Anyone have a minute?

This is not really a gripe but am just wondering how to go about this. I have a neighbor who lives behind me. Where I live everyone has 1/4 acre lots and the "neighbors" behind me have been throwing their palm fronds from their trees and some trash, over the back of their fence onto my property.

To give some back story, I had my house built a while back and then fenced in my yard. I was told by a couple idiots from the city, I need to have an easement to the power lines that go across my back yard. When I fenced my yard in, I left a 2-3 ft. gap from the edge of my property going in and that is where I put my fence,(so there is a 3 ft. gap from the end of my fence line to the end of my property/neighbor's fence). They eventually fenced in their yard as well and so there was a 3 ft. gap between fences.

I did not have the money/time to redo the fence on the rear of my property to recess it back to my lot line and so the gap remained. The empty/wooded lot next to me was very thick and I couldn't get in to see into that 3 ft. space until last week, when I cleared a path in between my house property and the wooded lot,(I recently bought the same empty/wooded lot just last week for the addition of a poss. family member home).

Anyway, when I went back to see in the 3 ft. space, I saw a bunch of plastic and clay planters,(obviously from their back yard as they have a bunch of potted plants) and palm fronds pretty much all the way down the 3 ft. gap (running about 80 feet-they are the only ones with palm trees).

I asked them to clean up back there today and the lady said her husband had plans on doing so but I am wondering if I should have. I think about what if they get injured or something on my property. Should I just tell the city but how will that play out? There has been friction between me and the "neighbors" before- their large dogs barking all hours of the night, their music playing so loud the pictures on my walls vibrate,etc.. I tried to talk to them about it but they don't listen/care and have had to call the city and police before to get them to stop so we can relax in our home and sleep at night,(even wound up buying floor fans due to the incessant dog barking). I was told by another neighbor they are raising dogs to sell,(they bought one from my neighbors and that is how I found out) and I am positive they don't have any permits to do so. I don't want to get them into any legal trouble with the dogs and we deal with it as best as we can,(maybe I am a bit of a push over). Any helpful insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: patw,

Give them a chance...and if they don't fix it in a timely manner..well...

Heart to heart talk with HIM
Music and dogs disturbing after he gets all bent out of shape ,call the cops every time he does that shit.

When I used to live in the City of St Louis, my neighbor housed a homeless man in his basement. He would get drunk on $5 vodka and Stag and yell "Michael Jackson! HeeHee HooHoo!" and urinate and deficate in the alley in front of my garage so I had to drive through it. The neighbor who owned the house kept junk all over his backyard so I built an 8 foot fence so I didn't have to see it. He had a stepladder on his flat second story roof that blew off and broke my window once. Every morning he listened to NPR set at 11 on his volume.

Be glad you don't have that to deal with. If you piss this guy off enough, you might. Think Tony Soprano in the Stugotts with the stereo. If you can't see the crap in the no-man's-land behind your fence I vote ignore it. That or get a Garand and next time he does it show it to him while suggesting he remove himself and his refuse from your premises. Once he realizes the city or cops don't care, he's gonna keep pushing your buttons and you're gonna have to deal with it until some one moves.

Me? The city eventually put enough pressure on the neighbor that the homeless guy was gone. The window incident happened while our house was for sale. We sold for a 10% loss and moved to Iowa where everyone is nice. That neighbor now has a 40x40 tarp covering the top half of the front of his house.

Unfortunately, only the wife speaks English. I get along great with my other neighbors but these people care obviously about no one but themselves. I always try to be nice and have heard other horror stories others here deal with. I wish I could afford to move but that won't be happening for quite some time.

Go in between the fences and throw their shit back into their yard.
As far as the noise and dogs barking, call the cops, I wouldn't put up with it.
Guess I am not one to live close to neighbors, I like my space and privacy.

Give them a chance to make it right. If they don't do so within a few weeks, toss the shit back over their fence into their yard.

My neighbor dumped his used motor oil in my back yard right next to this beautiful oak tree, I had bought the lot and he was well aware of it, his mistake was leaving the drain pan next to the tree, after it landed up against his house splattering oil on his siding (I was aiming for the windows) the problem was solved, he never said a word and was very friendly after that.

it's your property not their dumping ground, I would start tossing the crap right back over the fence.

In the interest of building a good relationship with neighbors I’d talk to them again and offer to help them clean it up and then share a backyard meal. Tell them if they get the dumpster you’ll help load it up and then you’ll grill up some burgers or something.

When that fails then I agree with the following:

quote:

Originally posted by 45_Auto:
Go in between the fences and throw their shit back into their yard.
As far as the noise and dogs barking, call the cops, I wouldn't put up with it.
Guess I am not one to live close to neighbors, I like my space and privacy.

The most important thing here is sizing up your neighbor. Some people respond to polite overtures, others need somewhat of a beat down.
Having ample experience in this area, I would start by being nice but firm. The cooperative approach works with quite a few people. Taking a few photos would be a good idea as well.

What language does he speak? There are cultural issues here as well.

I am not a real-estate attorney, and I surely don't know the law in FL re: how easements get created by habitual usage, but I'd be concerned that the combination of:

1) fencing off part of your yard, and
2) not stopping someone from using that part of the yard over a period of time

might wind up granting them a permanent easement giving them the right to keep on doing it.

If they don't stop voluntarily, you may need to take action.

quote:

Originally posted by 45_Auto:
Go in between the fences and throw their shit back into their yard.

This was the very first thought that entered my mind. I wouldn't bother talking with them - anyone with such a shitty attitude as to throw their shit on somebody else's property most likely doesn't respond well to civilized people trying to persuade them into seeing how wrong that is. It would be a regular thing for me to check the area and return their shit to their yard until they stopped dumping it on my property. If that didn't stop the miscreant's bad behavior, I'd probably throw it back over, then spray it with the most foul-smelling thing I could find.

running a business with no permit? Probably not paying taxes either. Man, I smell some tax evasion.

Also, in Ga easement is granted after like 5 years or something. Fence all the way back to your property line, and the power company can deal with it later, if needed to. If i am not mistaken, having a opening on the fence will meet easement for power company if they can get a truck back there

If they don't clean it up, put up a bunch of "NO DUMPING" signs.

This is all about selfishness. They don't want their refuse on their property, so they'll just throw it on YOURS? That's just a shitty thing to do. Period. I have nothing but disgust for them.

Can you remove your back fence, so their back fence is your back fence?

I have neighbors like that though even after trying to be neighborly, it still happened. The best is when they would throw pumpkins (after Halloween) and Christmas trees into my yard over the common fence.

Two years ago they did the same shit and i threw everything back which happened to land in their pool. They were pissed to say the least and came rampaging to my door about it upon which I told them to get off my property and stop threatening me or I would defend myself. They left and returned with the po-po. After expressing to the officer they were trespassing (he told them to go home), I explained what happened and showed him all my log entries. The officer explained to the other party it was a civil master and, in his opinion, they would lose in court.

They then decided to "bird dog" us over the fence and make snide comments whenever we were in the backyard. Mmmkay, time to clean the rifles in their full view. Bird dogging stopped in rather short order.

Now they birch about my trees in the back and expect the fire marshal to order me to cut them down due to a fire hazard. Hasn't worked.

New people just moved in next door to the neighbor and have been warned to log or record every interaction with said neighbors.

Many many years ago I knew someone who lived in a different town who experienced this kind of neighbor BS. He arranged for a truck to dump a load of manure very quietly at oh-dark-thirty in their front yard. They never could prove he was behind it but their BS abruptly stopped.

Throw their shit into their yard and fence your entire property.

As bald1 suggested. The Tony Soprano approach.