People Share Their Worst And Weirdest Neighbor Stories
You can't pick your neighbors but you certainly wish you could. Sometimes you get lucky and the people on your block become some of your best friends. Other times? Not so much. There are more than 31 flavors of weird out there, and these neighbors are proof. People went on Reddit, Twitter, and other sites to share their worst and weirdest interactions with their neighbors. If you thought your neighbors were bad, wait until you read what these people experienced!
Her Neighbor Had A Swamp Pool
Having a neighbor with a pool can either be the coolest thing, since you might get to use it, or the worst if there are constant pool parties you're not invited to. But Reddit user @haleytelcontar reveals the truly worst-case scenario of it.
"When I was a kid, my next-door neighbors had an in-ground swimming pool. The pool turned green. Then black. Then the town came and drained it because it was [a] health violation. The smell when the bottom of that swamp [saw] daylight for the first time was incredible, the whole neighborhood kept the windows closed for days. Of course, the next spring they just filled it up again, and after about two days of using it (!!) the cycle just started all over."
The Deaf People Turned Out To Be The Noisest On The Block
Each neighborhood has a unique set of challenges for residents. Reddit user @Katebiba explains that sometimes a deaf neighbor can turn out to be the loudest!
"The house next door to mine (terraced house) is social housing for deaf people. They kept dropping their remote control between the sofa cushions and kicking the volume up to max - for hours. Once the guy invited me in and the TV was so loud his wife's hair was practically flapping from the blast of pure sound. They never really understood why it was so annoying."
Please, Don't Feed The Skunks
It's not uncommon for someone to feed feral cats that are roaming the neighborhood, but Reddit user @Annepackrat had a neighbor who would constantly feed the local skunks!
Apparently, an old neighbor of hers would leave food out for the skunks in the neighborhood, attracting more by the day. She said, "My then-boyfriend used to have to carry a flashlight to avoid startling one and getting a faceful of stink."
Single Mom's Older Neighbor Retaliated After He Felt Rejected
Reddit user @Alipickel, a single mom of a young child, shared a creepy experience that got progressively worse. No one should have to deal with a neighbor like this!
"I had an older man neighbor who would literally wait for me to get home from work..which was early in the morning because I worked graveyard... he would knock on my door as soon as I walk in with my then-toddler and ask me to breakfast or as out on a date. I said no like 25 times... he then started giving me groceries at which I would say 'no thanks' but would insist and leave them at my door. After about 6 months he started to get mad. Next thing I know CPS. After speaking with CPS they gave me his name. When he knocked on my door again I threatened to call the cops on him for harassment."
The Neighbor That Ruined Harry Potter
No one appreciates it when the ending of their book or movie is spoiled. Especially when you've been anticipating a film as big as Harry Potter. This Reddit user's brother will never forgive their neighbor.
"It was the day the final Harry Potter film came out and he'd been avoiding news about it. He’d never read the books, but loved the series and, like everybody at that time, was super excited about it. He goes out to start the car while my mom and I are getting ready. We find him fuming in the car and learn that the next-door neighbor woman had asked where he was going. When he said to see the final film, she proceeded to reveal to him the ending of the book and how she disliked it. I don’t think he talked the remaining three years we lived there."
The Old Woman Who Thought She Owned The Neighborhood
It sounds like Reddit user @trumpetjack has wanted to get this story off his chest for a long while.
"Older woman next door. I'll start with the fact that she planted a sapling on our property so it would be symmetrical with the one on the other side of her yard. She tried to start an HOA and even went as far as putting out fake tickets/fines. When I was young me and the kids on the street would play 4 Square. We used chalk at first but got tired of putting it out on the street daily so I grabbed some tape and made a really nice set up for us. She pulled it all up. I actually called her out on this, asking 'What's the problem with kids having fun?' She stammered for a bit and then just closed her door in my face, but she never touched our 4 Square stuff again."
