Does the neighbor count as a pest?

[melgsix]

I have a neighbor who doesn't like us, I don't know why. When we're out side and he's outside he is very friendly, he comes over to talk to us and jokes around with the kids, but we recently found out that he has been calling the city to complain about us since we moved in. His first complaint was that our property drains into his backyard, we live on a hill and he is lower on the hill. He thinks we need to fix the drainage problem. Then he started complaining about the chickens. He complained that we had too many. Then that they were running wild in the neighborhood, a couple got out while my husband was building the barn, but they were never running the neighborhood just us chasing them around the side yard trying to herd them back into our yard. After getting them couped up he started complaining that our barn was too close to his house. It was only 47 1/2 feet from his house and city code says it has to be 50 feet. He had to have jumped the fence and measured, there is noway he could have eyeballed it and figured out that it was 2 1/2 feet short. When animal control and code compliance blew him off he called the city superintendent and then the city came out to measure. Turns out he was right, we measured wrong and they gave us thirty days to move the shed. After this visit animal control let us know that he was the neighbor that was calling and that he had been calling almost every day since we moved in. When that wasn't successful in getting us finned or kicked out of the city he called again, this time about the dog. His complaint was that her rabies tag was expired and we haven't registered her with the city of Fort Worth yet. Her tags aren't expired, they expire the 26th of April, and we didn't register her yet because we planned on doing it after she gets her booster shot so we only have to buy tags once. Again he had to have come into my back yard to read her tags, you can't read them from over the fence. There should be something I can do about him coming into my yard. The animal control officer who came out this time tried to play dumb and act like she didn't know who called, but our front windows were open and we watched her walk from his house to ours. When we explained to her that we knew it was him and we had overheard her talking to him and watched her walk from his house to ours she said that this was the first time that that particular neighbor had called to complain about us, she had no records of him calling animal control before and was insistent that animal control hadn't come out before. When explained that I was going to talk to someone about the harassment she decided to check with the dispatcher and realized that this neighbor had called several time before and animal control and code compliance had come out at least ten times. I don't understand why they try to play dumb, like were not gonna figure it out. His new complaint is that our rooster is too loud. He is in a barn with the door closed. We used to open the doors during the day so the chickens get some air and see some daylight, but we can't do that any more. now we have to wait for our court date. Basically he has to keep a log of every time he is disturbed by chicken noise and after several weeks we have to go to court so a judge can decide what is to be done. The problem with that is its his word against our. He doesn't have to record the chicken noise to show how loud they are, he just has to say they are too loud for his comfort and they are disrupting his day. I just can't believe that he can get away with this, we have no rights in the matter, we just have to wait and see. If the judge sides with us we pay nothing, but if the judge sides with him we pay fines for the chicken noise and all the court fees. Okay, I'm done whining now, just needed to vent a little. He really is a pain though.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

You know what I say, good fences make good neighbors.

We have similar neighbors that DRIVE ME INSANE... I have since build a 6-7 foot privacy fence (cost us 300 dollars doing it outselves with rough cut lumber) and now we dont have to deal with the nonsense. We went ahead and for another 400 did the rest of the yard too.

I would start calling the police and telling them that your neighbor is trespassing.. lol.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

My DH said call the prosecuting attorney and file harrassment charges.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Try to get pictures of him coming onto your property. Trespassing is a crime everywhere, and is a whole lot less vague than complaining about a dog with expired tags or a crowing rooster. Sorry your neighbor is such a horse's patoot.

 

[Buck Creek Chickens]

Is there any other neighbor, that you could take with you to court, has he called on anyone else to show a pattern of harassment, try to get a photo of him in your yard. to bad you can't string electric wire to keep him out

 

[sundance]

can you set up a video cam to catch him in your yard and then file a trespassing complaint against him.or turn your dog out and keep a video camera handy to see if he jumps the fence to check the tags or even better put up an electric fence and post it as electric, then let him jump it

 

[Robin'sBrood]

I don't understand that chicken noise thing. To me, a rooster who crows in the daylight is no worse than someone's dog who barks the whole day long... and night too! At least roosters are cooped and quiet during the night.
Are there zero barking dogs in your neighborhood? Does he complain about barking dogs too? What a rotten neighbor... he sounds like he has nothing better to do with his time than harass you.

 

[Chickenmaven]

I am a terrible person.

In the past, my work put me in court with various scam artists who tried to trick the company out of $$$$, have lied that I promised the impossible, etc. I am terrible, because I would recommend that you create a "diary" where you documented all the times you saw him in your yard and I would create copies of letters that you "sent" to him asking him to leave you alone.

I would not hesitate to create trouble for a bum who obviously loves it!

 

[BirdMom]

Definitely go for the trespassing and harassment charges. Make SURE that when you are in court for this, that you let the judge know there is no way this guy could know these things without trespassing.

And yeah, an electric fence might be quite helpful!

Get video of that!

Hope things go well and the neighbor quits complaining. Meanwhile, kill him with kindness. Have you given him a dozen free eggs, or a nice baked good to try to win him over? Sometimes getting something "free" gets these people off their neighbors backs.

If none of that works, get the loudest lawnmower you can, the loudest chainsaw, the loudest leafblower, and run it lots and lots during the day. Get the kids really loud toys to play with, encourage them to play loudly outside, etc. ;-) Maybe he'll decide it's easier for him to move!

 

[Southernbelle]

We just bought a digital LED-flash wildlife camera from Cabelas - it was $200 - it's motion activated and takes still pictures with time and date stamped on them (color pix during the day, blk/white at night). It has room for about 4000 pictures on it.

We bought it to catch whatever critter was killing my birds - the predator hasn't been back since we got it - mostly I have a lot of pictures of me feeding my chickens and my spare roosters running around.

But I like having it because now I'll have positive proof whenever the neighbors dogs come around. In the fall, DH wants to set it up to track the deer for hunting. And we want to try to catch the idiot ATVers who've been ripping down our no trespassing signs.

It sounds like it would be really helpful in your situation. You'd have positive proof that he's trespassing and harassing you.