How to deal with filthy neighbors..

Let me tell you a story.

There was a young man who was on trial for a crime he did not commit. He was found guilty and condemned to two life sentences in prison. After, two years in prison, he wrote a letter to the State Senate asking for funding to buy a few books for the prison library. He received no response from the Senate, but kept writing.

A year passed with no response. Two years passed with no response, and yet he kept writing a letter a week.

After three years he still wrote a letter a week. Four years passed but the Senate was unwilling to fund the prison library. Five years and nothing - so kept writing and kept writing. Six years later, with over 300 hundred letters sent, he received this response:

"Dear Mr Dufresne,
In response to your repeated inquiries, the State Senate has allocated the enclosed funds ($200) for your library project. In addition, the Library District has generously responded with a charitable donation of used books and sundries. We trust this will fill your needs. We now consider the matter closed. Please stop sending us letters.
Yours truly,
the State Comptroller's Office."

Keep sending your letters and keep making those calls

From one of the greatest movies of all time. And good advice!

This is a very touchy topic. Remember, words like "Eyesore" translate roughly in Ancient Chinese to mean "Sticking one's nose in someone else's personal space". The ONLY reason I would condone any of the above actions is because a)You had the balls to talk to your neighbour yourself about it instead of being a coward (though you never told us how they took it or their reply), and b)Because the situation has gotten bad enough that its getting past a 12' high concrete wall into your yard. That takes some doing!

I have actually been on the other side of this arguement before. I live on a 6.25 acre farm in the middle of nowhere. The identical sized farm next door was bought by a spoiled old-money rich family from out of town to be used as a summer cottage (yeah, lets buy a half-million dollar property just to leave it empty 360 days of the year) because they though farming did it self and all you do is pick the money off the trees! When that didn't pan out, they thought they could build a subdivision here... in protected greenspace. When that didn't work out, they talked about a soccer stadium... (even tho... protected greenspace, not enough acreage, no utilities, and two other stadiums within 10 minutes of here). Obviously, these people are dreamers and a little bit clueless.

ANYWAYS, my point is that as soon as they bought the place, I suddenly started getting problems from the Town. See, besides being a farm (with farm equipment, egads!) I also run a (completely legal) business from the property which has its own equipment, trucks, tractors, and spare parts trucks... all on a large gravel pad surrounded by a 5' high dirt berm and mature trees... invisible from the road, partially visible from the rear of the neighbouring farm, fully visible from Google Earth..! Well, naturally these well-to-do people think because they bought it to be a cottage, there should be nothing around them but white picket fences and gazebos... (reality means nothing to them, its a working class neighbourhood)

Anyways, miserably long story short, over the next two years they had the town all in my face about it, and when it finally came out that I was within the law they tried to make their own laws to suit, trying to put me out of business. Came down to two years of hell and $100k out of my pocket. In the end I had them dead nuts for fraud (and had a sit down with the mayor and CAO where I told them if it didn't stop immediately I would sue for 100k + damages, mayor turned white and said he'd take care of it) Turns out I wasn't the only one complaining... and in the end it cost the bylaw officers their jobs! I didn't bother to sue and am still trying to overcome those losses, years later...

What I am saying is that when people thoughtlessly do things like that, the WRONG and COWARDLY way, you can easily ruin someone life.

Now, back to YOUR situation.

Since you have talked to the neighbours directly about it (and presumably gotten no where) then yes, you are justified in moving to the next step. As mentioned above, you may have to become a pest and keep calling them. It may take some time. Meanwhile, you are within your rights to trim any trees that overhang your property, or spray any vines or weeds that come on to your side of the wall. Roundup (or similar) is your friend in this case! The cats, even tho they may crap in your yard occasionally, are your ally on the pests... remember they are innocent, they didn't cause the situation over there! Also, you can buy Ultrasonic Pest Deterrants pretty cheap these days, they plug into your electrical outlets and emit a high frequency sound that you cant hear but drives rodents (and some insects) nuts, driving them away from your house and yard. Don't put out poison or your kids and neighbourhood pets may get into it. Had an idiot farmer out here who tried baiting with hotdogs laced with rat poision to kill coyotes, the smell of the meat brought in half the dogs and cats from the neighbourhood (including my first rottweiler who broke out of the invisible fence to get some) and killed them all quite painfully. Ignorant moron.

