do we have any rights--rental property next door

[starry_solo]

You can always file a lawsuit. Of course it would cost you money (no lawyer would take this kind of case on a contingency) but it's something you can do.

 

[disneyjunkie]

File a lawsuit for what?

 

[barkley]

File a lawsuit for what?

in some states there are laws on the books wherein a property owner can be sued if their property/inhabitants of their property deprives the reasonable enjoyment of the adjoining owner of his/her property to a material degree.

i had a coworker who banded together with a group of neighbors to sue a landlord over a rental on their street that the police were called to constantly due to fights, noise complaints and drug activities. before it went to trial the landlord evicted the tenants and sold the property. years ago we had a rental across the street from the home we owned wherein the husband used the garage as his man cave-door went up the minute he got home each night and stayed open while he and his friends got loudly drunk until his wife inevitably came out and had a screaming match with him until the cops would show up and shut it down. i found out who the property owner was and left a message on his voice mail saying i didn't know if he was aware of the situation but that it was impeding on the enjoyment of our property and reminding him of the law....same neighbors were noticeably quieter from then on.

 

[dotfurio]

I also think you should contact the homeowner/tribe. Do they know they are damaging the house and how many times the various neighbors have called the police?

 

[pfp258]

Yes, it does sound like closeted racism. It is important for all Americans to understand that Europeans came to this land we now call home and stripped it away (by violence and intimidation) from the Native Americans. What we call a disgrace and are shocked to hear is happening in other parts of the world, ethnic cleansing, is what happened here in the good old U.S.A.
The OP have a right to call the police if they are the victim of a crime or see a crime being committed. Bad neighbors who do things you don’t like is unfortunate. But is this land of the free, people can throw bricks through their own windows if they choose. If you don’t like the behavior of your neighbors you are free to change your place of living, but not their behavior.

 

[pfp258]

I also think you should contact the homeowner/tribe. Do they know they are damaging the house and how many times the various neighbors have called the police?

If people want to damage the house they live in, they are free to do so. If they don’t own the home, and a landlord is involved, smart landlords should check their properties!

 

[PollyannaMom]

People are much more likely to take you seriously if your complaints do not sound as if they might have a racial bias wrapped up in them.

This, and I'd ditch the name-calling ("scumbags"..."morons"...) as well. It will likely lead to you not being taken as seriously.

That said, I still don't think it's a bad idea to call the police if you see illegal drug activity going on, and to contact the landlord about the state of the property.

 

[Dznypal]

ok Disney junkie would you want to be woken at 4am with loud noises cars in and out-broken window so many people living in the house you don't know whos supposed be living there--possible drug deals

how would you feel if you couldn't have your grandkids overnight because of this house--

using the front lawn as a bathroom--their driveway is right next to our house--just wondering if they ever used our house for aiming while going

and why do we have to put up with this

as far as moving I explained earlier that what we would sell our house for ( and we haven't had a house payment in 5 years) wed have to take at least 50 to 85 thousand loan to buy where we went--house prices in the suburbs are way out of hand--and people are paying more then asking just to get the house

and whos going to give us a loan for that amount at our age were both 62 on social security and DH gets a pension plus we both work very limited part time

so this is why were so totally stuck

ok maybe mentioning the tribe wasn't the smartest thing but you get so frustrated that things just keep coming out

all I want is to be able to feel safe in my own home--have my grandkids over especially overnight --which has all been taken away from me by these "people"

oh well nothing much we can do--the police did tell us to call when we see things over there so that's why we call--but then talk is cheap

 

[Dznypal]

ok Disney junkie would you want to be woken at 4am with loud noises cars in and out-broken window so many people living in the house you don't know whos supposed be living there--possible drug deals

how would you feel if you couldn't have your grandkids overnight because of this house--

using the front lawn as a bathroom--their driveway is right next to our house--just wondering if they ever used our house for aiming while going

and why do we have to put up with this

as far as moving I explained earlier that what we would sell our house for ( and we haven't had a house payment in 5 years) wed have to take at least 50 to 85 thousand loan to buy where we went--house prices in the suburbs are way out of hand--and people are paying more then asking just to get the house

and whos going to give us a loan for that amount at our age were both 62 on social security and DH gets a pension plus we both work very limited part time

so this is why were so totally stuck

ok maybe mentioning the tribe wasn't the smartest thing but you get so frustrated that things just keep coming out

all I want is to be able to feel safe in my own home--have my grandkids over especially overnight --which has all been taken away from me by these "people"

oh well nothing much we can do--the police did tell us to call when we see things over there so that's why we call--but then talk is cheap

