Snow removal/shoveling etiquette between homes - need input

[WIChookchick]

Hi All, we just had ALOT of snow here in WI. And we live in town and board our chickens and horses.
We share a property line with a neighbor, whom we... try to get along with. We get along with his wife, and one daughter very well. We don't get along with the husband.
We do try though... he has a defunct car, well 2 but one is a parts car to his collector car. He shouldn't have the defunct car, but we don't say anything about it.
Also his dogs have attacked our dogs on our property, and while our dogs have not been hurt, we are careful when their dogs are out.
We have a car awning/car port http://www.canopieshomegardenseeus.co.cc/buys-Caravan_Canopy_Domain_Carport_White-B0032UY0C4
And while NOT sure if its on his property or not, neither of us has quibbled about it.
He does tend to snow blow around his defunct car to make it seem as if it might be useable. He snowblows onto our canopy, we push with a broom on our canopy and it goes
right back onto his side of the property line.

Fast forward to today, We have gotten 20+ inches in 48 hours, blowing snow, and blizzard conditions.
He snow blowed out a bit of his driveway and then did other stuff. He and wife were in and out all afternoon. We had quite a bit of snow come into the car port.
We took down our tarp between the "front" wall and a shed we have that helps keep snow from piling up in the front.. we cleaned out the snow and piled it up
by the shed.
A neighbor who runs a bobcat came and cleared one neighbor down from both of us, came by and saw he hadn't cleared all of his driveway so he went on ahead
and pushed snow up to clear where he parks an SUV he has normally near our carport. We left to go to the store...
Our neighbor then decided to clear the snow that the helpful neighbor pushed onto his defunct car... ONTO our carport, into our carport AND onto OUR driveway.
He was moving trucks/cars/SUV around when we got back, and I noticed right off the bat that something wasn't right.
I parked the car, and as he came out to move his truck I told him what the neighbor had done, he then complained about our carport.
HE saw the tracks left by the bobcat, he said so. but some how blames us....
We put no more snow than would have normally fallen from around our car, next to the carport, the space between the carport and his defunct car and SUV parking space.
And have even taken measures to ensure we don't put snow over onto his side. I go around and dig out the snow that has fallen and chuck it around to the front near our shed.
And we just had a major snow storm, there are not many places to put a boat load of snow. He blows his driveway snow onto his defunct car AND our carport, so it goes right back
onto the ground between his car and the carport.
Here is a rough picture drawn on MSN paint.

The blue line is where he thinks (we aren't sure- we rent), the red line is where the property line might be..it's a matter of inches.
Next year I plan on moving the carport into the middle/end of the driveway. which will take it well away from the property line.

But what is the etiquette for snow removal? We didn't cause the snow, we don't pile our snow on his vehicles... yet he complained, once.. and does snow blow his snow (previous storms)
onto our carport.. which I think if we didn't have, he would just blow onto our car.
We have helped his wife, we have snow blown our other neighbor out, lent his kids our lawn mower, snowblower, rakes and shovels.
Help, we want to be good neighbors...

 

[emys]

But what is the etiquette for snow removal?

You keep your snow on your property. Unfortunately sounds like the neighbor is the problem...

Too bad it is the wrong season for fence building!

Sorry you are dealing with this.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Too bad it is the wrong season for fence building!

Sounds like a perfect time to start fencing.
How fast will a snowblower wrap up 50 ft of barbwire?

 

[Mattemma]

Since you rent your options are limited. I was going to suggest a boundary survey of just that side,and then install a barrier. In the least you can stick some t posts in the snow and attach some snow fencing.

I would move the snow to another area,but not right back to where he put it.They you just escalate the situation. You really need the landlord to take care of this once and for all,because it will affect renting ability.Eventaully you will get tired of dealing with neighobr,and many people will avoid renting the home if there is a NFH.

I might put snow on my neighbors grass,but no way does it go on her driveway or sidewalk. When her SIL snowblows he does not shoot it into my driveway.

You have a good idea about moving the carport in the summer.Do that and then put a few compost piles in that neighborly spot.

