Having difficult neighbors is the worst, and they can really ruin the experience of enjoying a new home.
But on the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit, one guy and his neighbors debated who qualified as the “difficult neighbor.”
Redditor sleepinghammock wholeheartedly didn’t understand where his neighbors were coming from in their complaints.
But after they repeatedly confronted him about his use of his backyard, the Original Poster (OP) wondered if he was in the wrong.
He asked the sub:
“AITA for refusing to sleep inside my house to make my neighbors feel less uncomfortable?”
The OP recently moved into a new home.
“I (29 [Male]) recently just bought a house a few months ago and right next door to me is this older couple around their 50’s, I’d say.”
“We don’t really interact much except for the occasional good morning.”
“It’s been crazy hot these past couple of weeks. My air conditioner is busted and I’m too lazy to go out to buy a new one.”
“The air is cool at night but inside the house, it’s still pretty hot even with the fan on. I’m not comfortable having the windows open due to recent break-ins around the neighborhood.”
“Out in the backyard, I have a hammock set up so one night around 11 pm, I’m tossing and turning, trying to sleep. Then I thought, screw it, grabbed my pillow, and went outside to sleep on my hammock. Lemme say it was peaceful as h**l.”
But his neighbors weren’t particularly appreciative of how he used his property.
“2nd night, the neighbors next door called the cops because they thought I was a homeless man. Had to explain to the cops that I’m the owner of the house.”
“The day after, the husband came to me and he asked if I could not do that because it’s not really ‘appropriate.'”
“I apologized if I scared them that time they called the cops but it’s pretty hot in my house and honestly, I like sleeping out in the cool air. That’s what I’ve been doing the last few days.”
“Now the wife isn’t happy because in the mornings (I’m talking like 7 am) she and her friends sit out on her yard to have coffee while they chat. Now, I’m not close to them, but because there’s only a small gate that divides our yards, they can see me from where they hang out.”
“She’s telling me it makes her uncomfortable me being there (totally unconscious so it’s not like I’m even listening to them) and they feel like they can’t properly converse.”
But the OP didn’t see why he needed to change his routine.
“They’ve both asked me a few times to stop it and I already said no. It’s quiet and peaceful, I get a good night’s rest, and it’s my house.”
“I’m not normally this kind of guy who gets mixed up in conflicts, but this really irked me.”
“Her husband called me a bunch of things that overall point to them believing I’m an a**hole for not wanting to comply.”
“Don’t know why it’s such an issue, so I wanted to see what others think if I’m an a**hole or not?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some simply said it was his property, and he could sleep outside if he wanted to.
“End of the day, it’s his garden, and he sleeps much better there than inside. NTA, clearly” – augustin27
“You are NTA. My brother and his friend would have sleepovers and would sleep outside under the stars on an air mattress. We had a hammock and I took a nap in it. I see nothing wrong with you sleeping in your hammock on your property.” – Captainbabygirl767
“It’s his house, his yard. He can sleep wherever he wants in that.”
“If they don’t want to see him while sitting outside, they should move inside. Because it would mean he would never be able to sit outside? Or maybe they should change the fence so they’ll not see him anymore.”
“Edit to add: NTA” – missgingercat
Others affirmed the OP didn’t need to justify anything to the neighbors.
“The thing is, he doesn’t need to justify ANYTHING to his neighbors about sleeping, OR for that matter being in his hammock at 7 am which his neighbor’s wife also has a problem with, assuming he’s still asleep front the night before when she’s out with her fellow witches.”
“He just needs to check his burglary logic.”
“But sleep in the fookin hammock all ye want.”
“ETA – NTA” – explosivve
“If he also woke early and was drinking coffee in his yard as well would they ask him to stop? It’s unreasonable to expect someone to stay out of their garden because you’re in your garden next door.” – zivilstand
“To summarize OP’s situations, the neighbors are complaining that OP using his yard is preventing them from using their yard.”
“Their proposed solution is for him to stop using his yard.”
“Which is f**king ridiculous.” – daemin
“Would the neighbors be upset if OP decided to have his morning coffee in the yard at 7 am? It seems like the sleeping outside isn’t the issue as much as they want privacy for their morning gossip-fest and conversations and are upset that he is there.”
“But, he’s allowed to be in his yard at any and all times of the day, especially since he isn’t being noisy or naked or inappropriate.”
“Neighbors need to go somewhere else to chat, put on a white noise machine near them if they are nervous to be overheard, or come up with some other solution that doesn’t involve ‘forcing’ a homeowner to forgo enjoying his property. NTA” – wearealreadyhere
Though the neighbors seem to be a little uncomfortable, the subReddit supported the OP in his decision to use his hammock at nighttime.
As long as he isn’t being noisy, or vandalizing their property, or causing a threat, what’s the harm?