Neighbor issue!

[daisy2jae]

We moved into our house Nov 09 after it was finished. We were looking forward to the nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors since our last one was terrible. Our neighbor to the west is very nice. The neighbor to the easy was very quiet only said hi once when we met at the mailbox. I just figured he was a private person but wasn't rude. Then after a year of being here he put his house on the market and has moved out of state due to a job transfer. (Not a big deal sorry but we didn't know him much) He's always hired out his snow removal and lawn care. We've noticed since he has left snow removal hasn't happened. We've had a terrible winter and lots of snow with wind. I just keep turning my head the other way and figured it will be done when they can. Today I went out to get the mail and there was a truck backed up to their garage door. At first sight I thought maybe someone was trying to break into the house and steal who knows what. It's empty to my knowledge unless the house is staged for the sale. As I was walking back to my house the man yelled over at me "you know the neighbor thing to do is clean your neighbors sidewalks and driveway when they are gone and have their house on the market". I couldn't believe what he just said to me. First the neighbor never talked to me. Second he has always hired it out. Third if you say something like that to me I'm NOT going to do it. All my previous neighbor had to do is ask me. I'm the first person to help someone but not to a person who never talked to me. I called the person that had the house listed. They said they have the work hired out but the guy hasn't been doing the work. He claims the hrs to get paid but doesn't remove the snow. Am I just over reacting or would anyone else be bothered by this. I was angry that an unknown man would say something to me like that. Plus he's the guy hired to come move snow after it snows. It's not my job! Perhaps if the previous neighbor would have asked before he left I would have.

 

[mrsv98]

We moved into our house Nov 09 after it was finished. We were looking forward to the nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors since our last one was terrible. Our neighbor to the west is very nice. The neighbor to the easy was very quiet only said hi once when we met at the mailbox. I just figured he was a private person but wasn't rude. Then after a year of being here he put his house on the market and has moved out of state due to a job transfer. (Not a big deal sorry but we didn't know him much) He's always hired out his snow removal and lawn care. We've noticed since he has left snow removal hasn't happened. We've had a terrible winter and lots of snow with wind. I just keep turning my head the other way and figured it will be done when they can. Today I went out to get the mail and there was a truck backed up to their garage door. At first sight I thought maybe someone was trying to break into the house and steal who knows what. It's empty to my knowledge unless the house is staged for the sale. As I was walking back to my house the man yelled over at me "you know the neighbor thing to do is clean your neighbors sidewalks and driveway when they are gone and have their house on the market". I couldn't believe what he just said to me. First the neighbor never talked to me. Second he has always hired it out. Third if you say something like that to me I'm NOT going to do it. All my previous neighbor had to do is ask me. I'm the first person to help someone but not to a person who never talked to me. I called the person that had the house listed. They said they have the work hired out but the guy hasn't been doing the work. He claims the hrs to get paid but doesn't remove the snow. Am I just over reacting or would anyone else be bothered by this. I was angry that an unknown man would say something to me like that. Plus he's the guy hired to come move snow after it snows. It's not my job! Perhaps if the previous neighbor would have asked before he left I would have.

Was it the neighbor who is moving who yelled at you or the guy he hired to remove the snow? If it is the former then he has some nerve, if the latter it sounds like he is worried about being busted for not doing his job. Either way it shouldn't be your problem for much longer so let it roll off your back and think spring!

 

[NikitaZee]

What was your response? If he said that to me, there would have been a big argument right then and there!

 

[hereyago]

I believe it was the guy who was supposed to take care of the snow-the one who was hired out-but he doesn't do it. OP, I cant repeat what i would have said-lol.

 

[freckles and boo]

This isn't a neighbor issue. It is an issue with the real estate company. Someone they hired was obnoxious to you. I don't know what you can do about it beyond complain to the company. Unless he was truly abusive or threatening I would have written him off as a jerk and walked away.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

In my previous neighborhood, we had sidewalks. I lived on a corner lot, so I had a whole lot of sidewalk to clear.