The Odd Airbnb
Airbnbs are virtually everywhere these days, especially if you live in a tourist destination. It's never good news when you realize a neighbor has listed their property on the rental site because you never know what kind of people are going to be renting out the space. Reddit user @spazmcgree1 had an interesting experience with his neighbor's Airbnb.
"My neighbors rent their house out as an Airbnb and they once had someone stay over at their house and at 1 AM they started mooing loudly in their backyard."
The Tale Of The Pothole People
Reddit user @emf3rd31495 has an unusual story to share about his neighbors who went ahead and dug up the street every summer.
"I moved onto a dirt road with several houses on it. My friend has lived down the road his whole life. The people next to my house only come up for the summer and are never there in the winter. When summer comes, however, there are multiple potholes on the road. Curious, I asked my friend. He said the neighbors come up in the summer and dig the holes themselves in order to 'slow down’ traffic."
Choose Your Battles Wisely
When it comes to dealing with your neighbors, some things are legitimately worth getting angry over, while other things are better off just letting go. You need to choose your battles wisely. Reddit user @chromattix shared their neighbor's pet peeve that was not appreciated.
"Late last year mine said he'll bash me because I got his driveway wet while I had the sprinkler going to water my yard. Not even joking – he flipped over his driveway getting water on it!"
A Neighbor Called The Cops On Their Six Year Old
Reddit user @Azerty1976 has a pretty wild story about one of their neighbors singling out the kids in the neighborhood. Even though the kids didn't do anything wrong, their neighbor was adamant about making the kids uncomfortable while playing right outside of their own home.
"[My neighbor] called the cops on our then 6-year-old son because he was playing outdoors on public property. It wasn't a road or anything. There was no danger whatsoever. He wasn’t screaming or anything, she just didn’t like kids. She also told our 3-year-old daughter that she was ugly."
The Neighbor Woke Everyone Up At 4 AM To Show Off His Car
It's not always the rude neighbors who become the worst people to live next door to. Sometimes, neighbors are just absolutely bonkers. Reddit user @Aqueluna confessed this story about her neighbor.
"[He] rang my doorbell at 4 AM over and over and asked me to go with him because there was an emergency and it was important. Went with him and he took me over to his car and started asking what I thought of it and looked very proud. In other words, this dude rang every apartment in the building at 4 AM to get people to look at his new car."
There's About To Be A Dirty Diaper War
Reddit user @Clairassian is hitting her breaking point with her neighbors and we would be, too. She confessed: "They use our trash bin and ram it full of bags of their gross nappies. I so badly want to take the bags out and leave them on their doorstep."
While it's so tempting to retaliate, this would only create an ongoing neighbor war that would likely escalate from that point! We hope her neighbors get a clue... and some manners!
Not Everyone Loves EDM In The Morning
Loud music is one of the most common complaints people have of their neighbors, especially in a college neighborhood. Typically, the loud music occurs at night. But Reddit user @Alderchai had a special kind of neighbor who preferred loud electronic dance music in the morning.
"He would blast EDM music almost every day starting from 9 AM, especially on the weekends, and once I asked him to please keep it down until 10 AM he changed his habit... to 8:30 AM."
Awkward, But Also Mildly Concerning
Reddit user @Clocksailor might have something to worry about when it comes to his neighbor. After a previous awkward situation, this incident happened:
"[My neighbor] drunkenly tried to get into my apartment last Wednesday afternoon, and then asked if I had a problem with him. When I explained that his behavior makes me uneasy, he called me passive-aggressive and then said EVERYone forgets where they live sometimes, and he’d forgotten where his apartment was because he was humming as he walked up the stairs."
Chickens, A Rooster, and Parrots, Oh My!
Reddit user @Xgoos found out that the neighbors in the house behind them were big fans of loud and obnoxious birds. Here's their story:
"My bedroom had a window overlooking my patio that faced the patio of the house behind me. I could hear they had 3? 5? Chickens! which is totally illegal in that city and especially that neighborhood. They had a rooster that made so much noise around 5 AM. They had 5 parrots? I don't know what they were but they used to fly to my house and chewed all the insulation in my roof."
