Buying a house comes with plenty of surprises, and not all of them show up in the inspection report.

One new homeowner in Los Angeles found herself facing a neighbor who wanted her to fully fund a privacy hedge that would benefit both of their yards equally. He already covers a similar hedge on his other fence line, just not this one, and flatly rejected the idea of splitting costs when she brought it up.

On top of that, she discovered a cypress tree planted dangerously close to a power line, being watered through a sprinkler running off her own supply.

That’s when a simple welcome-to-the-neighborhood moment turned into a much bigger question about fairness.

Keep reading for the full story.

Neighbor is asking me to plant hedges on fence we share at my own expense, not willing to pitch in

Just bought a house and live in Los Angeles, where water usage costs are very high.

Soon, the homeowner’s neighbor approaches him with an unreasonable request.

My neighbor that shares a fence with me on one side is asking me to fully pay for the installation and watering of a hedge that will provide us both with equal privacy.

He already pays for the one on the other side, for the fence he shares with his other neighbor, but that has nothing to do with me.

The homeowner begins to wonder how fair this actually is.

Is it fair that he’s asking me to do that? I mean, he’s not forcing me, but I feel like it’s kind of a jerk move to ask me to do it and not pitch in at all.

I asked if we could somehow split the cost, and he said no, but is still suggesting I do it.

They’re not discounting privacy, but there’s more to the story.

Not gonna lie, the privacy would be nice, but I don’t think it’s fair I have to pay for all of it.

ALSO, he planted a cypress tree literally 2 feet away from a power line pole when the previous owners lived there. He has a sprinkler hooked up into my yard that he pays for to water the cypress tree. I’m reading it could be a fire hazard, but the City of LA, I guess, will trim it for free if it gets too close to the power lines. Should I ask him to remove it or just leave as is?

WWYD in this case?

Dealing with neighbors is one of the toughest parts of being a homeowner.

What did Reddit have to say?

There’s no way this user would stand for something like this.

If the homeowner is going to pay, she has to really want it.

Some people are too entitled for their own good.

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.

There’s also the matter of water usage.

Asking someone to fully fund something that benefits both properties equally isn’t a neighborly request no matter how you slice it.

Fairness isn’t about who’s willing to ask the loudest, it’s about who actually benefits, and privacy fences benefit both sides of the fence line equally.

This homeowner is under no obligation to fund either situation just because her neighbor prefers it that way.

Good fences make good neighbors, but only when both people are actually paying for them.