 

[Dznypal]

oops sorry don't know how this happened

 

[disneyjunkie]

ok Disney junkie would you want to be woken at 4am with loud noises cars in and out-broken window so many people living in the house you don't know whos supposed be living there--possible drug deals

how would you feel if you couldn't have your grandkids overnight because of this house--

using the front lawn as a bathroom--their driveway is right next to our house--just wondering if they ever used our house for aiming while going

and why do we have to put up with this

as far as moving I explained earlier that what we would sell our house for ( and we haven't had a house payment in 5 years) wed have to take at least 50 to 85 thousand loan to buy where we went--house prices in the suburbs are way out of hand--and people are paying more then asking just to get the house

and whos going to give us a loan for that amount at our age were both 62 on social security and DH gets a pension plus we both work very limited part time

so this is why were so totally stuck

ok maybe mentioning the tribe wasn't the smartest thing but you get so frustrated that things just keep coming out

all I want is to be able to feel safe in my own home--have my grandkids over especially overnight --which has all been taken away from me by these "people"

oh well nothing much we can do--the police did tell us to call when we see things over there so that's why we call--but then talk is cheap

I live in Brooklyn, New York. Loud noise are common. Kids on my block and the block behind me are blasting fireworks all night long. This will be occurring for the next two weeks. Fireworks are illegal here. Are my neighbors and I calling the cops? Nope


I don't sit on my stoop or in the window watching the comings and goings of my neighbors and their guests. The idea that you should know who is supposed to be living in that house is bizarre to me. You don't isn the property so who really lives there is none of your business.

 

[dotfurio]

If people want to damage the house they live in, they are free to do so. If they don’t own the home, and a landlord is involved, smart landlords should check their properties!

It’s another option for the neighbors to maybe get the tennants to straighten up or move out. When we had bad renters next to us the landlord appreciated us contacting him. He lived 3 hours away and a random drive by the property when he was in town is not the overall picture.

 

[VandVsmama]

The ethnicity of the tenants next door to the OP is beside the point. A lot of people here are hanging onto that. But if the OP had no mentioned one thing about the ethnic origins of the next door neighbors, all of you would be basically agreeing with the OP and offering support.

So consider this....
Put the ethnicity aside and just look at the tenants behavior. Put yourself in the OP's shoes. The OP & her DH are afraid for their safety. The tenants' behavior is concerning enough that the OP's son will no longer allow his children to be over at the OP's home unless he is over there with his kids. Why? Because he doesn't trust the neighbors.

So what should the OP do aside from move?

• install some motion-sensing lights on the outside of their home
• look at the outside of their house from the point of view of somebody trying to break in. Are there any trees or bushes that should be trimmed because they're blocking the windows or doors?
• if you don't lock the side gate to your backyard yet, get a heavy duty lock and start using it.
• buy 1 of those Ring doorbells...the ones that have built in cameras that will alert you on your cell phone whenever somebody is at the door.
• install some security cameras on the back of the house, too
• hire an alarm service/security company to set up a security system for your home and put 1 of their small security signs in your front yard
• continue calling the police every time something nefarious goes on next door

 

[ronandannette]

It’s another option for the neighbors to maybe get the tennants to straighten up or move out. When we had bad renters next to us the landlord appreciated us contacting him. He lived 3 hours away and a random drive by the property when he was in town is not the overall picture.

It was a similar situation here - our former neighbor apparently had NO IDEA the tenants he'd originally rented to had moved and illegally sub-let the place to their music-blasting, pot-smoking, non-dog-mess-picker-upper college kids. He didn't have a professional property management firm and whenever he planned routine inspections the parents came back and pretended to still be living there. We didn't know he didn't know, and along with many other neighbours were totally fed up with the situation. It was actually the condo board that got in touch with him (we personally didn't have his contact info or we certainly would have used it). He turned things around as immediately as possible once he'd been fully informed.

 

[NHdisneylover]

ok maybe mentioning the tribe wasn't the smartest thing but you get so frustrated that things just keep coming out

all I want is to be able to feel safe in my own home--have my grandkids over especially overnight --which has all been taken away from me by these "people"

oh well nothing much we can do--the police did tell us to call when we see things over there so that's why we call--but then talk is cheap

Frustration at any one particular set of neighbor should not lead to racism. Also, putting "people" in quotes, as if to imply that the neighbors are somehow less than or not actually people also comes across as racist.