 

[Stacykins]

I feel your pain. I've been in the same situation. But my neighbor and I shared the same common driveway entry which branched into our separate parking areas. It is up to the two houses to shovel the common driveway. Well, last year the neighbors thought that they didn't ever have to shovel. My housemates and I brought the situation to our landlady, with documentation stating times shoveled, times it took, how many inches were on the ground, etc. She spoke with them, and they must have nodded and instantly forgotten because it wasn't done afterward. We even sometimes didn't shovel for a day to see if the neighbor would get off their collective asses and go do it, but they never did, so the driveway just turned into ice which we had to scrape off if we wanted to get our cars out. The straw that broke the camel's back was a blizzard that dumped about a foot of snow on the ground. When we knocked and knocked for their help, and they didn't answer (they were home), we shoveled every single bit of snow from the driveway into their parking area. It was a glorious mountain of snow. Of course, several hours later a fuming neighbor came over to rant at us, but we told him point blank that we have tried to be fair, but we aren't getting compensated to shovel what they should be shoveling. He left in a tizzy, but the next time it snowed, it was shoveled quickly. Our landlady said the method was unorthodox (of course he ranted to her, but sided with us) but it got the job done. The rest of the winter each house managed to peacefully alternate shoveling.

I don't recommend doing what my housemates and I did. The first step IS talking to your landlord. Documentation is key. Pictures with documentation is even better. A picture of how he pushes the snow onto your rental property gives a clear illustration of what is going on, and would help him or her understand what is going on and how to deal with the situation.

 

[Martin Grove Farm]

We clear snow for a living. Now the laws vary from one location to the next. Here, it is against all by-laws to pile, push or to otherwise transfer snow (rainwater, groundwater, pool water, ANY thing) from one property to another. All snow and the like MUST be taken care of on your own property. Now, that being said, you are not the owner, you are the renter. I would suggest that first you speak with the landlord and see if there is anything he can do or if he knows of a long history with this man doing this with past tenants. I then would have a very friendly chat with the Wife next door and ask her if she knows of anything you can do to bring peace to this situation. Perhaps if you are brave enough and you have a witness (like your landlord) someone neutral in the situation, you can meet with the man and try and mediate this. It would be a shame if you had to put up a big fence or call the law into it. Once it goes that far, there is no turning back and you most likely will have made an enemy out of now inconsiderate, grumpy guy. My mom used to always Say "kill them with kindness, one day their heart will soften" Good luck to you!

 

[Royd]

Sounds like a concept for a new reality show. "Snow Blower Wars."

 

[mom'sfolly]

I'm pretty sure that in cabin fever states this very issue has lead to shootings!

The common courtesy and rules are your snow stays on your property. No one should move their snow onto someone else's drive way, carport or garage. And when a snow plow goes by on your street and blocks you in again, you curse, put on your big boy panties and go shovel again. With the amount of snow some people have had, this becomes difficult. I think if your driveway is next to your neighbors unused yard space, throwing snow there might be acceptable, but never onto another's driveway, walkway, garage or carport.

Your neighbor is a jerk!

 

[WIChookchick]

There is a history here, even between the landlord and him. She bought the house as a repo, he bid too and if he won he would have torn the house down.
The house sits on the front half of a large lot, the original owner, had this house built, and deeded it to a friend during of just after WWII. The house next door
has an L shaped lot, so we have a shallow back yard, and they have a nice sized vegetable garden in what would be our back yard, if that land had gone with the house.

His children have had the police called on them, my car's passenger window was shattered one morning, we found a few bits of branch bits on the seat. I called the insurance and
had to make an accident report to the police. I was putting the plastic on it, and he was out doing something. I showed him the shattered window, and assumed it was ice or
extreme cold to warm that we had. He asked " you didn't find a bee bee did you?"
Well no, but I wonder now.
I have found nails, screws, large sticks and trash in my back yard where his kids have taunted OR tried to do something bad to my dogs.....

My land lord is only interested in getting her rent check. We are hoping to purchase the home, on a rent to own option this spring.
I will be putting up a fence if we do get the chance to purchase.

And I do remove the snow that falls near his defunct car, when it comes off our carport. But when the snow stops, and I have cleared off the snow. He will snow blow near and around his defunct car
and put HIS snow up on my car port, that is when I simply bump it off, back onto his side.

Sigh I want to be a good neighbor. I will talk to the wife.
Thanks for the ideas and support. I will talk to our land lord, but I know she won't do anything.

 

[emys]

Are you sure you want to buy the house?!? He isn't going away any time soon... If it isn't one thing it will be another.

Before you install your fence you NEED to have the lot surveyed to be absolutely certain you are not installing on his property and find out what the ordinances are for fence distance from lot line if there are any.

Good Luck.