Should I be concerned? Neighbor issues.

[Vigo]

So, I know I have complained about my neighbors on here in the past, the ones that chopped down my fence on me years ago. Issues seem to always come up with them. I don't know if I should be concerned about this one or what, but their house is ridiculously close to my property. Just inches, butting right up to my driveways and shed, and only about 8 feet away from my house.

My wife called me today to tell me that a contractor came to our door and said they are spray painting our neighbors house today and need her to move our car so they can work from our driveway. They are spray painting oil paint on the exterior and there is no room on the neighbor property side to work from.

My wife hasn't done anything yet, but we are concerned on a number of levels. First, it is windy and the direction of the wind is directly towards our house. I am worried about overspray on our property. We have landscaping right on the property edge. Also, I am concerned about my motorcycle. It is very, very heavy, and my wife won't be able to move it. I don't want random people touching my motorcycle either.

Second, my wife is home with our infant son, and I am worried about the fumes from the oil paint. My wife asked if they could roll the paint on instead, but they haven't come back and agreed to that.

These neighbors screwed me over multiple times now, so I don't owe them any favors, but I hate to take it out on the contractor in the process. Any suggestions on what I should do?

[Donkbaca]

I suggest you move

[Vigo]

I suggest you move

Been thinking that for years. 

[Turvey]

I would have thought any decent contractor would erect scaffolding around the house and put up tarps around the scaffold to stop any excess paint blowing all over the place.

[ed12]

just tell them NO PERIOD
it is your land not there's

ed

[Blanka]

Tell the neighbour that rolling is better quality than spraying.

[ChadTower]

Tell them they are not allowed to set foot on your property until they have discussed their exact work plan with you.  Don't forget that you are liable for them if they become injured on your property.  You didn't hire them so there is no benefit to you to risk that.  Before you consider letting them stand on your property make sure they are properly licensed and insured.  This almost sounds like the beginning of a typical personal injury scam.

[Vigo]

Yeah, I am leaning towards a blanket "No" on this one, but I can understand how the property line makes it difficult for a contractor, I don't want to just be a ---tallywhacker--- about it.

I would have thought any decent contractor would erect scaffolding around the house and put up tarps around the scaffold to stop any excess paint blowing all over the place.

My neighbor's have a knack for finding "cut-rate" contractors. The vehicles they bring on site don't even have a company name on them. They just pop in and do everything in one day. I guess they taped off the windows this morning, but that is it.

Tell them they are not allowed to set foot on your property until they have discussed their exact work plan with you.  Don't forget that you are liable for them if they become injured on your property.  You didn't hire them so there is no benefit to you to risk that.  Before you consider letting them stand on your property make sure they are properly licensed and insured.  This almost sounds like the beginning of a typical personal injury scam.

Thanks for that one, I will be sure to do that, or at least rely that to the wife. since I am at work. That is a REALLY valid point

[ChadTower]

If you do decide to be a tallywhacker about it make sure you use that word several times in the conversation.

[Nephasth]

---fudgesicle--- the --missioncontrol-- neighbors!

[ChadTower]

---fudgesicle--- the --missioncontrol-- neighbors!

He will have all of new social problems once he's had them naked.

[spoot]

If you do decide to be a tallywhacker about it make sure you use that word several times in the conversation.

And don't forget to tally the number of times tallywhacker is said.   

[Dervacumen]

I'd call up your insurance company and ask them about your potential liability.  Then I'd take pictures of the side of your house and anything else you think might be affected.  I'd also get a copy of the painting contractor's insurance stating you as an additional insured.  If they can't give you that, I'd politely explain that you can't allow them on your property because of the liability, not to mention the over spray.  If they know what they're doing, they'll know how to do the job without affecting the surrounding property.

[Vigo]

Thanks for that. So the insurance should show the names or address of the property they are insured to work on? I highly doubt they have us on there.

[Mikezilla]

Tell them they are not allowed to set foot on your property until they have discussed their exact work plan with you.  Don't forget that you are liable for them if they become injured on your property.  You didn't hire them so there is no benefit to you to risk that.  Before you consider letting them stand on your property make sure they are properly licensed and insured.  This almost sounds like the beginning of a typical personal injury scam.

 

Then if that doesnt work, go with Donks advice... get the hell out of there.

I dont mean to thread jack, but I just want to say I hate neighbors. I wish I could afford something rural so I dont have to deal with anyone, but I work too far from everything.

Man I hate ---smurfy--- neighbors. Im dealing with one myself. I have a stupid olive tree in my front yard, and the branches hang over the neighbors side and occasionally drop olives on to her drive way. She flips out and kicks the olives every time one falls onto her driveway, I swear she watches for them. I sweep them up when I get off of work but I guess this morning a branch fell and kind of fell on the cables running from her house. Well she flipped out and called SDGE (local power company) and they left me a bunch of messages on my phone. Along with hers. Bottom line is that people are annoying.