So much of what the neighbors is doing sounds very frustrating--some of it legal (people coming and going at various hours is not illegal anywhere that I am aware of) and some perhaps not (overly noisy late at night, urinating outside, etc)

Nothing you describe sounds dangerous or targeted at you, so I am not sure why you feel unsafe in your home, nor why your grandson is not allowed to visit overnight. Are you certain your son is worried about the neighbors and not using that as an excuse to deny overnight visits for other reasons?

 

[NHdisneylover]

The ethnicity of the tenants next door to the OP is beside the point. A lot of people here are hanging onto that. But if the OP had no mentioned one thing about the ethnic origins of the next door neighbors, all of you would be basically agreeing with the OP and offering support.

So consider this....
Put the ethnicity aside and just look at the tenants behavior. Put yourself in the OP's shoes. The OP & her DH are afraid for their safety. The tenants' behavior is concerning enough that the OP's son will no longer allow his children to be over at the OP's home unless he is over there with his kids. Why? Because he doesn't trust the neighbors.

So what should the OP do aside from move?

• install some motion-sensing lights on the outside of their home
• look at the outside of their house from the point of view of somebody trying to break in. Are there any trees or bushes that should be trimmed because they're blocking the windows or doors?
• if you don't lock the side gate to your backyard yet, get a heavy duty lock and start using it.
• buy 1 of those Ring doorbells...the ones that have built in cameras that will alert you on your cell phone whenever somebody is at the door.
• install some security cameras on the back of the house, too
• hire an alarm service/security company to set up a security system for your home and put 1 of their small security signs in your front yard
• continue calling the police every time something nefarious goes on next door

I totally agree that the ethnicity of the neighbors should not be a factor---it is the OP who put it front and center in multiple posts even though it ought not have a thing to do with the issue---thus my concern that she is seeing things in a distorted way---and if not, she is going to be taken much less seriously by others when airing her complaints if she continues to place that ethnicity in her complaints.

You do offer good advice The motion sensing lights and locking gate being the two things which probably offer the most added safety, and for the least cost.
While the OP says she feels unsafe---and the neighbors actions are certainly annoying, nothing posted sounds threatening or dangerous---so I am not sure how truly concerning safety issues are---or if that is just a way of making complaints sound more valid.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Trust me, it's just as frustrating for the officers as it is for you. They get the same calls day after day about the same people but often there's nothing within the law that warrants them taking further action other than giving warnings or citations. Just be polite each time you call (and call the non-emergency number) and let them know what you're seeing and document what you can. Eventually the cops will arrive while they're in the middle of doing something that's an arrestable offense.

You have limited rights. Best advice is this quoted reply.

Believe me the police are also sick of this behavior, but the only thing you can do is continue to document and report to them. Eventually they will find some legal way to deal with this.

Keep your property safe and I hope this doesn't take too much longer to resolve...

The racist element in this story is very likely a struggle with the Reality of Law and Jurisdiction when dealing with the Indian Affairs office (do they still call it that in the USA?). If the responsible parties (landlord) have a legal address on the reservation, if it comes to drawing up a warrant and serving papers for court... well the regular police do not have the jurisdiction to come onto reservation land and serve said warrant...

 

[VandVsmama]

The OP has legitimate concerns. Lots of traffic in & out of the house is a legitimate concern as well as loud drunken fights in the front of the house at 4:00 am. So what do you do when you hear your next door neighbors screaming at each other time after time in the middle of the night like that? What do you do when it sounds like they're having a physical altercation with someone?

You call the police. You report what you heard. If it sounds like a domestic dispute, then you tell the police that it sounds like that.

What else do you do? You get a security camera mounted at the roof line of your house on the neighbor's side of your house so if anybody trespasses onto your property, you have evidence.

It starts as small stuff, but it can escalate into bigger stuff. It starts out with some weeds here or there, then junk starts to collect in the front yard, followed by a broken down car or 2. Then parties all the time and loud fights in the middle of the night. Then a million people coming and going all the time on a street that normally is pretty quiet. Maybe the tenants themselves don't break into people's homes and burglarize, but maybe their friends do. Or maybe the drug addicts coming and going from there do. It's only a matter of time. THAT is why the OP is concerned.

Make friends with your other neighbors and compare notes.

The house next door to my sister's is a rental house. She lives in another part of the country, but owns a home in this state as well and uses it as a vacation home. When she first bought the house, there was 1 set of tenants who were really nice and took good care of the house. Then they moved out and a new set of renters moved in. That's when the issues started. First, it was random junk in the front yard. And yes, there is an HOA. The HOA has sent letters to the lanlord many times but the lanlord (who lives 15 min away and doesn't care) does nothing about it. Then old furniture started to show up in the front yard. Weeds started growing and the next door neighbors did nothing about it.

