Most of us wouldn't think twice about helping our neighbours when they need it - whether it's lending them some sugar or checking on their pets when they go on holiday.
But one man has vowed never to lend his property to his neighbour again, after the last item she borrowed was returned to him completely ruined.
The man explained he bought a brand-new ladder last year and had only used it once before his neighbour asked if she could borrow it to paint part of her house.
He agreed, but was left outraged when she returned it covered in "lots of paint marks" - and didn't even apologise.
In a post on Reddit, he said: "I have one of those big extension ladders. Only bought it brand-new last year, so it still looks brand new. I only used it once to climb up to change an outdoor lightbulb.
"My neighbour borrowed it to paint her awning. I told her to just leave it next to my back door when she was done. She brought it back with lots of paint marks. I guess I could just remove them and not say anything. Am I overreacting?
"Maybe paint marks on a ladder are not a big deal, but as I said, it's basically brand new. I'm not even sure what I could use to remove them. It's been a few days, and she hasn’t even mentioned the paint marks. I guess she figured I wouldn't mind."
Commenters on the post were split, as although some could understand his frustration, others told him to simply "let it go" as it wasn't worth starting a war with his neighbour over.
One person said: "Ask her if she has any paint remover since she was painting and can you borrow it to remove the paint from your ladder. It's the principal. She should return it in the same condition and if it were me, I'd even toss in a Starbucks gift card or the like if it were my neighbour who was gracious enough to loan me their item.
"It might just be paint, but we show others how to treat us. I'd say something, who cares how it turns out? You aren't loaning her anything ever again anyway and this way she will know not to ask in the future."
While another added: "Rude. Never loan to her again, it especially sucks that it was new. I've stopped loaning unless I really trust the person."
But a third disagreed, stating: "The layers of paint on a ladder tell a story. In this case, it's about an inconsiderate neighbour, the next colour may be your own. Let. It. Go."
"It's just a ladder. Ladders get dirty," a fourth wrote, "As long as the neighbour didn't ruin the functionality of the ladder and you actually got it back, this is not a neighbour from hell. They used it to paint. It's gonna get paint on it. I wish this was the worst thing my neighbours ever did!"
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