It's Always A Good Time For A Home Project
Life situations can become increasingly annoying as you get older. Things that didn't bother you when you were younger might be extremely agitating when you're a bit older. When Reddit user @Sirunmixalot was a kid, his home project-loving neighbor didn't bother him too much, but he most likely drove his parents up the wall.
"My worst neighbor wasn't terrible. It was when I was around 11-14 yrs old, he would sandblast in his garage at all times, getting sand everywhere. He would also mow his lawn at night with a flashlight. Nice people, though."
The Dog Catcher Who Is Always On The Clock
Reddit user @wcrb15 had his dog taken... by his next-door neighbor. How long did he think he could get away with that one?!
"Had a neighbor move in that was working as the dog catcher for the local police department. My dog had a bad habit of escaping the yard fairly regularly but she would never be gone more than a few hours. One day she was missing from the back yard and I went to look for her but never found her. A few days go by and we're getting very worried as she had never been gone that long. We called the animal shelter and the police station both said they hadn't seen her. Eventually, my wife was on her way home and noticed she was in the fenced backyard of the new dog catcher neighbor. She knocked on the door and no one was home so she just went and let our dog out of his back yard. A few hours later we get a knock at the door and it is our neighbor. He said, 'Was that blue heeler your dog?' I said, 'Yes, we're glad she's home. She's been gone for a few days.' He replied saying that she looked hungry and not taken care of so he kept her. I didn't say much else and he left. The annoying part is that he knew exactly who she belonged to because he came directly over to our house when he noticed she wasn't at his house. I never said another thing to him the rest of the time we lived there."
"You Want To Use My Hot Tub For What?!"
Because you're right next door, and it's just so convenient, neighbors tend to ask for favors. Some of these are reasonable, like borrowing a tool, others... not so much. User @Piglover shared this odd request on WeddingBee.
"We just moved into our place now in November so we don't know too many people on our block yet..but our landlady just told me a story about why she stopped talking to the next-door neighbor. Apparently the neighbor asked her if she could use her hot tub for her water birth… That's right... She said 'Can I have my baby in your hot tub?'.. who asks that!?!?"
Seventeen Pomeranians Are Probably Too Many
A common complaint about neighbors is that their dogs are constantly barking, causing a disturbance. Reddit user @Megan72 wasn't about to sit back and let her neighbor's pack of Pomeranians drive her crazy. She decided to take matters into her own hands.
"They owned seventeen dogs. All little Pomeranians. All very aggressive. I also have a dog who loves humans but doesn't like little dogs. So all night I would hear my dog barking and seventeen dogs yip-yapping back at my dog. It was absolute torture. They finally moved out, and that was only because I told the pound, and they tried to take the dogs. I love dogs, but I would never be able to handle seventeen."
It's Time To Move
There are certain neighbors who like to test the boundaries when it comes to the property line. It could be an argument over a fence or obstructing the view that fuels two neighbors to argue over who is in the right.
Reddit user @Sborado recalls that when she was young, her family's neighbor went ahead and built a deck that extended onto their property. The neighbor refused to correct it, and they ended up calling the city for reinforcement. After the neighbor's deck was shortened, the family went on vacation, only to return to a number of security cameras facing into their backyard and a sign-- you can't make this up-- that says, "Peekaboo, I see you."
He Said He Owned Walmart... And Her Soul
User @SoonToBeeMrsD confessed of her awkward neighbor situation on the website WeddingBee. It's clear that many women have to deal with a creepy male neighbor who thinks living next door gives them the right to invade their personal lives. Here's what she said:
"I also had an elderly gentleman as a neighbor who said that he owned Walmart and would buy my soul. Needless to say, he didn't own Walmart and he did not own my soul."
The Neighbor Pretended Everyone Was Being Investigated By The FBI
Ok, this one is super weird. Reddit user @RamsesThePigeon had a neighbor who walked around making loud (and fake) phone calls to the FBI. He would "report to the FBI" the suspicious behaviors of his apartment neighbors, apparently trying to frighten them. Of course, there was nothing report-worthy going on.
