Being a considerate neighbor is one thing, but being a personal anxiety management service is another.

A couple who had spent five years as the model neighbors in a dense townhouse community found themselves in the middle of an escalating accommodation spiral when a nearby neighbor developed a serious issue with the sound of their sports car.

They visited her directly, heard her out, agreed to muffle the car in the garage, and started researching acoustic panels. She offered to help pay. It felt resolved.

Then came the text asking them to notify her every time they left the house.

They had been willing to meet her a long way down the road, but this particular ask was a road too far.

Keep reading for the full story.

WIBTAH if I didn’t text my neighbour every time I left the house

My husband and I (30F & 32M) have lived in a block of townhouses for 5 years now.

There are also multiple townhouses on either side of the property — a very subdivided, densely populated area.

Overall, things are pretty peaceful around there.

All in all, we have 11 sets of neighbours spread across 3 subdivided properties, and we get along well with everyone.

We are quiet neighbours, pay our bills on time, and maintain our property well.

But soon came trouble in paradise.

Recently, we have had multiple complaints from one particular neighbour about my husband’s car being too loud.

Over the course of a month, she sent her landlord, then her mother multiple times to ask us if we can make his car quieter, accusing my husband of revving his car in the driveway at 5:30 AM — when he normally leaves the house at 8:00 AM.

My husband does drive a sports car — it’s his pride and joy.

She really doesn’t think the noise is that big of a deal.

It’s not especially loud, however, and it’s unmodified.

He doesn’t sit in the driveway making a racket and leaves quickly.

I am a night shift nurse, and I manage to sleep through his comings and goings, so I am sure it’s not that loud.

After the third visit from someone representing this neighbour, we went and visited her ourselves.

It turns out this neighbor had a lot going on.

She broke down crying, explaining that she has chronic anxiety and health problems, and that she gets startled by his car, causing her to have panic attacks.

We felt terrible and offered to have my husband start his car with the garage door down.

We tested this idea, she said it helped, and she was less startled.

She even offered to help us pay for soundproofing for our garage, which we are researching.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

This morning, I received a text from her saying she now can’t relax because she doesn’t know when my husband is going to start his car.

She said that she’s very anxious and asked us to text her whenever we leave the house.

I don’t mind starting our cars with the garage door down, or even paying for acoustic panels, but I don’t think we should have to share our comings and goings.

AITA for not telling my neighbour when I’m leaving the house?

This anxious neighbor may be taking things a step too far.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about people who refuse to cut down more trees for their neighbor’s water view after already capitulating once.

What did Reddit think?

Maybe these homeowners have accommodated this woman a little too much.

The woman’s story doesn’t even really add up.

Professional help is really what she needs.

They can respect her mental illness and still look out for their own sanity.

There’s a ceiling on how much of your own life you can restructure around someone else’s comfort — and a daily check-in text is above it.

This couple in this story did everything right. They showed up, they listened, they problem-solved, and they followed through.

The neighbour met them halfway — until she didn’t.

Being good neighbors doesn’t mean forgetting your limits.