His Neighbor’s Basketball Hoop Kept Drifting Into His Driveway, So He Drew A Chalk Line — And It Started An Entire Feud
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Shared property lines become frustrating when a movable object repeatedly blocks someone else’s only safe exit.
This homeowner politely requested a simple fix, but the neighbor’s basketball hoop kept rolling across the driveway.
Instead of damaging or removing it, they marked the boundary in chalk and gently returned it each time.
The neighbor still called foul.
AITA for chalk-marking and nudging my neighbor’s rolling basketball hoop back onto their side each time it creeps over my driveway, after they ignored polite asks?
I live on a slight hill in a quiet cul-de-sac.
My neighbor keeps a portable basketball hoop near the curb by our shared boundary.
It’s starting to impact this homeowner’s daily routine.
Overnight the base creeps downhill and ends up straddling my driveway apron. More than once I had to stop in the dark before work and move it just to get out.
No damage has happened, but it feels unsafe and irritating at 5 a.m.
The neighbor was immediately dismissive of his concerns.
I politely asked them several times to weigh the base or park it fully on their side. They said it was for the neighborhood kids and promised to refill the base.
Nothing changed over the next few weeks despite the conversations.
So the homeowner decided to do something about it himself.
I decided to try a simple visual fix that would not cost anyone money.
I measured our property line and drew a thin chalk mark across the apron with a small “keep clear” note. When the hoop drifted over the line, I would gently roll it back a couple of feet. I did not lock it, tip it, hide it, or block anyone from playing.
But the neighbor wasn’t a fan.
Neighbor doesn’t seem happy about it and accused me of being petty and territorial.
The apron is my driveway. I just only want to avoid being trapped before dawn.
Yet the neighbor refuses to collaborate on any kind of solution.
I even offered to buy a sandbag or wheel chock to keep the base in place.
They refused the offer and IDK why, but it is the best thing we can do to have a win-win situation.
I get that seeing a line can feel fussy and that kids might feel watched.
AITA?
Sounds like he gave this neighbor every opportunity to compromise, and when he wouldn’t, he had to take matters into his own hands.
What did Reddit think?
If anything, this homeowner handled the intrusion better than many others would have.
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For many people, it’s out of sight, out of mind. So you just have to find a way to put the issue in their sight.
If it were up to this commenter, they would do this.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a college student who decides to send his university a counter-bill after they try to get him to pay “inconvenience fees.”
Why not just claim the basketball hoop as their own at this point?
This homeowner tried several polite conversations and even offered to purchase something that would secure the hoop.
Moving it back protects their driveway access without preventing the neighborhood kids from playing.
The hoop kept traveling, but personal responsibility never made it downhill.
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