[kitty3030]

Hi, this is my first time using this site so hello:) ,

My problem is I have very annoying neighbors:mad: , it started when we first moved into our new house, we had only been in the house for two days and that's when they first came over to say hi, well that's when it started there kids were over every day NOT invited while we were trying to unpack, they came in and ate all our food without asking they just walk in the front door without knocking and we have lots of animals and I'm scared they will run out, plus they bring there big dog over and its not fair on our dogs while we have to tie them up and they let there dog run loose, we've tried to tell them but they don't get it, we just had a pool built and we can't even enjoy it because we live on a corner and they are always walking or driving by and catch us out there and they drop there kids off, they come over on all the holidays we were just about to eat our thanksgiving dinner and they came over WITH the dog and the dog nearly ate the turkey, this will sound funny, they even came over on christmas day they drove past really slow to see what we were doing they did a u turn and pulled in the driveway:eek: , we had family over so we all just ran and hid because we couldn't deal with it , they bash our door when they are locked so we can open up and if our doors are open they walk right in and say they are hungry for food and go into our pantry and help thenselves to our food they don't just eat one thing they finish it all off then its not fair on my kids when they go to get something its all gone so I end up feeding the neighbors kids and my own kids miss out, we have never made it clear to them that we like this we try to drop hints and make comments without being horrible, they call nearly every day and we try to ignore the calls, we just don't know what to do anymore, we also have other neighbors there not as bad but when when we see then there in our house again eating our food running round the house doing whatever they want.
We are so annoyed that we are thinking about moving but we love the house and it's a shame it might come down to this.
Please if anyone has any sugestions on how to handle a situation like this please let us know:)

[Fianchetto]

I would say that the presence of a law enforcement officer would not be out of order in your case. Every time they come over uninvited, for whatever reason, 911. Lather, rinse, repeat, until they get the picture that you value your privacy. Perhaps the police can investigate them for other, possibly criminal, activity. Then they might be moved to a "Gated Community" (prison).
I live next door to drug dealers and car thieves. Welcome to my world. But they leave me alone, now that a deputy moved in next door. :D

[chippers]

I would explain although you'd like to be neighborly, you also value you privacy and family gatherings. You need to set verey strict limits on their coming and going to your home. Keep the door locked. If they walk in uninvited, you have every right to send them packing. Their behavior sounds like border line stalking and is creating an unsafe environment for your family. As well as running up your food budget. I doubt if this behavior is just starting and that maybe some of your other neighbors have had problems with them as well. You might want to check it out. If talking to them doesn't solve the issue, then maybe a visit from the police might do the trick. Also keep a record of everything they stop by univited, walk in without permission, drop the kids off without asking you, or raiding your fridge. This way you'll have something to show the police.

[ordinaryguy]

we try to drop hints and make comments without being horrible

People like this don't respond to hints and comments. Be horrible. I like the record keeping and hidden camera suggestions to give police investigators some evidence to work with.

[valinors_sorrow]

I don't know how helpful this will be but welcome to the awful club! I have a seriously out-of-control neighbor who lets his dog roam into our yard making my animals go nuts in the house (almost been attacked once by it in my driveway), had a bonfire during a drought and caught the wild woods on fire (took five engines all day to put it out) and shoots his gun into the air during a hurricane when no law enforcement can come.

I have resorted to calling and calling every agency I can (their numbers are on my speed dial now and I know all the top people's names) making a sad nuisance out of myself in order to get all this on record. We have it all documented for the time when we go to the attorney and sue him out of the neighborhood at the very first instance of any damage to anything of ours. The agencies who are failing to curtail his crap are also on the suit list. That is the American way, like it or not.

My suggestion is to let them know they are no longer welcome on your property in any manner whatsoever and then start calling the appropriate agencies when necessary and documenting for the big showdown later. Ignore them the rest of the time.

[ScottGem]

Ok first, why is your door left unlocked? If you find it inconvenient to use a spring lock (that locks automatically), get a combination or biometric lock so you don't have to carry a key.