Then, the neighbor went so far as to create a fake government notice which he posted in the building. That's when @RamsesThePigeon staged their own fake phone call to the government, reporting the neighbor of their inaccurate and absurd FBI reports. It stopped after that.
Ever Get That Feeling That You're Being Watched?
For many people, all that divides your neighbor's property and yours is a fence. And a lot of people have a lot of feelings about that fence, whether it be the cost or the height. After two neighbors had a disagreement about a fence, one of them started getting really weird.
A kid at the time, Reddit user @97Chocoholic recalls that after the fence debacle, the neighbor started throwing pebbles over the fence at the kids, and yelling at them. When the kids told their stepdad, he didn't believe them at first. Then he spotted the neighbor creating a hole in the fence to watch the children through. The family moved out!
Your Observations Are Not Appreciated Here
Some neighbors believe that they've been designated as the neighborhood watchdog. They take this role upon themselves and more often then not, they're a bit over-paranoid and ill-suited for the designation. We've all had that retired neighbor who always seems to be waiting in the window, watching anything and everything happening on the street.
Twitter user @kittykaresless shared one of her creepy neighbor incidents, sharing: "#Myweirdneighbor called cops to say she hasn't seen my daughter outside in months. Daughter went off to college 2 years ago."
Let Your Wifi Do The Talking
Neighbors have a special relationship. You might see each other in passing nearly every day and see a side of each others' lives that not many others know about. You're also able to see their wifi names! Twitter user @Kingedhill got sassy with his wifi account after he was burnt out on the neighbor's trumpet practices.
He shared: "My neighbor would play his trumpet at night so I changed my wifi name to 'I can hear you'. He changed his to 'I know'."
The Practical Joker
Sure, neighbors can be annoying, but also entertaining. It's basically a forced relationship where you have to deal with these people on a regular basis whether you really get along or not. Twitter user @Herbmays shared an interaction with their neighbor that you just can't help but laugh at.
"My neighbor decorated my dead tree with empty bud lights cans then sent me a text saying my tree was budding."
Their Neighbor Didn't Feed Their Daughter
Reddit user @bedlambiker recalls a sad story about a family they lived next to. Neighbors often see the reality of situations that other people on the outside might not ever guess. In this case, it was clear that the parents were not paying attention or caring for their kids whatsoever.
They confessed that their neighbor "neglected their daughter to the point that she'd sneak into our house and steal food from our kitchen. CPS was called."
All Is Not As It Seems
@Matthewwhosey is a Twitter user with a good heart. He saw that his neighbor was constantly working on his car alone and decided to go do the neighborly thing and lend him a hand. Once he started talking to him though, he realized the sad truth of the matter.
He shared: "He would work on his car every day, after 2 months I offered to help and he said, 'It's not broke, I just hate my family.'"
Everyone Knows You're Weird. Stop Trying To Hide It, Bob
Neighbors can't hide their dirty little secrets forever. Reddit user @Flounder2769 confessed that the entire block knew one of their neighbors liked to dress oddly. He thought he was getting away with it. But no.
They shared: "My home growing up there were two very weird neighbors. One grown man who lived two doors down would (and still does) dress up in tutu's, diapers, hot pink onesies for children and anything else that wasn't meant for him. The funny thing is that everyone knew he dressed like that, but he would always try and hide whenever anyone saw him."
Please, Don't Come Knock On My Door
Some people just can't keep their odd sense of humor to themselves, even when others make it obvious they want nothing to do with it. @SoonToBeeMrsD shared her weird experiences with a neighbor on WeddingBee.
"A neighbor once asked me to poke his huge belly (which he claims was that big because of malnourishment as a child and had nothing to do with his love of Burger King). And also knocked on my door with a dead bat (animal) in one hand and a tennis racket in the other and proudly exclaimed that he had played 'Bat-mitton' and won. Yeah, I kept the door locked when Fiance was not home."