At any rate, the first person out to clear snow (between me and my next door neighbor) always cleared the sidewalks in front of both of our houses. I would do the side walkway later if he beat me to the punch. This was not a formal agreement, just something that we did for one another - and it started long before we became friends. We never discussed it, we just did it. Only the front walkways - not driveways - unless the other family was out of town.

Well, one day I asked him why he never cleared the sidewalk of the guy on the other side of his home. He said that the guy was a jerk (turned out to be true). I could go into detail, but suffice to say that the guy was a bad neighbor for many reasons.

The moral of the story - good neighbors help one another out, but they don't let bad neighbors walk all over them. We still talk to and visit those neighbors, even though they moved out of state and we left the old neighborhood. Good friends are hard to replace...

 

[daisy2jae]

Our neighbor to the west is wonderful and we each help each other out. Even when we got 18" of snow one night and we helped each other out. Nothing was said we just did it. A smile and nod was enough. Yes it's not a neighbor issue I guess wrong way to title it. It was the man hired either by the old neighbor or the company listing the house. I called them and all they said was they know they are having problems with him. I guess I was shocked that he expected me to be doing it. (The guy hired....sry they are paying you not me and he wasn't a friendly neighbor.) I wanted to vent.

 

[daisy2jae]

What was your response? If he said that to me, there would have been a big argument right then and there!

I walked away after telling him it wasn't my job. Usually I'd have discussed this in a manner that he'd know I wasn't happy. However it was 2:15 and in 15-30 minutes my 12 daycare kids would be up. I needed to get back inside and cool off. Didn't think my mood would be too happy if I stayed outside. Who knows maybe I'd actually have felt better letting him know what I really thought. Either way at least the company who hired him knows I'm not happy.

 

[manning]

What I find amazing is the real estate company is paying the guy for work not done....duh.

 

[Disney Doll]

The guy was an idiot who wanted you to do HIS job that he wasn't doing so he wouldn't get into trouble in the event that the owner or someone keeping an eye on things for the owner went by.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

The guy was an idiot who wanted you to do HIS job that he wasn't doing so he wouldn't get into trouble in the event that the owner or someone keeping an eye on things for the owner went by.

Yeah, sounds like he was angry because he was found out. Instead of accepting responsibility, he decided to blame the OP...

 

[Mermaid02]

What I find amazing is the real estate company is paying the guy for work not done....duh.

Yeah- they ought to be showing the house or having agents from other agencies showing the house- they should have known it wasn't getting done.

Make a note of the business name on the truck and warn everyone you know NOT to use them!

 

[Kath2003]

I wouldn't sweat it. It's not your job to take care of anyone's property other than your own. It would be NICE if you took care of a good neighbour's property if they had asked you to whilst they were away, but he didn't. So I'd forget it and move on.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

He got busted and now he is taking it out on you. Neighborly thing to clean snow off for a vacant house? Um...nope.

 

[ferris198]

I believe it was the guy who was supposed to take care of the snow-the one who was hired out-but he doesn't do it. OP, I cant repeat what i would have said-lol.

I would have nicely told him to shove a shovel up his rectum.

 

[hereyago]

I would have nicely told him to shove a shovel up his rectum.

Sideways-lol, sorry I am a sassy girl today.

 

[chamonix]

well sure it's neighborly--if there was an actual neighbor living there. LOL Why would you clean snow for an empty house? If the owner was that concerned about it being "on the market" he would have asked you to keep an eye on it.

I also live on a corner with a LOT of sidewalk so believe me, I do a ton of shoveling. We also shovel for the neighbor to one side because they are in their 80s with heart problems and can't do it--AND because they are awesome, lovely people whom we love. (like grandparents to my dd--we have no family here and their grown kids live far away too)

Neighbor on the other side? Not so nice, and has several able-bodied grown children in town, and even one who lives with her! So, she gets helped only occasionally--maybe once a year.