The thing about curb appeal is that it does so much more than increase the perceived value of your home. When your home, and the homes in your neighborhood, have good curb appeal, it can also make you feel good every time you pull up to your house.
And if that’s the case, then it stands to reason that the opposite can also be true. If the homes in your neighborhood lack curb appeal, it can make you feel equally unhappy whenever you arrive home. One Redditor says this is the situation they find themselves in, after they grew tired of looking at their neighbor’s rundown and messy home. And while user Sea-Yoghurt8925 said that they have talked to the city about the situation unfolding directly next door (the pair share a driveway), they aren’t getting the response they had hoped for.
That’s because the Redditor says that a city official has suggested that the OP clean up their neighbor’s mess if it bothers them so much, and now they are turning to the forum to see if they are out of line for not wanting to help.
The responses were mixed in the comments on the post. And in true Reddit fashion, they offered diverse insights and opinions on what the OP should do about the situation.
Neighbors are refusing to clean up their property. What would you do?
by
u/Sea-Yoghurt8925 in
neighborsfromhell
The Redditor Shares a Driveway With the Messy Neighbor
According to the Redditor, the situation went on for years before the OP decided to do anything. They described the property as being overgrown in the post, saying that there are also dilapidated structures on the property, lending to the overall disrepair of the space.
“It’s become an eyesore that I have to look at every single day,” the Redditor continued, writing that they have made multiple attempts to contact the city, which have either been ignored or have resulted in only temporary changes. “I’ve even been told by one official that I should help my neighbor clean up their property, but I work full-time and go to school. I barely have enough time to maintain my own home, let alone someone else’s.”
Then the Redditor listed their grievances, saying that rodents and pests, fire hazards, and the effect on property values are the biggest concerns.
People Weren’t Totally on the OP’s Side
The request for advice got mixed responses, with a lot of people siding with the neighbor instead. “Mind your own yard,” one person wrote. “If you feel like your neighbor is neglecting their property, report it to code enforcement. They will decide if action needs to be taken.”
Other people made some suggestions about what to do, including putting up a fence or growing plants that would obscure the property from view. “Sometimes just [looking] the other way is all you need to do to get past things,” someone else wrote.