Being a good neighbor and being comfortable in your own home are two things that are supposed to coexist, and most of the time they do.

But in this story, one homeowner, who had been living beside a noisy neighbor she believed had Tourette’s syndrome, spent nearly a year enduring daily howling, barking, yelling, and engine revving.

At first, she felt genuine sympathy for the neighbor, so she tried her best to deal with it.

But as the days went on, she began to lose her patience, wondering how she could tactfully put a stop to the chaos.

Keep reading for the full story.

Neighbor doesn’t stop screaming

I have a neighbor who must have some kind of Tourette’s syndrome.

When he is outside, it is a nonstop assault of noises: howling, barking like a dog, screaming out, yelling profanities, spitting constantly, and compulsively revving his car’s engine, all extremely loudly in the backyard.

The homeowner is starting to feel like there’s no escape from the cacophony.

He is outside ALL THE TIME.

We can hear it inside our house daily.

Part of her feels bad, but she also feels bad for the loss of her peace.

I understand the nature of Tourette’s and have sympathy, but I also feel like I deserve enjoyment of my home.

We haven’t said anything to the neighbors about it, but this has been going on for close to a year of constant noise whenever he is outside.

She’s starting to feel like there’s no other option but to confront the neighbors, but she doesn’t want to make things worse.

He seems like a nice enough guy, but seems to have no situational awareness that his noises are disturbing to the neighbors, or maybe he doesn’t care.

I don’t want to offend anyone, but we are at our wits’ end with the noise.

How should I go about this tactfully?

This homeowner has no choice but to act, but if she does it right, there could be a solution for everyone.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a couple whose new neighbors’ construction noise is ruining the whole neighborhood vibe.

Redditors weigh in.

This user thinks it’s worth getting the police involved.

It’s hard to be empathetic when your neighbor is this annoying.

Maybe this neighbor is in need of help and has been looking for some kind of intervention.

This neighbor isn’t a lost cause… hopefully.

A year is a long time to stay quiet about something that’s affecting your daily life, and the fact that this homeowner is still approaching the situation with this much care after all of it reflects genuinely well on her.

She could have called the city, filed a complaint, or just said something sharp over the fence months ago, and she chose none of those things because she was thinking about her neighbor’s dignity more than her own comfort.

What she’s looking for now is a way to finally prioritize herself without abandoning the consideration she’s extended all along, which is a reasonable thing to want.

Empathy and honesty can coexist, so it’s time to have a conversation.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a tenant who decided to stop returning his neighbor’s misplaced laundry after two years.