Never burn a bridge with your next door neighbor

This has to be top-tier neighbor drama. If you've ever had a tree fall over in your yard from a storm, you know it can be a terrifying experience. But even if you were lucky and the tree didn't cause any real damage from the fall, you still have to deal with the cleanup. And if you're dealing with a large, forty-foot tree on your property like this neighbor had, you probably won't be able to remove it by yourself and will need to hire a professional. But here's the catch: the tree that fell...

You're not supposed to take things that aren't yours—this is something that is ingrained in us from a very young age (or at least it's supposed to have been.) We were all taught that taking Little Jonny's red ball out at recess without his permission wasn't ok. Although we might still hold a grudge against Jonny for being a tattle tale (we were going to give it back), it doesn't change the fact that some valuable lessons were learned. These lessons and new-found boundaries should have stayed wi…

When you're facing up against power and authority, it's easy to feel helpless and like you don't have any options, feeling like the only thing you can do is try to mitigate the fallout they're causing by trying to keep peace with them. The thing is, they're counting on you thinking and feeling that way; a lot of times, petty authority and controlling behavior rely completely and wholly upon silence. It's difficult to do, but if you ask around enough, you're likely to find there are others with…

Nothing is worse than living somewhere with arbitrary rules about your own property.

“I'm angry with myself for going against my gut and what I originally wanted to do because now we are priced out of that area…”

“Be an utterly unethical thorn in [the HOA's] side which can never be removed or retaliated against. I'm not locked in with them; they're locked in with me.”

In a battle of wits, the smartest player comes out on top. Unfortunately, when you're dealing with an HOA, the rules are skewed to their advantage and simple smarts are not usually enough to defeat them.

It really just comes down to whether you are pro-purple house or not…

The best part about finally owning your own home is that you can do whatever you want with it—within legal limitations and logical reasoning. Of course, you'll quickly come to realize that this isn't necessarily the case, as you'll also be contending with nosy HOA members poking around looking for a single blade of grass out of line. You'll also be subject to the opinions of your neighbors, who will be more than happy to share them with you as though their judgement is law. This homeowner bough…

Sometimes people need to just keep their mouth shut. This might sound harsh, but it is seriously tiring to hear and read of people constantly complaining about things that they actually should be grateful for. Complaining is not the only option, and if people were simply civil toward each other, they would honestly get a lot farther in life. What there wouldn't be if people were nicer, are stories like this one. OP (original poster) sold his parents' home to these fussy buyers who complained ab…

Imagine being stuck in a situation you have no idea how to get out of, only to have your friends ready to do whatever it takes to help you out. It must be nice knowing you have someone to count on, and someone to call whenever you need a hand. This story, despite being all about revenge on entitled landlords, shows how important it is to have friends who are ready to be at your side and fight for what is yours. OP (original poster) tells the tale of how their friends were supposed to buy a hous…

HOAs do not get much more invasive that this… Here, we have a resident who had been living in the neighborhood for several years and had been following all the rules and regulations of his HOA to the best of his knowledge. Then, everything changed when a member of the homeowner's associated contacted each resident about the limit they were imposing on the number and type of cars that can be parked outside their homes. Furthermore, they are imposing new required repairs that must be done by 2026…

Parking is one of those things that is always going to cause issues when limited spots are of any concern. People just don't know how to behave rationally when scarcity of resources is at hand, and the monkey part of their brain takes over. Still, when you have your own driveway, even if it's shared, you'd sort of expect that your side of it would remain accessible to you (and you alone) without issue—unfortunately, inconsiderate neighbors mean this is not always the case. In this case, these n…

When you're looking for a roommate, there are a few key things to consider before inviting someone to come live in your home. Are they hygienic? Are they courteous of your sleep cycle? Do they wash their dishes? Will they permanently alter the aesthetic of your property with a secret remodel through an elaborately deceptive web of lies?

This neighbor is the ultimate male Karen, and probably the worst type of neighbor you could get stuck next to. The family that lives in the neighboring house went out of town for vacation for two weeks. Within that time, they made sure to have housesitters to keep an eye on things for them while they were away. Well, when one of the housesitters arrived, he immediately noticed something odd about the backyard.