Dear Jido,
I’ve always taken pride in our neighborhood. We’ve worked hard to keep our street attractive, welcoming, and a place where families enjoy living. But one house has become the exception, and it’s starting to affect the entire block. The yard is severely overgrown, weeds are overtaking the property, trash is accumulating near the driveway, and the clutter has become impossible to ignore. Several neighbors have commented on it, but no one wants to be the first person to say something.
At what point does a homeowner’s responsibility to their neighbors outweigh the desire to avoid an uncomfortable conversation? We’ve invested time and effort into maintaining the character of our community, and it feels unfair that one property is being allowed to bring down the appearance of the entire street. Should we confront our neighbor directly, involve local authorities, or simply continue to tolerate the situation?
Signed,
Enough Is Enough
Dear Enough,
I believe that there is no question that you and/or your neighbors have the right to inform him of your concerns.
What you could do is write him a long letter outlining those four complaints and have it signed by all of your neighbors. Then either slip it under his door or leave it in his mailbox.
You think it will help? I don’t think so.
First of all, he might not even realize that he is causing the block any displeasure. Maybe he’s used to living that way and the inside of his house is a lot like the outside.
Instead, someone should take the lead and tell him with patience and a positive attitude, “Hey, Jake, the neighbors have been complaining about the messy look outside your house. Maybe we could all come by Sunday morning and help you clean it up?” (You could also offer to hire someone to do it).
What? Jido! We should do it?! It’s his mess!
True. But you’re not going to change the way he’s been living with one conversation. Show him that you’re one neighborhood, you want to live in harmony, and that the way the block looks is so important for the peace of mind of the neighbors that you’re all willing to help.
And if you have to do it again a few months from then, do it. Over time, he will get the lesson. In the meantime, your property values will skyrocket and you’ll all be having a great time on Sunday mornings raking leaves with your neighbors. Maybe even let the wives serve breakfast!
Jido