Neighborhood Dispute - Share Your Stories

Neighbors are a nice thing when you’re lucky. But many are unlucky. Sometimes, there are specimens that really make you shake your head. Anyone who wants can share their story here. Then we’ll see who takes the cake. Here comes my rather short story:

With my company, I’m located right in the middle of a residential area – it’s a retail store. On Monday mornings, the garbage collectors come. And really early – often before 7 a.m. That’s a problem for me. I can’t put the bin on the sidewalk on Friday – that would mean the smelly bin stays on the promenade all weekend. But on Monday, I only get to work around 8 – by then they have already passed. So I talked to them about how to solve this. The result was: please put the bins on the opposite sidewalk; they don’t collect on that side until around 9. Wonderful solution – said and done!

Recently, my neighbor from across the street came to my door and told me I couldn’t put my bin there for pickup, it belongs on the other side of the street. (We’re talking about about 2 hours where the bin waits for collection). I explained the situation to him – no, it belongs on the other side. I asked him what the problem actually was for him? “The bin belongs on the other side.”

My confusion about this monotonous statement was great. He then said he would complain. Where, he didn’t say. After I tried for the umpteenth time to get him to have a clarifying conversation, I had to give up due to lack of time and left him with the words, “What nonsense, do whatever you want!” Very unprofessional – I know.

Kaho, with people like that you can do nothing. Whether someone will take care of your complaint remains to be seen. Is there a neighbor 10m further on the other side who has no problem with it?

Of course, you will only find that out if you ask before, and you must blame yourself for that: You should have addressed the first neighbor about it before moving the bin for the first time. People quickly become stubborn when facts are simply created without them.

Yes, you are probably right. I imagined that on a public footpath of the city, I do not have to ask anyone.

When I still lived with my parents (about 10 - 11 years ago): My father was the contact person of the administrator of the homeowners' association formed by the row houses there. One resident was quite difficult. A grumpy guy, showed up quite often because something was wrong. Water, heating, roof, he always had exclusive problems that no one else had.
He once showed up on a Sunday at 6:45 AM (!) because he was cold. Indeed, the heating had failed during the night, which no one noticed except Klaus, who had set 24°C as the comfortable temperature in every room of his place.
My father, with the patience of a saint, politely got him out and said he would take care of it as soon as he had slept.

Some time later my parents were on vacation, the heating still (or again?) not working, Klaus rang me out of bed at a similar time and brusquely demanded that "something be done immediately, he was freezing again."
I am not blessed with my father's equanimity and replied in the same tone that it was outrageous at this hour, I was not the vacation replacement, and he should dress warmer.

Whoa, that stirred Klaus to life. His back straightened, a vein in his head swelled, a life elixir was bestowed upon him. What would I, brat, dare to allow myself, no respect, blah blah, a multi-minute sermon loud enough to lure the other neighbors from their beds to the windows.

Then I switched to friendly, smiled, began a nice reply with "Hey, Klaus..." (he had offered me the "you" with "you brat," hadn’t he?), but I couldn’t finish because the next angry flood of a curtain speech about respect and formal address and blah blah began. The audience was captivated, Klaus’s voice was powerful, I wavered between annoyed and amused.

Well, end of the story, after he ran a bit out of breath, I interrupted and said that I would now close the door and he could leave. That I did, Klaus withdrew.

After that, he apparently decided to ignore me and no longer greeted me when we met, although supposedly respectful neighborly interaction demands that? Well, I at least did not want to be the disrespectful brat he had portrayed me as and loudly greeted every time with audible: "Good day Klaus," and if he continued walking without reacting: "That is quite disrespectful, not to greet."

The neighbors noticed this, once I was addressed about it by the neighbor directly next to Klaus, who also came and went there often. I said that one should probably have understanding for that, the 80-year-olds sometimes had difficult biographies and such. I hope she conveyed my understanding to him. Klaus was 63 at the time.

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Yes, I can be a pain in the ass when people piss me off in a very specific way. And no, you do not have to have understanding for everyone. I had none for Klaus.

The problem was resolved when I moved out from my parents’ place. Klaus never dared to bother my parents in the morning again. Sometimes the rough wedge helps with certain blocks after all.

Grin... Your counterpart was probably once a "Blockwart". You have an oral agreement with the disposal company. The sidewalk is public space. Let him "drum".

Wow! Those are some stories.
I'm boring in that regard. I've never had a fight with neighbors. I've probably moved about 15 times in my life. I always find them all nice or tolerable. I always have good contact with them.
I must be easy-going...