Would you/have you asked your neighbor to clean up yard?

[Hrhpd]

You must live right next to our neighbor! We are facing the exact same issue -- even down to the pumpkins on the front steps. It absolutely sickens me that someone can let their yard go (whether they're renting or not), especially when we try so hard to make our yard beautiful. Their yard is all weeds now and they don't mow it, they have crap all over, etc. I told my husband that next year if they do not care for their yard, I will say something to them.

If I were you, I would probably ask them to dispose of their pumpkins if you are comfortable doing so. I would do it myself when they're not home otherwise. I will be disposing of my neighbor's pumpkins pretty soon here.

Wow, that crosses all kinds of boundaries. ad

So because their pumpkins bother *you*, they should get rid of them? Unless you're the one paying the mortgage or rent, you have absolutely no business coming onto that is not yours and throwing things away ~ even rotten pumpkins.

I have to agree that crosses all sorts of boundaries. Squishy, if I found out you came onto my property and threw my property out, even rotting pumpkins, I would be calling the cops and pressing charges for trespassing and theft.

And yes I know that our law enforcement has bigger fish to fry and throwing out pumpkins is a trivial matter. However, if a neighbor was crossing boundaries like this and had the audacity to think it ok to go onto somebody's property and throw things away, I would need to make a strong statement to mind their own business.

 

[sam_gordon]

Where are all the people who say HOA's are evil and don't do anything? Isn't this a prime example of where a HOA would be handy?

 

[Janepod]

Where are all the people who say HOA's are evil and don't do anything? Isn't this a prime example of where a HOA would be handy?

I'm one of those people. I'd still take rotting pumpkins over being told what color I can paint my front door.

 

[Hrhpd]

I had to call the ordinence officer on my neighbors. They have tons of junk and toys in their back yard. Plus, pallets stacked up. They told me that they though rats were living under their deck. I put poison and traps out inbetween our houses. My dogs would try and eat through the fence to get them. My dogs did catch one in our back yard. Yuck.

I had enough. I placed a call on the tip line. I left a message about wood being piled up, finding rat feces next to my trash cans and seeing rat trails leading into their yard.The officer was out in about an hour later. Neighbor had to clean yard. All wood had to be a foot off the ground etc...

The neighbor on the other side of them got a warning for putting out peanuts for squirrels because it also attracts rats.

It was taken care of in a few days.

What you describe is a health hazard.

A couple of rotting pumpkins and an unkempt yard is entirely different.

MYOB OP.

 

[furb & dez]

For what?

If you have a HOA, turn them in. If not, I don't think there's anything you can do.

Most towns have what they call a BLight Officer.
Check & see if your town has one.
If so, and you think it's that bad, give the Blight Officer a call and let him/her handle it if it meets the designation for "blight".

This is why, sam_gordon. If your city has standards, you can turn them in to the city, and the city will then force them to deal with it.

It's much like our city (Phoenix) has a graffiti help line... if you spot graffiti, call the line and the city will have it painted over in days.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

I agree with everyone else, MYOB about their yard.

The only time I had to go to my neighbor was when the wind blew over my neighbor's recycling bins and her trash was all over MY yard. This had happened several times and I was tired of picking it up. I finally went over and asked her to do it. I think that would be the only time it is acceptable to talk to your neighbor about yard debris.

 

[clarkshel]

I can call 311 in the city I live in to report any bylaw infractions. I have called numerous times to report long weeds, excess garbage in yards, and if they don't shovel snow on their sidewalks. IMO, I pay good money for my house and I don't want lazy neighbors lower my property values. I do give my neighbors time to clean their junk up before I report them, but if it is still there after 4 months, time for it to go.

My closest neighbor is really nice, but very lazy. When he does finally cut his grass, he stacks the bagged clippings between our houses. But he doesn't do anything else with then. At the end of this summer there was about 10 garbage bags of clippings there. When he went on vacation I put them out with his trash pickup because I was tired of looking at them.

I just can't believe how lazy some people are. It doesn't take hardly any wok to look after your yard.

 

[JaneBanks]

I'm one of those people. I'd still take rotting pumpkins over being told what color I can paint my front door.

Ditto!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Can you contact the owner? Since the renters are doing nothing to care for the lawn, the owner should send someone on regular schedule to at least mow.

 

[disney1990]

Excessively long grass, I would say something. Pumpkins on the porch, I would not.

 

[2ndGeer]

I just want to jump in and say that my yard can get a bit neglected, not hoardersville or anything but weeds and random toys, but I do my best. I work full time, I'm a full time wife and mother, and go to grad school. My husband works about 60 hours a week and spends most of his time after work helping care for our DD so I can do homework. I know that there are people who are superhuman and can keep their homes perfect inside and out while still working, but we are not them. Again, we do our best. I remember my single mom worked a lot and our yard could get a bit neglected, but instead of complaining our wonderful retired neighbors pitched in to help her. Instead of complaining about it, have you asked them if they would like some help with their yard? If you approached it in a nice way such as, "I know your busy and I would like to lend you a hand with this," you might be surprised by the results. I know if someone offered to help us on an overwhelming day, I would be brought to tears by their kindness. Don't always assume these things happen out of lazyness, they just may be overwhelmed. Just a thought, I might be wrong, they could just plain be lazy, but try not to judge too harshly.

