Sharing a neighborhood and getting along with people close by is truly a blessing… until they start cutting out your fence to go swimming in your pool without your permission. Because few things are more annoying than neighbors who don’t understand boundaries. Whether it’s not minding their business or ignoring every last bit of common sense, respect, and plain human decency, they have the uncanny ability to drive everyone mad.

Redditor rodeopete3281 knows this from personal experience. Recently, the homeowner shared an infuriating story on the ‘Petty Revenge’ subreddit detailing their recent encounter with next-door neighbors who seem to be living in their own delusional world. Apparently, the previous owner allowed the family to use the bordering driveway, and the author, being all neighborly, allowed them to continue doing so for the next few weeks.

But as you can guess, they regretted making this decision later. Soon after, everything turned into a nasty situation involving the cops, outstanding warrants, and a sweet act of petty revenge. So scroll down through the whole post below, read on to find the reactions from the community, and share your thoughts about it in the comments!

A homeowner recently shared how their neighbors kept trespassing their property and using it as their own

Image credits: Kzoo Cowboy (not the actual photo)

Feeling fed up with this behavior, the resident decided to handle the situation as they saw fit

Image credits: Zachary Keimig (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Ben Holliday (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Jonathan Cutrer (not the actual photo)

Image credits: zeevveez (not the actual photo)

Let’s face it, the house of your dreams can swiftly become a headache if you live next door to the wrong kind of people. Whether they blast music all hours of the night, declare unwanted opinions, or feel like they have a right to use your property without approval, annoying neighbors are never fun to deal with. And it seems like members of the ‘Petty Revenge’ subreddit agree.

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The story received an outpouring of support from the community, with people saying the homeowner had every right to deal with the situation as they saw fit. But at the same time, the incident sparked further discussion. Why do people believe acting this way is appropriate? And how to best handle nightmarish neighbors while keeping sanity intact?

To gain more insight on the topic, we reached out to Joshua Klapow, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, performance coach, and creator of Mental Drive. Klapow works with individuals and organizations across the globe to help them improve productivity, health, and achieve their goals.

Being the founder of a psychological well-being initiative that helps people access the best-in-class psychological tools to live healthier, more fulfilled, and successful lives, he was more than happy to share insights on neighbor dramas and how to prevent conflict from escalating into downright neighborhood war.

Klapow explained to Bored Panda that as soon as someone feels they have a “right” to something owned by another, a psychological red flag is raised. “We have no ‘right’ to others’ property or really anything that another person has as their own. In some cases, it may be as simple as a misunderstanding about what is on or off-limits.”

“However, when there is a clear understanding of the boundaries and a person still feels they have a ‘right,’ entitlement is at play. And entitlement is a powerful and potentially dangerous perception.”

Klapow elaborated that psychological entitlement has a way of overshadowing logic, reason, and compromise. “When a person believes they are entitled to something, they will have a very hard time understanding that they cannot or should not have it in their possession. In fact, entitlement can consume people to the point where they will fight for the smallest of objects or items,” the psychologist said.

Later on, the user added an update to clarify some details about the incident

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Image credits: rodeopete3281

But how should homeowners handle these people? How to get the message across when neighbors can’t seem to take “no” for an answer? Well, Klapow believes that keeping a level head is key, no matter how hard or frustrating it may be.

“Remaining calm is the absolute best and most powerful approach,” he told us. “When we escalate our emotions, we lose credibility. When it becomes a verbal, emotionally driven fight, then we are lowering ourselves to the standard of the person who is doing us wrong.”

“People who can’t take no for an answer both believe they are right AND believe that if they continue to push and hold their ground, others will come around. They believe that stalemates are overcome through pressure.” So remember — remain calm and stay on message. “Keep repeating your boundaries and constraints,” Klapow continued. “And then, if there is no progress, in a calm manner state what the consequences will be, what actions you will take if they don’t back down.”

The most important thing, Klapow noted, is to never give out idle threats. “Make sure what you say you will do, you do if they don’t back down. Otherwise, you fuel their belief that they can keep pushing and there will be no consequence.”

Whether we like it or not, conflicts between neighbors are inevitable, and we will all encounter people who want to take advantage of us. But ignoring these incidents is never the answer since they tend to take a toll on our well-being. “Disputes with neighbors can be one of the most stressful experiences we encounter,” Klapow said. “We live where we live, and they live where they live, and so escape is not an option. It can make day-to-day interactions feel awkward and strained. It can even lead to wanting to move away.”

So, in essence, try to resolve disputes calmly — if at all possible. “Hard feelings and resentments that come from emotional conflicts have a way of lasting long past the specific argument that may be going on. Calm is the key,” Klapow added. “Don’t back down, but don’t lose your emotional control.”

To find a way out of an uncomfortable situation, start with a conversation. “Stick with the facts as you see them. Don’t try to assume you know what your neighbor is feeling or understands,” he advised. “Resolving conflict means getting an understanding directly from your neighbor and focusing on the fact that you both have to co-exist.”

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“No one wants to live in a state of conflict. And so, while you and your neighbor may be in conflict on one particular item or situation, you likely can agree that getting past the problem will make a better existence for both of you,” Klapow concluded.

Readers were quick to share their reactions in the comments, here’s what they had to say

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