Redditor Finds Hilariously Petty Way To Deter Neighbor From Hanging Out Outside Their Home

Sometimes neighbors can be a pain.

When certain neighborly situations escalate, the fallout can be stressful and everlasting.

But when some people feel they've been pushed too far, they feel retaliation is the only recourse.

Let the games begin!

Redditor Human_Philosopher339 wanted to discuss their experience and get some feedback, so naturally, they came to the "Am I The A**hole" (AITA) subreddit.

They asked:

""AITA For hanging a bunch of windchimes to deter my neighbor from being outside my home

The Original Poster (OP) explained:

"I rent an A[ccessory] D[welling] U[nit], and a family member rents the main house on the property."

"We both rent from another family member who owns the whole lot."

"Before the ADU was built, this guy had random junk in the backyard and spent a lot of time back there just doing weird sh*t."

"Now the home is built, and the yard space is tiny."

"He went to buy some big thing we knew wouldn't fit in his little junk yard and was told not to because it would block the walkway and he’d have to relocate it anyway."

"And well, that conversation went great, if you consider screaming and threatening physical violence 'great.'"

"Today the monstrosity sits right outside my door, bottlenecking the walkway."

"My guests have to maneuver through his junk and witness him doing his weird little rituals just to get in my house."

"It’s embarrassing; it makes the place look like a salvage yard, and my front window has basically become a live show of buffoonery."

"Six months passed with zero progress."

"So, I went the petty route and hung an irrational amount of wind chimes right outside."

"Do they drive me crazy too? Absolutely."

"It sounds like an aggressive orchestra every time a breeze hits."

"But I’m a woman on a mission, and warfare requires sacrifices."

"Now the main house is pissed, claiming the chimes are bothering their baby."

"I told them the chimes come down the second he stops hanging out outside my window and clears the junk."

"Naturally, the family is divided."

"Most agree he needs to move his junk, but the chimes take things too far."

"Meanwhile, the owner told him to clear it out... got screamed at, and promptly tapped out to keep the peace."

The OP was left to wonder:

"So... AITA?"

Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed in on some options to the question, AITA:

• NTA – Not The A**hole
• YTA – You're The A**hole
• NAH – No A**holes Here
• ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
• INFO - More Information Needed

Redditors declared that OP was NOT the A-hole.

"Look up the number for the fire marshal and fire code enforcement in your town."

"Call them and explain that you are concerned about the number of objects blocking your exit, and you want to know whether or not it's a fire hazard."

"They will come out, they will look at these things, and based on what you're describing, they will issue a notice that this must be corrected ASAP."

"Now it's not your problem." ~ KrofftSurvivor

"Unless OP can somehow confirm the ADU was properly permitted and inspected, it might not be wise to call the authorities on themselves."

"It could backfire with OP being out of a home if the unit isn't legal."

"Not saying this is definitely the case, but the landlord who doesn't give a sh*t if there's a scrapyard on his property would probably be high on the list of people who don't go by the book, lol." ~ DeaconBlues

"Don't threaten to do it."

"Don't breathe a word of it."

"Nobody has to know it was you."

"I mean, they'll guess, but you can deny it."

"Maybe the code enforcement guy was just driving down the street and saw an obvious problem or something."

'Code enforcement does occasionally just... do that, at least in my town." ~ Ippus_21

"NTA, and you have a landlord problem just as much as a neighbor problem."

"And that they're both family?"

"Yikes. I'd move." ~ MusketeersPlus2

"Sometimes, the cheapest way to pay for something is with money."

"Right now you're paying part of your rent with your comfort, your safety, and your ability to easily host friends."

"You need to decide if that is worth less than the money you'd have to spend to rent elsewhere."

"At a minimum, I'd say to tell the landlord that either they need to enforce reasonable standards of how much junk is in the yard, or you'll have to have a conversation with the Fire Marshal - and then follow through."

"As for your original question, no, NTA."

"Baby can be soothed with a white noise machine."

"And if you don't have one, I recommend a nice single-tube wind chime- it gives you some good deep notes to mix with the high tinkly ones." ~ SisterofWar

"NTA. The guy is clearly irrational, and you can only meet that with a higher form of irrationality." ~ bootsmegamix

"NTA. Wind chimes are annoying."