Anyways, best of luck to ya!

They are the homeowners, they were here before we bought our home, but not nearly as filthy. I think a lot of it has to do with their son moving out. They've really let things go. I do in part feel bad for them because they are an older couple (late 50's early 60's) and maybe just need the extra help. I don't want them being punished by any means I just want them to make things better for the neighborhood, and certainly for themselves as well. I'd totally help out but I feel its much more than a one man job. Maybe I should think about setting up a volunteer group to help them out around the house and yard. I just feel like maybe they've let things get a little too far out of hand, and don't know where or how to start.

Good on you for being compassionate. Is it possible you and other neighbors could form a work crew and at least start tackling the outside of the property, ie, vines and animals? It would take some tact, but perhaps these folks are overwhelmed and unsure how to take back control. Perhaps you and your neighbors could throw a beautify-the-neighborhood weekend? Your work would be 99% concentrated on these particular people, but maybe approaching it as a community service for everyone instead of just these people (although they are the ones with the overgrown property) would help smooth any ruffled feathers and help solve the problem.
Do let us know how it all goes.

A match, a can of gasoline, and a quick toss over the fence. Nobody will ever know.

How much of this is actually effecting you, outside of in your own mind? You don't have bugs. Your kids CAN play in your back yard, but you won't let them bc you are being ridiculous, and you seem to be harassing the mentally ill by running out to dramatically pour bleach on the property line, hoping they will see you and know how angry and disgusted you are. Really?

These neighbors don't deserve your ire, they deserve your compassion. Don't go clean for them, as they will not be able to keep it up, and you will feel further victimized. Call Adult Protective Services and then let it go. It's all you can do.

In reality, all that is effected here is your own image- you look less rich and cool bc your neighbors are mentally ill and have an ugly yard . Isn't that what this is really about? I'd be tempted to feel for you on the smell issue, but your whole post is so poor-little-me and dramatic, that I suspect the odor is similarly exaggerated.

Grass Germs! OMG! SAVE THE CHILDREN!

How much of this is actually effecting you, outside of in your own mind? You don't have bugs. Your kids CAN play in your back yard, but you won't let them bc you are being ridiculous, and you seem to be harassing the mentally ill by running out to dramatically pour bleach on the property line, hoping they will see you and know how angry and disgusted you are. Really?

These neighbors don't deserve your ire, they deserve your compassion. Don't go clean for them, as they will not be able to keep it up, and you will feel further victimized. Call Adult Protective Services and then let it go. It's all you can do.

In reality, all that is effected here is your own image- you look less rich and cool bc your neighbors are mentally ill and have an ugly yard . Isn't that what this is really about? I'd be tempted to feel for you on the smell issue, but your whole post is so poor-little-me and dramatic, that I suspect the odor is similarly exaggerated.

Grass Germs! OMG! SAVE THE CHILDREN!

Mine isnt the least helpful response anymore!

How much of this is actually effecting you, outside of in your own mind? You don't have bugs. Your kids CAN play in your back yard, but you won't let them bc you are being ridiculous, and you seem to be harassing the mentally ill by running out to dramatically pour bleach on the property line, hoping they will see you and know how angry and disgusted you are. Really?

These neighbors don't deserve your ire, they deserve your compassion. Don't go clean for them, as they will not be able to keep it up, and you will feel further victimized. Call Adult Protective Services and then let it go. It's all you can do.

In reality, all that is effected here is your own image- you look less rich and cool bc your neighbors are mentally ill and have an ugly yard . Isn't that what this is really about? I'd be tempted to feel for you on the smell issue, but your whole post is so poor-little-me and dramatic, that I suspect the odor is similarly exaggerated.

Grass Germs! OMG! SAVE THE CHILDREN!

Another junk yard owner. LOL