What Would You Do - Another Annoying Neighbour Story

Our investment property in Brisbane is an old house (built in the 60s) and its backyard is not pretty, although it's been mowed.

A woman in her late 50s who lives next door is a nasty piece of shit who's perpetually angry and is constantly shouting swear words day and night, although she's never come over and say anything to us face to face.

I honestly don't remember how this all started, but while the house was rented out, she had always complained to our real estate agent about trees and weeds in our front/back yards among other things. She told our real estate agent that the house needed to be demolished because it was unsightly and dusts containing asbestos fibres threatened her health. Of course she also complained to the council multiple times but they concluded that nothing was overgrown or considered hazardous. We had asbestos testing done, so it's all safe.

She can complain all she wants because she's just wasting her time and energy and we couldn't care less but what really annoys me is that she throws weeds, dead leaves & plants and her dog's faeces over the fence. Today I've collected a bag full of the dog faeces. Should I throw them back over the fence or leave them in her mailbox? Some of them are old and already dried up.

She's not a reasonable human being and having a civil conversation is out of the question. I once asked her to be mindful when watering her plants because I got wet walking by the fence but instead of apologising she started lamenting that I was crazy and delusional etc etc. I also witnessed her yelling and screaming at landscapers, delivery guys, etc. and clearly she's a psycho. She's in the same-same marriage and very frequently have a big fight with her wife who seems nice but weak. The way she berates her wife truly shows her true character. Their fight is always so dramatic and sometimes we fear that she might physically hurt her wife. We think that she actually wants us to hear her because she's SO loud when complaining about me or the house. Like I said she never confronts me but calls me a "f**king bitch" and the house "ugly."

We were planning on building a new house and a high retaining wall to make her life even more miserable, but she recently put her house on the market.
It didn't sell at auction (karma's a bitch) and every weekend she still does open house. So I was thinking, maybe I should leave the dog faeces in their front yard for all the guests to see. I could return them in their backyard but I expect she'll just throw them over the fence again. Or do you think I should just let her keep using our backyard as a dumping ground?

Comments

  • +8

    It is your investment property; how often are you even there?

  • +9

    It’s in your interest that she leaves. Maybe next there is an open home attend and sell up the property.

  • +36

    I would be hoping she sells the house as quickly as possible so she moves away. I wouldn't be doing anything to deter those potential buyers.

    • +1

      Yeah, OP should just get cameras (with Mics) installed.
      It's pretty affordable these days, and so is the computer, software, and storage. Think of it as a High Yield Investment.

      Record as much foul content as possible, and backup for safe keeping. When the property sells and closes, she will have a couple weeks or months to move out. That's when you take all that rubbish/poop, and you dump it in her front lawn. Tit for tat. If she goes mental, and tries to damage your house at least you can call the police (and council) and then produce the footage of her behaviour.

      You never know, the place she moves into might be a nightmare for her (looney bin).

      • +1

        Obligatory "High Yield Investment" comments to come…

  • +4

    Sounds like she does it regularly. Put up camera. Give footage to council and police.

    Or you try to do same to her and she could be recording and hopes to give video to council and police.

    • Yes, we thought about CCTV but I don't think the council/police do anything about that.
      She can go to the council/police because then they will know the dog feces actually came from her side.

        • +2

          Typical grub comment

      • -1

        Police will do something if you have CCTV.

  • +9

    Obligatory bikies comment.

    • Bikies crossed my mind actually.

    • +15

      Bikies dont budge these days without an MS Paint diagram

  • +4

    is constantly shouting swear words day and night,
    she throws weeds, dead leaves & plants and her DOG's FECES over the fence.

    Perhaps she suffers from mental illness. It would be best to leave her alone.

    • +1

      That's exactly what my partner tells me.

      • +4

        Yup. Don't mess with crazy. Plus, the faster the house sells the earlier she's gone. Think of the bigger picture.

    • Not an excuse, her actions should have consequences. Regardless of escalation. I'm not a forgiving person, I would definitely want to get a hit in before she leaves and I highly recommend the OP to do the same. Smush the fresh dog turds into the intakes of her airconditioning.

      • That's funny. I don't know where that is located though. Besides, I think she will move out before she needs to use the a/c.

      • So Tourette Syndrome is not an excuse for constant foul mouth language?

  • +2

    Not worth it. Tit for tat. Just know that you are a better person.

  • -4

    Give her a gift. A genuine, nice gift.

  • Have your tenants complained?

    • Tenants might have a dog without permission.. explains the dog crap

    • There was a young girl tenant who told us she got threatened by tradies when they were working on the neighbor's house. They were basically entering the premises without permission to do the job. Now it's not rented out anymore because we will do something about this house and are spending a lot of time here.

  • +1

    I'm gonna wait until this post comes out in movie form. Hopefully Peter Jackson doesn't make 3x 3hr sagas out of it.

  • You're missing the prime opportunity an open house presents for the return of her dog pop.

    • Yeah, I actually contemplated going to an open house as soon as we learned that she was selling her house. But…. their real estate agents could recognize us because we had talked to them before. Their open house these days is pretty empty, so I could end up being the only one there.

