Good answer.
Incident that precipitated my response was neighbor burning yard waste and shop trash during a summer burning ban. Smoke was coming in our windows. I told him of burning ban and he ignored me. I called state EPA and they gave him a warning. He continued. Another call to EPA got him a fine. He stopped his burning.
Frank
We have a lot of "little ole lady" neighbors.
And they are notorious for calling code compliance for "problems" at the few rent houses around. They make no secret that they called.
But the city is quite fair about the whole thing. CC will then spend a week in the neighborhood writing up everyone for every violation they can find. Most are 30 or 10 day cites, if corrected, are dropped as warnings. CC just wants
-everyone- to know they were there ;-)
Two years ago, the city fired half the CC staff for writing multiple cites for the same violations and cites for places they never visited. Happened right after mayor insisted that CC double the citations. I think the punishment was mis-applied ;-)
She did help eliminate neighborhood communications, everyone replaced the 4' chainlink fences with 8' wood fences. (So CC can't see in backyards anymore) Used to spend many hours talking to neighbors over the backfence. Aahh, don't make much difference anymore, I can't speak Espanol ;-)
So, don't let the paranoia get to you, they were there to get your neighbor to start with!
-larry / dallas
ROFLMAO
Besides, what difference does it make who complained?
Whenever I get a complaint, especially when unfounded, I tell my neighbor that I will try to do better, then I provide all my contact information so they can call me any time if there's something on their mind.
Other than the lipservice, I do what I please! Just be polite and tell them you're doing the best you can.
Oh this is simply silly. "One little old lady ruins neighborhood communications". Are you saying that the 8' wood fences (2 feet over code in my area, BTW) all had to be all the way around, were absolutely necessary, and none of the neighbors had phones or could walk next door?? (Let alone the option of cleaning up and keeping the chain links.)
Oh - I see - prejudices got in your way, not any little old lady and fences. Not much of a recommendataion for your point of view :-/
It seems that what some folks want from neighors is that everyone can do what they damn please. Maybe it works in certain places where pretty much everyone is operating the far side of the law anyway. As in, you let me let my dogs run loose; I look the other way if you burn garbage or build without a permit.
Banty
I had neighbor trouble that may help others:)
neighbor complained about our barking dogs. come to find out the one neighbor who was complaing had started a home based investment business and he didnt want the faint sound of dogs barking or even basketballs bouncing he had complained about that too. A police officer told us he was now assigned to the case, and suggested we get rid of the dogs. my wife cant have kids, she got so upset.:(
Right before that I had a issue about where the town put a stop sign in my yard, and attended a meeting complaining of the procedure they used even after they agreed to move it.
I had reputation as trouble maker:)
So I went and saw town manager:) Hi give me all rules on halfway houses and welfare relocatees:) Dont want to break any rules!!:)
He asked why I would do such a thing..... police officer wasnt following procedure. he got his head kicked in. I reported the complainer is he paying his mercantile tax on hios business:) I PAY MINE!:)
After nice chat with chief of police I NEVER got another dog barking complaint!
Neighbor sold his home and moved to a more high class place......... I got his new address and told his friends I wanted to move next door to him:) tell him that......
if you complain be sure its worth the hassle you may create for yourself. DO NOTHING WRONG FOR A LONG TIME! have a permit for replacing that downspout line?
if its a visible problem get a cam corder and record the problem so theres no question of how bad the problem was.
Dealing with the barking not an option that occurred to you?
See this is the attitude I'm talking about. "Everyone breaks the law, so you look the other way else I'll turn *you* in". Believe it or not, people *do* get permits for that downspout line.
OR - think on this - they know how to live so as not to bother their neighbors, and know how to get along, *without* depending on all their neighbors staying mum and putting up with crap. Breaking rules or not - it strikes that your neighbor's indiscretions were not bothering you, but yours were bothering him.
But the main npoint is that keeping your dogs happy and well-trained would have saved - so much hassle.
You don't sound like such a smart guy to me.
Banty
I've always had dogs, and never once would I have allowed my barking dog to bother my neighbors. That is just plain inconsideration and rudeness IMO. What really irritates me is some of these neighbors push you with bad behavior, like constantly barking dogs, and then try to paint you as the bad guy for complaining.
Cheri
no, the little ole ladys are great! It was our mayor pushing CC to cite everything that caused our neighborhood to become a fenced gated zero lot line area. (make that most of the city)
prejudices - where did you read that? I like my new neighbors, do stuff for each other all the time. Just difficult using handsignals, but next door family is becoming very conversant in English and help with talking to the other next door neighbor. Ironically, the 25% Hispanics that settled in my neighborhood around 1920s don't think much of the new arrivals. go figur. btw, if they spoke German, we wouldn't have this barrier ;-)
obviously, your country is different.
-larry / dallas
Well, if you're from Dallas, I was born and bred in your country ;-) (though not your town) and sorry if I mistook your reference to language as the reason you gave to give up on your neighbors.
But now I'm wondering what your point was. Wasn't that there was an "old lady" who was calling people in a lot, getting everyone so uptight they fence off their yards and it hurt neighborhood feelings? Now it's the town you're blaming?
Banty
And their next step is to contact the authorities. Whereas, if you actually tried to solve the problem, it would never get to that.
Bob
My neighbor with the barking dogs finally moved out. The whole neighborhood is happy. She had a file at animal control you wouldn't believe. She finally started to make a little effort to control her dogs after they killed several cats and animal control was getting a little more serious. I had to put up with being awakened almost daily by her dogs for years. Her response when I asked her to train them not to bark - "dogs bark".
Bob
theres no stopping dogs from barking when they see someone espically with a dog walking up the street....... dogs were indoors at the time.
the neighbor also filed complaints because kids walked up the street bouncing a basketball.
I have been here since 1972, new neighbor tried to make it yuppieville.
the neighbor wh complained was 3 doors away the immediate neighbors tended to come to the fence and visit with our dog........said barking wasnt a problem
since the idiot mnoved out nearly every house has at least one dog, they call to one another....
neighborhood has gone to the dogs, ours are small and realtively quiet.
unlike some neighbors we spent about 6 grand making the yard secure with a 6 foot fence. dogs running loose are a hazard to themselves and others
In the minds of dog owners, their dogs represent a special category of existence. Everyone is supposed to like their dogs. If they could make that the law, they would.
Animal control departments are a complete waste of money. They do nothing. And people wonder why dogs turn up dead sometimes.
They gave her several tickets, but she sweet talked the judges out of them. I was never given the oportunity to tell the real story. Apparently she has the choice of whether the complaintent is invited to testify under the Wash. state legal system. I asked to be there. Animal control told me they could do nothing to help. It's not their fault.
Bob
In some towns (like mine), it's mandatory that the dog be removed upon the
3rd complaint, the the fine is a hundred something bucks - I don't recall exactly. But, the same thing happens: Animal control doesn't obey the law, and judges are weak. I recently found out why, although this is old news to people who've been trying to change the system for many years: The majority of town justices in New York State have no legal training. They were never lawyers. It sounds insane, but it's true. So, they're free to bend the law according to their own prejudices.The secret is being both polite and cooperative.
I get along very well with all my neighbors doing this.
Mrs. Clean
Bob F wrote:
What do you do when your neighbor tells you to go f*ck yourself? Seriously.
Has your neighbor done that to you?
Yes! A naughty dog owner who later got spanked. I was polite. It didn't matter. Now, I do things differently with that category of people.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.