighbour is forcing them to pay for a service they had not agreed to.
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Desperately taking to Reddit for advice, the anonymous poster revealed that their elderly 'alcoholic' neighbour has been forcibly mowing their lawn and then demanding payment for the trouble.
The post reads: "My retired neighbor [sic] frequently mows my lawn because he has nothing else to do.
"Every time he mows I’m basically forced to pay, he spends most of his money on tobacco/alcohol".
Things only get worse for the Reddit poster when they try to object to the neighbour's wishes.
"If I ever refuse to pay he threatens to tear down my garden that I've worked months on, he has already destroyed my flower beds even though I had already paid [sic]", they explain.
Despite repeatedly asking him to stop, the disgruntled neighbour 'doesn't listen' - leaving the upset person with little options.
They also claim that the neighbour has drinking issues and has disrupted other neighbours on the street.
Do you have a nightmare neighbour? Let us know in the comments...
"My other neighbor [sic] has said he woke up to him violently banging on his door cursing.
"I’m quite afraid to report him to any authorities since he is much stronger than me & has a large selection of weapons/firearms. How can I get him to stop without anybody getting injured" the post pleads.
People took to the comments section of the post to share their shock that the Reddit poster had chosen to pay the elderly neighbour and offered up advice on how to solve the tense situation.
One said: "Call the police next time he is mowing your lawn!! Tell him in advance not to cut your grass, or you will not be paying him. Get cameras to use for your defence [sic]!!"
Another calm and collected commenter wrote: "It's a simple fix. Tell him you're not going to pay him anymore so he'll be doing the work for no reason. If he destroys anything in your yard, tell him you will call the police.
"Install cameras that cover your whole yard for proof of his vandalism. Also, have a camera on your car in case that is vandalized if you leave it outdoors... you have to put up boundaries."
"He's only taking advantage of you because he thinks you are scared of him and a doormat. Faced with actual consequences he may not think the small reward of having power over you will outweigh the bad that will happen for him," they continued.
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