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One annoying thing about living in a first floor apartment is that it’s at ground level. This means that your neighbors might walk right past your apartment, which could be really loud and could even be unsafe.

But what would you do if your neighbors weren’t just walking by your apartment but were actually using your porch as a shortcut? How would you keep them off your property?

That’s what the person who wrote this story to trying to figure out how to do. He has tried quite a few things but has yet to find a solution that works.

Keep reading to see what he’s tried so far and why he’s so desperate to keep the neighbors off his porch.

Neighborhood kids destroying anything on my porch

I am a 24-year-old male living in a ground-floor apartment.

I have a small porch with a flower bed, but I’m having major issues with a group of about 20 neighborhood kids.

​They constantly use my porch and flower bed as a shortcut.

He has tried so many ways to stop them.

Every time I plant flowers or decorate, things get trampled and broken.

I’ve spoken to the parents, but they deny it’s their kids.

I’ve spoken to the property manager, but she says she can’t help.

I even tried blocking the path with furniture, but I come home to find it shoved out of the way.

He reached his breaking point.

​The breaking point was this spring.

A bird had made its nest on a pillar on my porch, and had laid a few eggs.

I went out of town and came home to find a football wedged where the nest was.

The nest and birds were gone.

He’s not sure what to do.

I was furious.

At this point ​I’ve given up on decorating, but I just want them off my porch.

Short of buying expensive cameras or calling the police, is there anything I can do to stop this?

I know it’s an apartment, but I wonder if there’s some way to put up some kind of fence to prevent the kids from using the porch as a shortcut.

Let’s see what Reddit suggests.

This is an interesting suggestion!

Another person suggests gathering evidence.

Here’s another vote for cameras.

This person recommends a specific camera.

Maybe gathering evidence will help. Either that, or a well-placed cactus could be a good deterrent!

Either way, the kids need to learn to stay off his property.

I’d be upset too.