[Necro]

Well....she could, technically, just cut those branches back if she hated it that bad. 

[Mikezilla]

Well....she could, technically, just cut those branches back if she hated it that bad. 

See, thats what I thought too. Im a new homeowner, so I didnt really know how that works to be honest. She blew up my phone at work and left me all kinds of messages. The stupid bank I work for says that Im a manager, and it has my direct line on the banks website. 

[ChadTower]

Well obviously the way to solve that is to plant more olive trees on the property line.

[Necro]

I suggest buying cans of olives and dumping them all over her yard/sidewalk.  Like...hundreds of cans. 

[Vigo]

I suggest buying cans of olives and dumping them all over her yard/sidewalk.  Like...hundreds of cans. 

  Leave some of the can labels on the ground next to the olives, just to make it more obvious. (Don't leave a whole can if you value your windows)


Yeah, your neighbor can trim back anything on her side of the property, unless you have some wacky city ordinances. She should be able to take care of it herself. Of course, you might end up with a d-bag neighbor who makes the tree look crippled in the process just to spite you.

[Hoopz]

I'd call up your insurance company and ask them about your potential liability.  Then I'd take pictures of the side of your house and anything else you think might be affected.  I'd also get a copy of the painting contractor's insurance stating you as an additional insured.  If they can't give you that, I'd politely explain that you can't allow them on your property because of the liability, not to mention the over spray.  If they know what they're doing, they'll know how to do the job without affecting the surrounding property.

That, plus the fact that any contractor worth a damn is going to know that them coming on to your property isn't good business for them.  If they don't know that or are ignoring it, then you definitely tell them no.

[Vigo]

I was kinda thinking that in the back of my mind as well. They should really know better than this. I appreciate the feedback. I suddenly don't feel like the crotchety neighbor anymore, but more like the responsible party.

According to my wife, another guy stopped by and was a real condescending ass to her. He just got done trampling all over my wife's rose bushes, then came to the door and told her how she had clear the driveway ASAP. My wife, doing everything she could to not hulk out at the guy because of the roses, kept her cool through the dialogue. The conversation really never got beyond the overspray problem. It looks like there is no chance they are willing to roll on the paint, nor are they going to tent off their work. We are just suppose to trust their skills that there will not be any overspray at all.

[Hoopz]

Just have her call the police and have them come explain to the contractor that they need to stay off your property.  If she calls them, explains that she's home alone with an infant, and that guys keep trespassing & coming to the house, telling her to move her car out of the her driveway and being belligerent, they'll be out there to help her.

[ChadTower]

Maybe it's time to embrace your role as the neighborhood's crotchety tallywhacker.

When the realtor that sold our neighbor's house was cleaning it up last year he had a landscaper come in and "clear the edges of the property".  Apparently that also meant weedwhack the line of rosebushes my wife had planted the week before.  Not sure what type of landscaper doesn't recognize freshly planted rosebushes. 

[Donkbaca]

Have this conversation:
*knock* *knock*
you: (answering door) "Can I help you?"
Contracting ---meecrob--- painter man: "yeah I need you to move out of your driveway so that I can paint"
Y: "oh man, how many times am I going to have to do this..."
CDPM: "what do you mean? This is the first time I asked!"
Y: "How many contractors is the neighbor going to have? Hopefully you finish the job before you walk off the job like the last guy they hired.  Something about not being paid on time, or not being paid at all or something like that. Hopefully you got paid in advance.  Last dude they hired to do something, he didn't get a dime.  Something about him not being licensed right and them reporting him or something..."

[ChadTower]

Have this conversation:
*knock* *knock*
you: (answering door) "Can I help you?"
Contracting ---meecrob--- painter man: "yeah I need you to move out of your driveway so that I can paint"
Y: "oh man, how many times am I going to have to do this..."
CDPM: "what do you mean? This is the first time I asked!"
Y: "How many contractors is the neighbor going to have? Hopefully you finish the job before you walk off the job like the last guy they hired.  Something about not being paid on time, or not being paid at all or something like that. Hopefully you got paid in advance.  Last dude they hired to do something, he didn't get a dime.  Something about him not being licensed right and them reporting him or something..."

Y:  "Dude, again?  I am so tired of having INS vans all over my property blocking the mailbox.  Happens every time he hires anyone."

[Dervacumen]

Well obviously the way to solve that is to plant more olive trees on the property line.

I have a tree next to the property line.
My next door neighbor frequently cuts the branches that hang over the fence so my tree is all goofy looking.  I didn't plant it - it was there when I moved in.
I did however plant four more right next to the fence once he started cutting the tree branches.  Weird thing is, the more he cuts, the more shoots pop out on his side while mine just sort of sit there.
So yeah, this solution works to a point.

