They always say that good fences make good neighbors, but it doesn’t take much to disrupt the balance.

These homeowners had always counted on the cooperation of their elderly neighbor, but when a newcomer refuses to do their share of the upkeep, things begin to slip through the cracks – literally.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

That dang fence again

Growing up in the south, fences never last too long.

The constant barrage of torrential downpours, drought, excessive humidity, hurricanes, and just overall conditions…you’re extremely lucky if the fences last 6-10 years.

Traditionally, the neighbors always worked together to upkeep their shared fence.

That being said, my family always kept good relationships with the neighbors, and when it came time to replace the fence, each side usually went 50/50 with the cost.

My dad was young, our shared fence neighbors were elderly, so my dad would typically do the labor for free (with my “help”).

And there was plenty of fence to upkeep.

And our fence lines were long. Once side alone was 75-125 feet, we had roughly 300 feet of total fence line for our backyard.

On the sides of the garage, there’s typically a pathway, about 4-5 feet wide, with a wooden gate for access into the backyard.

But the neighbors made compromises that made everyone’s lives easier.

Many years ago during a rebuild, one of the neighbors had told my dad to not worry about the side area – just built the fence from our house directly to the front corner of his garage, and from behind the garage to back wall.

He thought we all could save time and money by using less fencing because he never used the side walkway.

It was more area for our dog, larger background for us kids to play in, etc.

A real win-win for every party involved.

So the fence went up and connected directly to and from his garage, giving us a few extra feet and we continue with our peaceful existence just fine.

But then one day, a newcomer disrupted the status quo.

Unfortunately, about 2 years later, that old man passed and we got a new neighbor who was a bit… off.

We later found out she was a hoarder and never cared about the outside..or inside…of her house and everything rotted away, it was a real shame.

When she moved in, we introduced ourselves and explained the situation with the fence and she said no worries.

Life went on.

Then said newcomer fell on hard times and no longer had the income to upkeep her side of the fence.

Mid 2000’s and she was let go from her job and decided to “find herself” and live off her severance package for awhile and didn’t look for new employment.

Hurricane Ike hit in 2008 and almost all the fences needed to be replaced.

One neighbor went in 50/50, the other neighbor said she wouldn’t contribute.

She had ran out of severance and it was difficult finding a new job with no work history for 3 years.

So we said it’s fine, we understand, we’ll fix it.

We’re supportive neighbors after all.

But she wasn’t graceful about it in the slightest.

And then she got kind of nasty.

She said, “AND MAKE SURE IT’S DONE RIGHT THIS TIME!! DON’T ENCROACH ON MY PROPERTY!! FOLLOW THE PROPERTY LINES!!”

…Well okay.

So the homeowners did exactly what she asked.

So when we rebuilt the fence, we built it on our property line, like it should have been.

But now there was a 4-5 foot gap where a gate should have gone that’s on her property – i.e. her responsibility.

We told her she would need to take care of it.

She didn’t hold up her end of the bargain, so off went her dog.

I guess she forgot, because the next time she let her poor pup outside, it ran away…out the missing gateway. Oops.

She didn’t like us all that much after that incident and never spoke to us.

She didn’t last too much longer in that house, and soon enough, better neighbors moved in.

She eventually walked away from her house after owning it for 15 years. Her hoarding had destroyed the inside, the outside was in tatters and I guess she fell behind with the bank and they repossessed it.

The new owners put a bunch of money into fixing it up and they’re pleasant people.

At least their new neighbors recognize the value of investing in your property instead of letting it rot away.

What did Reddit have to say?

This concerned commenter needs an update and stat!

This redditor thinks the homeowners should have just called the hoarder’s bluff.

Fences aren’t just about aesthetics – they’re needed boundaries that shouldn’t be messed with.

A fence that once symbolized togetherness and community became more of an ugly divider.

Great fences are built with not just quality wood, but with mutual respect.

If you liked that post, check this one about a guy who got revenge on his condo by making his own Christmas light rules.