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Having an issue with a neighbor can leave you in an uncomfortable situation.

One homeowner is dealing with that after noticing a football had disappeared from a completely fenced-in backyard while no one was home.

At first, it seemed like a small thing, but then they remembered a previous incident where the same neighbor somehow retrieved something from the yard.

Since there’s no gate, the only real way in would be to climb over the fence.

Now, the homeowner is starting to wonder how often this may have happened and how to address it without starting a bigger problem.

Read on to see what options they may have.

Neighbour came over the fence to get their ball

​A couple of days ago, a football landed in my back garden. I saw it sitting there in the evening, but because we sit between a couple of houses, I wasn’t 100% sure which side it belonged to, so I left it to see if someone would ring the bell or ask for it back.

When I got home from work yesterday, the ball was gone.

Here’s the issue: my back garden is completely enclosed by a fence on 3 sides with no gate access. The only physical way anyone could have gotten in to retrieve that ball while I was out was by using a ladder to scale the fence into my private garden.

When it happened before, he didn’t think much about it.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

A while back, I saw those new neighbours cutting their tree. The dad mentioned it over my Ring doorbell while I was away, and I said I’d throw it back over as soon as I got home. But when I arrived back, he had already “managed to get it back.”

At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now I’m realising he likely climbed into my garden then, too.

Now, he’s not sure what to do.

If it were kids popping over an open gate to grab a ball, I’d be a bit annoyed but understand. But an adult neighbour using equipment to climb over a perimeter fence into my locked garden while I’m not home feels like a massive invasion of privacy. Not to mention a civil trespass and liability issue if he falls on my property.

I don’t have direct video footage of him on the ladder this time, but the physical reality is that the ball couldn’t have vanished on its own without someone climbing over.

What is the best way to address this firmly without starting a full-blown neighbour war? Has anyone dealt with this kind of boundary-crossing before?

Should I install an outdoor camera aimed at the fence line, and are there any UK privacy laws I need to be careful of regarding neighbour fences? Thanks in advance!

Eek! It’s easy to see why he’s so concerned about this.

Let’s check out if the readers over at Reddit have any knowledge on the subject.

This person likes when people retrieve things without asking.

According to this comment, it’s time for a camera.

Here’s someone who agrees.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who stops helping his neighbors out with his snowplow after they complain about his farm.

This person sees no point in doing anything.

This one probably depends a lot on where you live and what people consider normal between neighbors.

Some people wouldn’t think twice about climbing over to grab a ball, while others would see it as crossing a line.

The bigger concern here is probably the liability if someone gets hurt climbing into the yard.

That alone makes it worth having a conversation and asking the neighbor to come to the door next time.