[Mikezilla]

Well obviously the way to solve that is to plant more olive trees on the property line.

Har har, I didnt even know the damn thing WAS an olive tree when I bought the place. The only perk is that it makes my house creepy during Halloween. I made a dead guy and he hangs really well from it.  

[yotsuya]

Well obviously the way to solve that is to plant more olive trees on the property line.

Har har, I didnt even know the damn thing WAS an olive tree when I bought the place. The only perk is that it makes my house creepy during Halloween. I made a dead guy and he hangs really well from it.  

Leave the dead guy up all year, but hang a sign from him that says "Complainer". Problem solved.

[Necro]

I would seriously get out and take some pictures of your house, his, your cars, etc., as soon as possible.  If there's ANY overspray take his ass to court to get your house/car/etc. fixed if he refuses to fix it. 

[BobA]

I thought olive branches were a bilblical sign of PEACE.   Guess the neighbour doesn't get it.

 

[drventure]

Best thing to do in this case. Just say no.

"No, for all sorts of reasons, I can't allow you guys to do any work on my property. You have to figure out a way to get it done otherwise."

There's no need to be a dick about it, just be polite and say there's all sorts of legal reasons that won't work.

Then if they do start doing some work, use video tape to make sure they stay off your property and record any thing that happens (overspray, spilled paint etc). Walk out with the video camera running and if asked, just explain that you need to have record of what's going on.

and, start looking for a new place, preferably on a little bit of land, cause life's too short to have to deal with that crap!

[Vigo]

I thought olive branches were a bilblical sign of PEACE.   Guess the neighbour doesn't get it.

 

Haha! Nice catch on the irony behind that situation! 

Mike, if you try to patch things with your neighbor, try to avoid saying that you are "extending the olive branch" to her. 


Oh, and as far as my neighbor situation goes, their whole house is painted except for our side. We will see if they show up today to finish the job. Maybe they will consider rolling the paint on instead like we asked them to do. I am really hoping that this issue does not extend past today, I am car sitting later this week, and need my driveway to hold my brother's car. The street is permit parking only, so it has to stay in the driveway. I do not want to give the car back caked in paint overspray.

[ed12]

tell the other party's involved of such
"car-sitting" and then tell them they have xx to get er done
and walk away..if they persit call the local's

ed

[Mikezilla]

I thought olive branches were a bilblical sign of PEACE.   Guess the neighbour doesn't get it.

 

Haha! Nice catch on the irony behind that situation! 

Mike, if you try to patch things with your neighbor, try to avoid saying that you are "extending the olive branch" to her. 


Oh, and as far as my neighbor situation goes, their whole house is painted except for our side. We will see if they show up today to finish the job. Maybe they will consider rolling the paint on instead like we asked them to do. I am really hoping that this issue does not extend past today, I am car sitting later this week, and need my driveway to hold my brother's car. The street is permit parking only, so it has to stay in the driveway. I do not want to give the car back caked in paint overspray.

Haha I know huh?! Thats pretty fun. That old crone will probably live forever too. Ugh.

Yeah no joke, maybe they will decide on the rollers, that seems to be the solution that works for everyone. Lousy neighbors. 

[CCM]

I cringe when I hear stories like this!  At the moment we are lucky, the neighbors on either side of us are cool, and we each have decent sized yards, so there is a buffer.  We have no one behind us, just woods.   The issue is that the house directly across the street for us is up for sale, and I am worried that some jack-ass is going to move in.   Every time I see someone looking at the house, I want to run outside blast some death-metal, let my dogs run wild, and swear alot, just to scare them off, but my wife won't let me.

No one in my neighborhood is overly friendly, which is perfect.  We wave, say hi, chat every once in a while and that's about it.  I hear stories from my co-workers about neighbors that stop over all the time, unannounced, and stay for hours.  That would drive me insane.  Our next house will definitely have even more land, 5 acres minimum.


Oh, and on topic, I would NOT let the painters work on your property.  As others have mentioned, you are potentially opening yourself up to alot of liability.

[HaRuMaN]

Our next house will definitely have even more land, 5 acres minimum.

My next house:

http://www.missilebases.com/parismissouri

[Hoopz]

Our next house will definitely have even more land, 5 acres minimum.

My next house:

http://www.missilebases.com/parismissouri

Some of those pics look like screen shots from Half-Life 2.

[Vigo]

Any property that advertises itself as a nuclear war-proof communications center and lists:

• escape hatch emergency exit
• heavy blast doors
• blast valve closure mechanisms

among it's features deserves serious consideration.

[HaRuMaN]

And it has a heavy-duty working lift for all my arcade games...