Then they got a gigantic dog (like Great Dane sized dog) and kept the dog outside all day and all night. They never picked up after that poor animal and the dog poo was so much that you could smell it from my sister's back yard. That dog would bark incessantly 24 hours a day.

After about a year, that dog disappeared and they got a smaller dog which hardly ever barks.

There are multiple adults living in the place...a man & woman who appear to be a couple and now they have 2 children. And usually there is a revolving door of 1 other adult male, usually in his 20s. Their garage is crammed full of stuff so they can't park any of their 4 vehicles in the garage. The stupid HOA has a rule where you can't park your car on the street at night. My sister gets letters telling her to move her car from the street. The HOA assumes that any car parked on the street in front of her house belongs to her or her guets. She has complained to the HOA about it yet the letters continue.

And then there is the renters' trailer of junk.

For 3 years now, about once or twice a month, this long flat bed trailer (with a hitch that you hitch up to your pick up truck) shows up. Usually parked on the street in front of my sister's house. It's full of a mish mash of furniture, boxes willed with stuff, sometimes a mattress, etc. It looks like they're going to move out, right? No. They don't move out. They just move the junky trailer around.

The straw that broke the camel's back was this 1 time when not only was the trailer parked in front of my sister's house, but then the renters propped up an old dirty mattress on the side of the trailer and the mattress was actually sitting ON my sister's property. My sister complained to the HOA and they said that they won't be going out there to do a survey of the neighborhood until 2 weeks from then. So my sister called the police non-emergency line to inquire about whether there were any city ordinances against this sort of thing. (yes, there are).

The police must have gone out there and spoken to the neighbors because the very next day, the trailer was gone and has never shown up there after that. The neighbors' front yard junk is still there, but now they are no longer using my sister's property as their personal dumping ground as well.

ALL of the other neighbors had complained to the HOA as well.

My sister's renter neighbors are stupid, selfish, clueless, trashy people. Thankfully, fear of a court date and a fine of a few hundred dollars scared them into compliance but it sounds like the OP's neighbors do not fear jail time.

 

[gillep]

We had terrible renters living three houses down from us, apparently they had been there over 13 years (we moved in 3 years ago) with the issues starting out small and escalating over time to the point that finally the landlords had enough and evicted them a couple weeks ago. Many evenings my husband was unable to get to our home because of the 6 police cars blocking our cul-de-sac, because yet again they were arresting someone at this house.

The saddest part is that there was a little girl living full time at the residence, I cannot even comprehend how the adults in this situation allowed everything that we witnessed to continue in front of this child, in addition to those things that we were not privy to.

Anyway, like I said the neighbors had to deal with this for almost 10 years and nothing happened until the landlord was finally convinced that it wasn't worth her time dealing with all of the neighbors' complaints and she went through the lengthy CA eviction process. Apparently two of my other neighbors documented everything they saw with pictures and gave them to the landlord to use during the proceedings. Now that they are out and the landlord has once again accessed the house she realizes that they trashed the place, and she has a lot of very costly repairs and replacements ahead of her before she can rent again. She truly was an absent landlord and admitted that she never even drove by the property once she rented it out, so no, not all landlords are on top of these things.

I am so thankful for my next door neighbor who is also a landlord but very on top of his property and tenants, and also for the lovely family he has currently living in the house next to us.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Or stop focusing on your neighbors in such a negative way. Keep busy in your lives and wear ear plugs so you aren’t woken at 4am. It is not great to have neighbors that have different habits or ways of living than you do, but they have the right to live in their house the way they would like. The world needs a little more acceptance and tolerance. People can get so involved in the negative.

Negative would be to nitpick at everything they do for the sake of nitpicking not for reasons such as a reasonable expectation of peaceful living. It's not their house, the OP stated it was rented to them. And you are able to do things inside your home to a point. There are local ordinances all around the country for that reason. Because the property is on tribe land may present a grey area.

But is this land of the free, people can throw bricks through their own windows if they choose. If you don’t like the behavior of your neighbors you are free to change your place of living, but not their behavior.

lol I love the land of the free part. I think we all know it's land of the free with certain restrictions. Damage of property not owned by you is against the law in general though again tribe land may be the grey area. The residents inside the home do not actually own the property themselves as in they are on the deeds. And while I don't know the proximity to the homes if that brick hit someone that becomes a big issue regardless if they had owned the property.