Yes, I'm using my blog as a reverse advice column. I do the asking, and you, my dear readers, offer me the best advice you have. Deal? Okay.
My neighbors live in a house that faces the main road. I live in the first house on the side street off of that road. Meaning that our side yard is next to their back yard.
Last July, we came home one day to see that there was a fire at their house at some point that day. A few rooms were destroyed, along with various areas of the vinyl siding that they just had done. The house is still standing, in decent shape. It looks like only a few rooms were charred. I guess now is a good time to point out that we are not friendly (nor is anyone on our street) with these neighbors. When the fire happened, our other neighbor told us that he ran across the street to kick the front door open (Man, I wish we were home that day) and never even got a "thank you." They're really not a nice family, although the wife is pleasant. When she's outside, we'll wave to eachother when I drive by. That has been our only contact.
In August, we woke up to see a mobile home driving into their backyard (our bedroom window faces it.) And that is where they have been living since then. Ken was pissed when he first saw the mobile home moving in, but I had sympathy. They just lost their house. Cut them some slack, I told him. Almost a year later, nothing has been done to that house. Yes, their mess of a yard (which was also a mess before the fire) and mobile home is bringing down the value of the neighborhood, but the problem are the dogs. Because they live in the mobile home, these two dogs cannot get the exercise they need and therefore are left outside to run around (on leashes) for a long period of time. Actually, the only time we see any member of the family is when they open the door to the mobile home and call the dogs inside. They've woken us up at night from barking and they bark at us everytime we go outside. Whenever I come home from work, they're usually outside and bark at me as I get out of the car, in my driveway which is on the other side of the yard. I realize they're great guard dogs, but you have no idea how many times I have wanted to yell, "I don't want to rob your mobile home!"
I noticed yesterday that their leashes were slightly extended and the dogs were more into our yard. I didn't think much of it until.....
Ken came home and told me that he noticed dog crap in that area of our yard. Not a lot, but it's obviously not going to be cleaned up by them voluntarily.
I really want to call the town and question a) what happened, and b) what the status of the house is. And I want to call Animal Control and make an anonymous complaint over the dog situation. Not the poop, but the fact that these animals could have a better home someplace else given the current conditions. But this is all in my fantasy and I'll never be brave enough to do it.
So this is where you come in. I really don't want to write a letter to this family because the reaction could be worse then if we went over there personally. And I don't think the reaction will be that great if we did go over there personally, no matter how nicely we would handle it. Or retribution.
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4 comments:
Well you can either stay quiet or do somethign so rather than fearing what may happen you gotta go do something.
In the UK we have Nieghbourhood Warden type people who look out for an area but I don't know if you have them so report the mess to the local government office and make a complaint that way.
Picking on the dogs is a little unfair as in reporting them for cruelty. Can't you just go round and say 'Hello, your dogs are crapping on our lawn and any chance you can make sure they don't please?' if they repsond like ass hats to that then get heavy on their ass.
Don't deal with them directly. They obviously do not have any respect for their neighbors, so why should you try and communicate with them directly?
I say write a letter to the city and let them handle it, maybe even a few signatures from the surrounding neighbors. If the city does not respond or do anything about the situation, go down to the next city council meeting and get in their face. The home should have been repaired a long time ago. I'm sure they received a nice insurance settlement to restore their home (unless they started the fire intentionally - should be public record, ask your city's fire marshall for report on the fire as to what caused it).
If you want to get faster action and you have the guts to do it, get an inspector out there to survey the house. You can get the city to send one of their inspectors or structural engineers to check the place out. If you voice a legit concern, which I think you do, then they have to follow up on it. Especially if the house isn't completely structurally sound (only one room/area has to be deemed condemned and the whole house must be condemned), it is a danger to the neighborhood, and the city will try to rectify the situation rather rapidly.
About the dogs...Hmmm...As long as they're being fed and cared for at all, there's not a whole lot you can do. However, when they're keeping you up at night, call the non-emergency number for the police and get them to annoy the neighbors by knocking on their mobile home door. If you and enough other neighbors complain, the city can issue a citation for disturbing the peace or demand the dogs go live somewhere else like a relative's home. At the least, you'll cause the neighbors to have to pay fines for their citations, which is annoying by itself.
Basically, annoy them back.Or do the structural engineer thing.
Another note: Is it possible to get into the house from the street/yard? Like if some kids wanted to go hide and smoke pot or whatever, could they get into the house when the neighbors aren't home and use it for their 'hide-out'? If so, maybe you could get a picture or video of them going in and out, or even a witness. You alone being the one to report it may not be enough. But if you had proof or another neighbor witnessing kids playing in there, you could probably get something done, especially if the house is not safe.
What a terrible situation. So sorry that you have to deal with these people. I agree with what other people have said about the dogs--calling animal control is probably a bit extreme, but calling the non-emergency number for the police would be a good start.
And I agree with Daniel that you have to do something. Presumably, your neighborhood has zoning regulations against trailers or the like, and presumably the city has ordinances on how to deal with condemned properties. It's just a matter of getting someone to act/enforce.
If nothing else, you need to get complaints on record and start a trail of documentation. Things might not get done right away, but it's important that you speak up and go on record now instead of later.
You probably want to avoid the appearance of ganging up on these people, but if other neighbors have also experienced problems, having them write letters or co-sgn yours is also a good idea.
Good luck with it.
Makes my Madonna-signing neighbor seem like a total dreamboat!
oh no! OK. You should definitly do something. They are not only lowering the value of the homes in the neighborhood, but they're also lowering your quality of life.
I agree with other commentors that calling the police when the dogs are barking at night is a good start on the dogs. Also, depending on the laws in your area, you might be able to get assistance from animal control... chaining dogs up outside all the time is considered cruel in some places.
Do you have a neighborhood association? If so, that would be a good place to start about the mobile home. Also check you city zoning codes about mobile homes because there may also be laws about keeping mobile homes on the property in your particular neighborhood. It's probably also too close to another residence to be within code. It sounds like it's really close to your house right? And mobile homes are EXTREMELY flamable, so if it caught fire for any reason, your house could be in serious danger. I think you should report them to anyone and everyone. There may also be some sort of law about repairing their burnt house within a certain time period.
good luck!
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