Second, in most areas a pool must have a fence around it. If people can just walk upt to your pool that is a significant liability. So put up a fence with a self locking gate. If you need to give access to people like an oil delivery company, then put a combination lock on and give them the combination.

So now you have prevented them from just waking in on you. So the next time they come to barge in; you block the door and tell them; "Thanks for stopping by, but now is not a convenient time for us. Please give us a call so we can arrange a time to get together".

I think it was Ann Landers who said that people cannot take advantgae of you unless you let them. And it certainly appears that you are contributing to the problem by being too open and not being firm.

[phillysteakandcheese]

As above, you should be keeping your door locked. Flat out that you value your privacy and simply just don't want them stopping by unannounced - They can call you if they want to come over for a visit...

Personally, I would also invoice them for the food, and anything else they used, when they were uninvited guests.

[OldOne]

This man has a website set up called CRACKHEADCAM that helped me with his document on how to setup video surveillance. He was successful in having ALL the crackhead neighbors in his neighborhood either move out or be arrested. Video doesn't lie... neighbors do! I used his example and it only took me 3 weeks to have enough video evidence to have my ignorant neighbors moved on. A heckuva lot cheaper than moving too! The next batch that moves in won't be such a problem to get rid of if they turn out to be naughty too now that I know what to do.

[kitty3030]

Thanks to all those that responded to our rude neighbor situation:) ,
What everyone said makes a lot of sense and is really making us think,
The surveillance system seems like a good idea, I think these are the type of neighbors that just don't get it no matter how many hints we throw at them.
We wouldn't want to call the cops however if they do continue to come in without any notice we might have to eventually, this is an invasion of our home and privacy.
Also we had a reply that we need a fenced pool, we wanted to let you know we have a caged lanai it encloses our pool however it is a seethrough mesh and they still bombard us, and the reason why our door is sometimes unlocked we have children and they sometimes play out there and my son plays basketball on the driveway so they are always in and out and you can guarantee that split second that's when they show up, these neighbors consist or 2 parents with 3 children who let them do whatever they want plus they are very rude:mad: ,
That seem to know when we come and go, as soon as we get home they are calling us or at our door we feel like we are being watched, and they don't live that close to us where it is easy for them to see us, they live on our street at the other end,
We don't want to be known as mean people seeing as we just moved here last July, but this has been going on every day since we moved.
I don't know how many more hints must we throw in order for them to understand.
Please keep on replying, all this info that you offered us is really helpful and giving us ammunition to tell them where to stick it.
Thank you again. :)

[valinors_sorrow]

Thanks to all those that responded to our rude neighbor situation:) ,
what everyone said makes a lot of sense and is really making us think....

You need to do more than think, okay?

i dont know how many more hints must we throw in order for them to understand....

I know. None. Direct language is needed and it isn't mean either.

please keep on replying, all this info that you offered us is really helpful and giving us ammunition to tell them where to stick it. thank you again. :)

Please appreciate this Kitty, its hard to "keep on replying" when we've already offered what we think is the solution. You are of course free to take any or none of the suggestions but at some point we run out of dialogue here. You don't need to tell them where to stick it, you need to tell them the relationship is over. Do you want to vent your anger at their bad manners while you look nice or do you want to solve the problem? -- I don't think you get to do both.

[kitty3030]

Thanks we love it, were defiantly goanna do something about it and well let you know what happends.

[valinors_sorrow]

That's great and good for you! You have a right to live in peace. And if anyone else has something novel to add here, I am sure they will.

[ordinaryguy]

they dont live that close to us where it is easy for them to see us, they live on our street at the other end

I assumed they lived right next door. Have you discussed it with any of the other neighbors? Do they act this way with everybody else on the street, or just with you? If it's just you, you need to find out what the others are doing that you aren't, and/or what you're doing that the others aren't. If they do it to everybody, you need to come up with a collective strategy to protect yourselves.

[Fianchetto]

I live next door to drug dealers. Have cameras and digital recorders. Am never more than arm's distance from a firearm. Nightly dream that either cops didn't prefer drugs over duty or that I had enough drugs to bribe them to do their duty. But, I know a little secret which someday will put them in a nice, "gated community" (prison) for a while. :D