      • You use the opportunity could hide the fresh turds inside somewhere…

  • Be overly nice, help her keep her place clean and hope someone buys her house so you don’t have to deal with her.

  • Sorry that you have a difficult neighbour but don't assume, get CCTV footage just in case it happens to be another neighbour throwing things over. You want her house to sell so she is out of your life so why decrease her chances of selling?

    • It's definitely her. We know other neighbors and they are nice people. And they don't own a dog. Unless it's 4K, I don't know if CCTV captures the moment. It won't capture her because she's short and hidden behind the fence.

      • Short eh? Maybe put up a fine net to block her lobs.

  • +4

    Get your hose ready and spray her, mid rant. Would love to see that.

    • In retrospect I should have hosed her. Maybe next time

  • I smell a rat.
    OP has not responded to my questions about their 'investment property'. Perhaps it is unoccupied and uncared for? Mowing the back lawn is not enough if the rest of the house is decrepit and reducing the values of adjoining properties.
    And nothing upsets neighbours more than someone who doesn't maintain their property to the adjoining property standards.

    If there are tenants in the 'investment property', the neighbour's behaviour would be more of an issue for the tenants rather than for OP. But, strangely, no mention of this.

    • +1

      There you go, there's always someone like you on these forums. I'm not here 24/7.

      • +1

        Fair enough, except my initial comment was the first on this forum. You chose to respond to other comments 16 minutes after my first comment, and you responded to selected other comments subsequent to that.

  • If you want her gone wouldn't it be better for your tenants and everyone involved if she moves.

    Maybe instead of making the place look bad do the opposite so someone else buys it.

    Buy then again there's no guarantee that the new resident will be less or more of an encumbrance.

    • I really don't care if she goes or stays. I'm just annoyed that she's using our backyard as a dumping ground.
      If anything I might even want her to be there when we built the retaining wall.

      • Don't stoop to her level. You sound reasonable. She sounds crazy. Stay reasonable and do whatever you can to make her house sell.

        You'll win by keeping your integrity and (hopefully) getting some decent neighbours.

        Once she's moved out, then get the bikies to track her down :)

        • Haha I didn't see the last comment coming. I might not do anything after all; I wouldn't want to waste my energy and time on her.

      • In that case I'd put up camera(s) catch her in the act and report her.

  • If you have any interaction you will escalate the problem and make it worse, just do nothing and hopefully she will stop getting satisfaction from her interactions with you

  • +6

    I go to court tomorrow to address similar neighbour behaviour. Seven years of verbal and threats of physical assault have taken their toll.
    I recently took the real estate to Tribunal, as ultimately, this particular neighbour is of their jurisdiction falling under s50.3 of the Residential Act. The land lord has failed to act upon my many formal complaints and as such allowed the rattled brain of this idiot to roam around the deck of my tenancy like a loose cannon.
    The Tribunal ordered the land lord pay me in compensation $2,500.00.

    You are dealing with a "nutter" and there is no logic nor reasoning in their behaviour. Keep a diary. Do not interact. Call the Police. Seek an APPVO via Court.

    • Oh geez your case is WAY worse than mine! My neighbor is a psycho for sure but she's a coward and doesn't do anything to instigate a fight. She does dump the dog feces in our backyard but in an shaded area where we can't easily spot them. The only time we had a direct interaction was when I confronted her by the fence.

  • You could start making stupid offers on her house through the real estate agent.
    $3000 one week.
    $5000 the next.

  • +1

    Bikies! Rent your house to bikies and paint it neon pink and then buy her house at a bargain basement price.

    • -1

      We joked about painting the house neon pink/yellow and install a mosaic depicting a dick since they are lesbians.

  • +2

    Tell Tracy Grimshaw

  • +1

    Throw the dog poo back over the fence where it belongs.
    She cant do anything about that realy because you dont have any dogs to complain about.
    Doing anything thing else is obvious and considered harrassment

    • That's one option but knowing her she will probably throw them back… but she would hate it when I threw them back before she had an open house! I'm pretty sure she has an OCD.

  • Bring on the Current Affair heroes.

    • Too trivial to be featured I think and I don't want to be seen on the national television.

  • Dissolve poo in liquid solution.

    Squirt some in her mailbox each day just after post arrives.

    • But you don't want to disguise the fact that it is dog poo, because that's the get-out-of-jail-free card - she can't complain about it coming from OP (who obviously has no dog) without incriminating herself.
      Personally I'd be chucking it on her front lawn and if she raised a fuss, dare her to call the cops - they'll get a good laugh out of it.

    • Maybe I will buy horse manure and stuff it in her mailbox right before she moves out.

  • It all went bad when Bunnings put onion on the bottom of snag in bread and clearly just hasn't gotten over it

  • Bag the poop up throw it out, cover front of nature strip at night with liquid dynamic lifter and do couple of human shits and throw it somewhere on her lawn, probably will shock her, pretty clear distinction between two species faeces

Login or Join to leave a comment