"Physically obstructing your door is illegal and a fire code violation." ~ Beck943

"ESH. The main house renter for being a crappy neighbor."

"You because you rented a place knowing the backyard was being used as a junkyard and that the other tenant spends a lot of time back there and you're now annoyed that the backyard is being used as a junkyard and that the other tenant spends a lot of time there, and your solution is one that will bother everyone in the surrounding area not just the main house." ~ SecurityAwkward7945

"NTA, if the junk is blocking the walkway to your door from the road, it’s on your landlord to get it gone."

"The fact that you have had to do anything is ridiculous."

"They don’t get to keep peace by tolerating things that put tenants in danger during a fire." ~ Perlinian_Willow

"ESH, obviously him more than you."

"I would call the landlord, express that the junk is still there, and say that a friend who visited mentioned that it could be a hazard if there was an emergency and the entrance is blocked."

"Say that you are now worried about it being a hazard, and if the item isn’t moved, you’ll need to call the fire marshal about it because you feel unsafe."

"Additionally, perhaps ask if they can add a temporary fence/barrier around a portion of the yard where the other tenant can’t put anything so that this doesn’t happen again."

"It’s likely that if you bring up that it’s a hazard and you might need to call the fire marshal, they’ll tell the other tenant to move their sh*t rather than get fined." ~ Own-Adhesiveness5723

"NTA. So many people are completely oblivious to others and their impacts on other people."

"Weaponizing wind chimes is a great move." ~ CheeseSandwich

"NTA. It could be a fire hazard."

"Contact the fire dept and tell them he is blocking access to your home."

"Also ask Code Enforcement to drop by; they can fine the owner who seems to think it’s not his problem." ~ murphy2345678

"NTA. It could be a fire hazard."

"Contact the fire dept and tell them he is blocking access to your home."

"Also ask Code Enforcement to drop by; they can fine the owner who seems to think it’s not his problem." ~ murphy2345678

"NTA. Can you move the junk in front of his walkway?"

"If they have a baby, I would hope his partner would make him clean it up pretty quick." ~ the_show_must_go_onn

"If someone was giving me $1000/month for rent, I'd shut my mouth."

"Start carrying pepper spray."

"If he impedes you in any way, spray him."

"He should learn after the 1st time."

"Make sure to have something to cover your eyes."

"It shouldn't be illegal either."

"If I caught him looking at my screens, I would keep a spray bottle of bleach."

"Spray it at his eyes."

"I live in a community where wind chimes are not allowed."

"You disturb every neighbor where you live."

"They will eventually turn on you."

"If you TRULY want it to stop, there are ways you can handle it yourself." ~ Cannagurlie

"NTA, but if his property (ie the junk he bought) is on your landlord's property/the property you lease, then this is a civil matter."

"If you are sure everything is up to code on the properties you rent, then you could call code enforcement because blocking designated egress can be an issue. "

"BUT this could backfire."

"If you're doing things to discourage him from being outside, that's not the A, he's doing the same - putting eyesores in his yard."

"Good fences make better neighbors for a reason." ~ EquivalentTwo1

"NTA. He's blocking access and making it difficult for you to get in and out."

"If he can fill the yard with his stuff, so can you."

"I doubt this will produce a long-term solution, though."

"Maybe talk to your landlord about how you can't keep going like this, and that if he wants to keep getting rent money, he needs to get this under control."

"Seriously, he's not going to get a new tenant if you bail, not if they have to wade through a junkyard to see the place."

"You could also check if there are local zoning rules that he's breaking."

"If they are, report this to them, and they'll deal with his nonsense." ~ Mira_DFalco

OP came back with some updates...

"The owner did tell him that he needed to clear his clutter out because it sits directly in front of my front door and did make it clear before the home was even completed."

"I'm sorry I wrote it in a way that was confusing; I'm trying to be vague."

"To clarify, the junk owner is the renter of the main house."

"The owner of the homes does not live on the property."

This is a rough situation, OP.

Sometimes petty is necessary.

There has to be legal recourse.

Stand your ground.

Good Luck.