Dealing with a rude, inconsiderate neighbor is easy. All you have to do is be aware of their violations, seek a lawyer’s help, and maybe have a recorder ready.
This person talks about how their dad stopped their obnoxious neighbor from building a tall wall against their property.
Read the story below for the full details.
Illegal wall-building neighbor gets her 7ft wall torn down and rebuilt.
The next-door neighbor and my dad have this old emnity.
This was because of a small invisible line between our house and theirs outside in the street.
Even though any space past the gate or fence is public property.
And the neighbors were complaining that our trash bags were getting onto their grass.
To define that line, my dad built a small (~2ft) concrete wall (kind of like the Great wall of China or the Berlin wall).
Their neighbor started building a wall against their dining room wall.
Fast forward a few (quiet) years later, the neighbor starts building a new wall directly next/against our dining room wall.
The entire side stretches about 60ft long.
At 9 am during breakfast, you can hear guys slapping concrete blocks on the thing.
And it’s pretty terrifying because the wall is several years old, so it has a fairly nice chance of breaking and falling.
Not to mention that the original kitchen/dining room wall is only about 6ft tall, but the neighbor is building a frigging 7-foot wall.
The dad checked with a lawyer and got some legal help.
My dad oversaw the reconstruction of the house (he’s also an engineer, by the way).
And he knows the ups and downs and laws of house construction in our area.
But just to be sure, he asks my lawyer godmother for some legal help.
And the rules from the homeowners association (HOA) engineers as well.
This was what he found out.
So, you can’t build a wall over 6ft without a permit.
And if you start building over 6ft, either you’ve got a hefty fine to pay and get a permit, or it gets knocked down, pay a fine, get a permit, and restart construction.
So, he knocked on the neighbor’s door and asked if they had a permit.
Then, he knocks on the neighbor’s door and asks about the wall.
The guy that comes out is the son, and is pretty chill to talk to.
And then my dad asks, “Is there a permit for building that wall? This is because you need a permit to build anything over 6 feet tall.”
The neighbor said they don’t need one.
Son didn’t say anything, but he said he’ll ask his mom.
Mom comes out, wondering what the heck is going on, and my dad politely asks what’s up with the wall.
Mom says it’s fine and dandy, until my dad asks the mom if they have a permit for the wall.
She says they don’t need one.
He reminded them to get a permit.
Politely, my dad tells the mom that they need to get a permit for it
Of course, he said he’s willing to wait until they get a permit and that this is just a small warning.
Then, he goes on his merry way.
He clarifies he only asked if they had a permit.
He didn’t say anything about what happens if they didn’t get a permit and the HOA engineers found out.
He asked them again, but she got mad and kicked him out.
A month passes, and he’s back, this time with a recorder.
He again asks if they have a permit for the wall, and the mom immediately snaps at him.
Obviously, they don’t have a permit yet. Lol.
She cusses at him, screaming for him to get out or she’ll sue him for invading the house and her privacy.
Well, what can you do but get out if a woman starts biting at you?
He went back to the neighbor’s house, and this time, with a HOA engineer.
Anyway, my dad reconsults the lawyer and the HOA engineers, to make sure that all the information he’s got is correct.
Oh, and the lawyer told him that swearing or cursing someone can be taken against you (hence the recorder).
And he goes back to the neighbor’s house two weeks later with a HOA engineer.
Once again, they talked about the permit.
This was the conversation I heard from inside the house:
My Dad: (Speaking normally, but I couldn’t hear clearly. He’s probably asking if they had a permit again.)
Mom: OF COURSE NOT, WE DONT NEED ONE! (Legit screaming at the top of her lungs.)
My Dad: Then you wouldn’t mind if the HOA engineer inspects that wall of yours?
And I was like, “Aww shoot!”
And my mom and I were giggling inside the house.
The neighbors started tearing down the wall.
The HOA engineer confirmed that this was a >6ft wall they were building, and that they didn’t have a permit.
I guess the neighbor thought it was cheaper to knock it down, pay a fine, and have it rebuilt rather than pay the hefty fine.
We could hear the wall getting torn down a few weeks later.
Or, of course, the HOA engineer said it was the only thing they could do.
Oh, and the recorder? He didn’t even use it anymore.
The stupid reconstruction of the wall was enough music for him.
What revenge indeed! They definitely should’ve gotten a permit before building the wall!
Let’s check out the reactions of people on Reddit to this story.
People are loving it.
Here’s another positive comment.
This user shares their thoughts.
Finally, this person says he wouldn’t mind if their neighbor would build a tall wall.
Next time, the neighbor will probably get a permit before building!
If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.