Utility easements exist for a reason and this story is a detailed case study in what happens when someone ignores one for seven years and the bill finally arrives at the worst possible time.

A homeowner who was trying to do something as routine as replacing his electrical panel ended up triggering a block-wide power outage in the middle of a hot summer after the electrical company discovered the shared vault had been buried under a neighbor’s retaining wall since the wall went up seven years ago.

The project got derailed, the electrician had to leave, and PG&E’s subsequent digging damaged the neighbor’s landscape lighting.

But instead of owning up to their mistake, the neighbors acted like it was everyone else who was inconveniencing them.

Keep reading for the full scoop.

Neighbor built a wall over a utility easement and they blame me

I’m having my electrical panel replaced and my electrician called the utility, PG&E, to arrange a shutdown.

PG&E came out but couldn’t find the vault based on their map.

After some investigating, the true problem was revealed — and the neighbor didn’t come out looking too hot.

Eventually they determined from the map that it was on my neighbor’s property, as each vault contains the shutoff for two houses.

They did some exploratory digging and found it was under a keystone retaining wall my neighbor had built seven years ago.

So with the help of the electricity company, the homeowner explained the issue to the neighbor.

Once I found out, I knocked on my neighbor’s door and had PG&E explain the situation directly.

PG&E said either they or the neighbor would need to move the wall.

My electrician had to cancel the work that day, after having already arranged two other workers to assist.

This soon has wide ranging implications, not just for their house, but for the entire neighborhood.

Later that day, PG&E told me they would need to shut off power to the entire block.

I passed that information along to my neighbor.

My project can be rescheduled, but a dozen or so houses are now being inconvenienced in the middle of summer, and we live in a hot area.

But instead of showing any remorse, the neighbors only doubled down.

PG&E went back later to take another look at the vault on their own and did some additional digging.

In the process, my neighbor’s landscape lights got damaged.

That night, after my neighbor’s wife got home, I received a message saying that whoever dug the hole had damaged their lights and that I should inform them in advance if I need any work done on their property.

The wife has been giving me the stink eye ever since.

They clearly have no sense of accountability.

Verbatim: “Hey [name] — wanted to let you know that whoever dug the hole in our yard damaged our LED lights by severing the cord. In the future, if you need anything done on our property, please let us know first.”

Forget the fact that their negligence is delaying my project — it’s not my responsibility to be the liaison between the utility and them over their own easement violation.

These neighbors sound like a real trip.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a customer complaint that led to them losing their VIP status.

What did Reddit have to say?

This redditor thinks it’s time to escalate the issue even further.

Put simply: Money (or the threat of losing it) talks!

This redditor would stay as far away from this situation as possible.

“Entitled” is the word that comes to mind for this user.

The neighbor built a wall over a utility easement seven years ago and apparently decided that was everyone else’s problem to manage when it finally caught up with her.

A dozen homes lost power in the middle of summer because of a decision they made in their own backyard without checking what was underneath it.

Where the neighbors went even more wrong was when they decided to treat the homeowner who had the misfortune of telling them like they were the person who caused the issue. They weren’t.

Accountability is a life skill these neighbors clearly need a lesson in.