Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Neighbor Tries To Make Man Fix His Fence So They Could Use The Pool, He Removes It As Retaliation
Neighbor Tries To Make Man Fix His Fence So They Could Use The Pool, He Removes It As Retaliation
662

Neighbor Tries To Make Man Fix His Fence So They Could Use The Pool, He Removes It As Retaliation

47

ADVERTISEMENT

In an ideal world, our neighbors not only lend us power tools or a cup of sugar whenever we’re in a pinch but they also share a good laugh and maybe even invite us to their barbeque party.

However, as Reddit user NotGayRyan‘s post on r/MaliciousCompliance tells us, reality can be quite different.

In it, he recalled a time when his friends had their fence damaged and the person living on the opposite side pressured the couple to repair it ASAP, so much so that they even called the city to speed things up.

RELATED:

    One winter, this couple had their fence damaged, and they planned to fix it in spring

    Image credits: Alan Stanton / Flickr (not the actual photo)

    But their bossy neighbor didn’t want to wait that long

    ADVERTISEMENT

    However, the authorities told the neighbor it was their own problem

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: NotGayRyan

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Neighbors usually settle their disagreements themselves

    Before taking legal action, often the best move is to approach your neighbors in person. Many disputes can be resolved through open discussion.

    Calling in the authorities every time you disagree can seriously damage the future of your relationship, many of which have been deteriorating in many places around the world.

    For example, in the 1970s, more than two in five Americans said they spent at least one social evening a month with a neighbor, but now, just over half talk to their neighbors once a week (52%), and more than three in five have gone out of their way to straight-up avoid them.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Furthermore, more than one in four say they don’t care to get to know their neighbors better (27%).

    This story also illustrates the fact that half of Americans are annoyed by their neighbors at least a few times a month (most often due to general noise, loud parties, and parking).

    Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Envato (not the actual photo)

    When neighbor vs. neighbor conflicts arose, most took steps to address the situation (86%) and:

    • Discussed the issue personally with the neighbor (49%);
    • Called the police (27%);
    • Notified the neighborhood or owners association (15%);
    • Sent a letter, note, or email (11%);
    • Went to court (4%);
    • Went to mediation (4%);
    • Took some sort of other action (4%);
    • Took no action at all (14%).

    In the vast majority of cases – 82% – people said that the issue was eventually resolved to their satisfaction:

    • Mutually settled (40%) (no outside or third-party intervention);
    • The matter resolved itself (35%) (neighbor moved, behavior stopped, etc.);
    • The outside party solved the problem (11%) (police, court, association, etc.);
    • The matter is still unresolved (14%).

    So let’s hope these folks find a way to put their differences behind them as well.

    People who read the story were really satisfied with its ending

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    And some folks shared their own similar experiences

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Poll Question

    Total votes ·

    Thanks! Check out the results:

    Total votes ·
    Share on Facebook
    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Read more »

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »
    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, Senior Writer

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

    Read less »

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

    What do you think ?
    WhozRite
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I used to be a Code Enforcement Officer for a local municipality and I used to run into this exact situation during the course of my day. The look of satisfaction on the face of the homeowner when they find out they don't have to repair their fence, but can remove it completely, and be within town code. And the look of shock (and eventual anger!) when the complaining neighbor finds out they aren't getting a new fence (that isn't their's anyway!) I really liked that part of my job!

    Paul C.
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Our fence blew over last winter, woman next door was renting, and a young single mother. Her landlord had no interest in putting it right, I'm 70 but thought I'd give it a go, bought two x 2mtr posts and a bag of postcrete, cost about £25, really easy, I was surprised how good it was.

    Bored Panda
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's quite inspiring! 🌟 Thanks for sharing your experience. It's great to see neighbors stepping up! How did it feel tackling that yourself?

    Load More Replies...
    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They say “Be careful what you ask for.” And be extra careful on what you insist on.

    Cheryl Shipley
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The thing that some people are missing is that you are not required to have a fence unless you have what is called an attractive nuisance in the backyard like a pool or a trampoline. The neighbor with the pool the neighbor with the pool did not own the fence, but the neighbor with the fence is not required to have one. So if the fence was damaged and needed to be removed he's not required to add another fence. Disappears to be something the pool neighbor either forgot or was not aware of. Waiting to build a new fence until the ground is thawed makes sense. The only thing I would have said to the fence owner is take it down until you are ready to replace it because leaning at a 70 degree angle does sound dangerous. By demanding what he wanted immediately, the pool neighbor f***** himself. I'm Petty I would have him get a survey build his own fence then I would build my fence.