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

I just want to jump in and say that my yard can get a bit neglected, not hoardersville or anything but weeds and random toys, but I do my best. I work full time, I'm a full time wife and mother, and go to grad school. My husband works about 60 hours a week and spends most of his time after work helping care for our DD so I can do homework. I know that there are people who are superhuman and can keep their homes perfect inside and out while still working, but we are not them. Again, we do our best. I remember my single mom worked a lot and our yard could get a bit neglected, but instead of complaining our wonderful retired neighbors pitched in to help her. Instead of complaining about it, have you asked them if they would like some help with their yard? If you approached it in a nice way such as, "I know your busy and I would like to lend you a hand with this," you might be surprised by the results. I know if someone offered to help us on an overwhelming day, I would be brought to tears by their kindness. Don't always assume these things happen out of lazyness, they just may be overwhelmed. Just a thought, I might be wrong, they could just plain be lazy, but try not to judge too harshly.

Excellent post.

 

[Becky2005]

It would just cause bitterness. I'm still annoyed by our back neighbor who caught me off guard after a weekend away as I was unpacking the car to complain to me about the backyard -- to which my DH had planned to mow that day anyway (but heck, I didn't know it since I hadn't even gotten in the house yet and I was already tired from a long drive & cranky -- I think she did offer to mow but all I kept thinking was she would then be the type to sue us if there were any problems since she is coming over here to complain). If I recall that was a particularly crazy busy summer for us so the front got mowed way more often than the back because that was all we had time for.

Unfortunately, I have a very negative view of her now and that was several years ago.

 

[sam_gordon]

This is why, sam_gordon. If your city has standards, you can turn them in to the city, and the city will then force them to deal with it.

And if your city doesn't? What if you don't live in the city? We're in a nice neighborhood, but it's part of the county. I have a hard time believing MOST cities would take care of this.

 

[Pigeon]

No, I most certainly wouldn't say anything.

I'm responsible for my yard, not being the neighborhood busybody. If things like porch pumpkins bothered me, I'd move to one of those Stepford HOA developments.

And I would be beyond annoyed if taxpayer dollars were being spent on Porch Pumpkin Police, but fortunately, my town is more sensible.

 

[MrsDuck]

No, their yard, their mess. Unless they are breaking some covenant/ neighborhood rules, just ignore them. (As hard as it may be ) Maybe they just keep forgetting to put the pumpkins in the garbage.

Exactly.

 

[disney1990]

And if your city doesn't? What if you don't live in the city? We're in a nice neighborhood, but it's part of the county. I have a hard time believing MOST cities would take care of this.

Our county would do something if it were long grass, but pumpkins on the porch -- no. We have an HOA, but we don't control what people do with their properties. No Stepford HOA here.

 

[clarkshel]

I just want to jump in and say that my yard can get a bit neglected, not hoardersville or anything but weeds and random toys, but I do my best. I work full time, I'm a full time wife and mother, and go to grad school. My husband works about 60 hours a week and spends most of his time after work helping care for our DD so I can do homework. I know that there are people who are superhuman and can keep their homes perfect inside and out while still working, but we are not them. Again, we do our best.

That is not a very good excuse. I work 50 hours/week. My wife works full time and is taking her Masters. She is a teacher, so she has extra work in the evenings too. It doesn't take very long to mow the lawn. I spend about an hour every week mowing the front and back. I still have lots of time left over to care for my two young sons while the wife does her work and homework. We are far from superhuman. Instead of sitting on the couch watching TV for hours a night, I can look after my kids and do whatever work needs to be done around the house. I guess it depends in people's priorities in life. I guessing these neighbors the OP was mentioning are not too busy to do the work, probably just too lazy.

 

[sam_gordon]

That is not a very good excuse. I work 50 hours/week. My wife works full time and is taking her Masters. She is a teacher, so she has extra work in the evenings too. It doesn't take very long to mow the lawn. I spend about an hour every week mowing the front and back. I still have lots of time left over to care for my two young sons while the wife does her work and homework. We are far from superhuman. Instead of sitting on the couch watching TV for hours a night, I can look after my kids and do whatever work needs to be done around the house. I guess it depends in people's priorities in life. I guessing these neighbors the OP was mentioning are not too busy to do the work, probably just too lazy.

I guess it depends on people's individual situations. It could be what hours people work, to the size of their lawn to what the weather's like, to what else is happening in their lives.

FWIW, no, having a perfectly manicured lawn is NOT one of my priorities. I do mow and occasionally trim (or have someone else do it), but that's about it.

 

[foreUT]

I have to pick up the neighbor's dogs' poop in my yard, so pumpkins in their yard probably would not concern me, but if it really upsets you: would you be comfortable telling the renters that you *thought* you *might* have seen a rodent nibbling on the pumpkin? Might leave them a note to that effect.