    Pamela Rosa
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My husband used live next door to our house when he was young. Him and his dad put up a fence. 15 years later we bought the house next door to it (his parents had moved years earlier). We love our neighbors. After living in our house about 10 years the fence was in serious disrepair. The neighbor no longer had a dog, and we had 2. He told us he was going to tear down the fence and not replace it and said if we wanted one we would have to put it up. We happily did. It was only one side so it was easy. Our back fence is due to an easement for a business so by city Cody they have to maintain it.

    April Dancer
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The person who said they sided with the neighbours is totally missing the point that they tried to get the OPs friend in trouble instead of talking to them. Rather than behave the way they did and knowing they needed that fence for their own purposes, they could easily have explained that and asked if they minded them helping out with the fence fixing until it could be done properly. Or offered to pay half. That would have been cheaper than paying for the whole fence as they will have to do now and they wouldn't have fallen out with the person they have to live next door to for however many years. As I was scrolling down the neighbour dispute statistics, I misread the one about 'involving mediation' as 'involving medication' which would probably be a better idea in some cases, lol.

    michele mbennett101044@yahoo.c
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well, neighbor, guess you'll have to build your own damn fence on your property surrounding your pool. That is after you pay for having the property line surveyed first, at your cost. Hope you learn how to be a good neighbor at some point, it makes life easier for all.

    Janissary35680
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Excellent example of "Be careful of what you ask for" karma.

    Load More Comments
    WhozRite
    Community Member
    1 year ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I used to be a Code Enforcement Officer for a local municipality and I used to run into this exact situation during the course of my day. The look of satisfaction on the face of the homeowner when they find out they don't have to repair their fence, but can remove it completely, and be within town code. And the look of shock (and eventual anger!) when the complaining neighbor finds out they aren't getting a new fence (that isn't their's anyway!) I really liked that part of my job!

    Paul C.
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Our fence blew over last winter, woman next door was renting, and a young single mother. Her landlord had no interest in putting it right, I'm 70 but thought I'd give it a go, bought two x 2mtr posts and a bag of postcrete, cost about £25, really easy, I was surprised how good it was.

    Bored Panda
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That's quite inspiring! 🌟 Thanks for sharing your experience. It's great to see neighbors stepping up! How did it feel tackling that yourself?

    Load More Replies...
    Michael Largey
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They say “Be careful what you ask for.” And be extra careful on what you insist on.

    Cheryl Shipley
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The thing that some people are missing is that you are not required to have a fence unless you have what is called an attractive nuisance in the backyard like a pool or a trampoline. The neighbor with the pool the neighbor with the pool did not own the fence, but the neighbor with the fence is not required to have one. So if the fence was damaged and needed to be removed he's not required to add another fence. Disappears to be something the pool neighbor either forgot or was not aware of. Waiting to build a new fence until the ground is thawed makes sense. The only thing I would have said to the fence owner is take it down until you are ready to replace it because leaning at a 70 degree angle does sound dangerous. By demanding what he wanted immediately, the pool neighbor f***** himself. I'm Petty I would have him get a survey build his own fence then I would build my fence.

    Pamela Rosa
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My husband used live next door to our house when he was young. Him and his dad put up a fence. 15 years later we bought the house next door to it (his parents had moved years earlier). We love our neighbors. After living in our house about 10 years the fence was in serious disrepair. The neighbor no longer had a dog, and we had 2. He told us he was going to tear down the fence and not replace it and said if we wanted one we would have to put it up. We happily did. It was only one side so it was easy. Our back fence is due to an easement for a business so by city Cody they have to maintain it.

    April Dancer
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The person who said they sided with the neighbours is totally missing the point that they tried to get the OPs friend in trouble instead of talking to them. Rather than behave the way they did and knowing they needed that fence for their own purposes, they could easily have explained that and asked if they minded them helping out with the fence fixing until it could be done properly. Or offered to pay half. That would have been cheaper than paying for the whole fence as they will have to do now and they wouldn't have fallen out with the person they have to live next door to for however many years. As I was scrolling down the neighbour dispute statistics, I misread the one about 'involving mediation' as 'involving medication' which would probably be a better idea in some cases, lol.

    michele mbennett101044@yahoo.c
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Well, neighbor, guess you'll have to build your own damn fence on your property surrounding your pool. That is after you pay for having the property line surveyed first, at your cost. Hope you learn how to be a good neighbor at some point, it makes life easier for all.

    Janissary35680
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Excellent example of "Be careful of what you ask for" karma.

    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Popular on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda
    ADVERTISEMENT