Neighbors Making Property Unusable

[joey34543263476]

Jurisdiction

Missouri

I chose where I live five years ago for privacy reasons, then my neighbors show up, bulldoze all the trees and shrubs off the neighboring property and build a house immediately next to me where our two front doors can see each other. Then they want to start problems to the point that I end up taking them to court for protection orders just to make them stop grand standing on the fence line harassing me. Months later now they have a line of lawn chairs and just about every evening they have a group of people sitting there staring in my direction. It has gotten to the point where I have considered moving away.

I was wondering if I could sue them somehow for creating a hostile environment to the point where I dont even feel safe in my own yard anymore. If I do have to move then its going to cost money to make it happen, and if I have to move because they are assholes, then it should be at their expense...

I remember long ago there was a legal term for when someone makes your property unusable that you can sue for the loss of property value.

 

[justblue]

I chose where I live five years ago for privacy reasons, then my neighbors show up, bulldoze all the trees and shrubs off the neighboring property and build a house immediately next to me where our two front doors can see each other. Then they want to start problems to the point that I end up taking them to court for protection orders just to make them stop grand standing on the fence line harassing me. Months later now they have a line of lawn chairs and just about every evening they have a group of people sitting there staring in my direction. It has gotten to the point where I have considered moving away.

I was wondering if I could sue them somehow for creating a hostile environment to the point where I dont even feel safe in my own yard anymore. If I do have to move then its going to cost money to make it happen, and if I have to move because they are assholes, then it should be at their expense...

I remember long ago there was a legal term for when someone makes your property unusable that you can sue for the loss of property value.

It would be easier and less expensive to just put up a nice privacy fence.

 

[retic]

It would be easier and less expensive to just put up a nice privacy fence.

With a fast-growing bamboo hedge just inside of it. I'd suggest using planters so it doesn't take over.

 

[Red Kayak]

With a fast-growing bamboo hedge just inside of it. I'd suggest using planters so it doesn't take over.

Some municipalities have made bamboo illegal.

But yes, OP should explore those options.

 

[retic]

Some municipalities have made bamboo illegal.

Which is why I said contain it in a planter, as yes some varieties can run unchecked if just put into the ground.

 

[adjusterjack]

I remember long ago there was a legal term for when someone makes your property unusable that you can sue for the loss of property value.

You have nothing to sue for. You're having a typical NIMBY reaction to behavior that annoys you but doesn't make your property unusable or lose value. That's just in your head.

The solution (that many have faced, including me) is to put up a solid fence. White PVC comes to mind.

If your next question is "Why should I have to pay, when it's the neighbor's fault?" the answer is "Self-preservation is nobody's business but your own."

Live with it, sell out and move, or build a fence.

 

[zddoodah]

I was wondering if I could sue them somehow for creating a hostile environment to the point where I dont even feel safe in my own yard anymore.

Anyone can sue anyone for anything, but you haven't clearly explained what the issue is. Here's what you told us the neighbor did:

1. "bulldoze all the trees and shrubs off the neighboring property. I assume "the neighboring property" is property that your neighbor owns and you do not own or have any interest in. If that assumption is correct, then this is perfectly legal.

2. "build a house immediately next to me where our two front doors can see each other." As long as no zoning laws were violated, this is perfectly legal.

3. "Then they want to start problems to the point that I end up taking them to court for protection orders just to make them stop grand standing on the fence line harassing me." These are conclusory allegations that convey no useful information. What problems did they start and why? What does "grand standing on the fence line" mean? How did they harass you, and why?

4. "[T]hey have a line of lawn chairs and just about every evening they have a group of people sitting there staring in my direction." As long as they're on their property, they can sit and stare where they want. I can't help but feel like there's information missing that might put some of this in context. For example, is there something wonderful about your house that makes people want to stare at it? Are you also sitting outside and doing something? Is there a great view in the direction of your house that is really what they're looking at?

In any event, based on the information provided, you have no basis to sue anyone. Why not simply put up a privacy fence between your properties?

If I do have to move then its going to cost money to make it happen, and if I have to move because they are assholes, then it should be at their expense.

That's not how things work.

I remember long ago there was a legal term for when someone makes your property unusable that you can sue for the loss of property value.

You might be thinking of nuisance, and that's still a thing, but nothing in your post suggests your property is "unusable."

 

[Red Kayak]

Which is why I said contain it in a planter, as yes some varieties can run unchecked if just put into the ground.

It is very hard to contain.

Best Artificial Bamboo Plants (perfect for outdoor privacy screens!)

Artificial vine screens also work:

https://www.amazon.com/Sunshades-De...&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413749481618&th=1

Anything that grows quickly enough to provide coverage will also continue growing quickly enough to need nightmarish maintenance,

Disclaimer: I have used none of these products. I have too much experience with bamboo.

 

[joey34543263476]

Anyone can sue anyone for anything, but you haven't clearly explained what the issue is. Here's what you told us the neighbor did:

1. "bulldoze all the trees and shrubs off the neighboring property. I assume "the neighboring property" is property that your neighbor owns and you do not own or have any interest in. If that assumption is correct, then this is perfectly legal.

2. "build a house immediately next to me where our two front doors can see each other." As long as no zoning laws were violated, this is perfectly legal.

3. "Then they want to start problems to the point that I end up taking them to court for protection orders just to make them stop grand standing on the fence line harassing me." These are conclusory allegations that convey no useful information. What problems did they start and why? What does "grand standing on the fence line" mean? How did they harass you, and why?

4. "[T]hey have a line of lawn chairs and just about every evening they have a group of people sitting there staring in my direction." As long as they're on their property, they can sit and stare where they want. I can't help but feel like there's information missing that might put some of this in context. For example, is there something wonderful about your house that makes people want to stare at it? Are you also sitting outside and doing something? Is there a great view in the direction of your house that is really what they're looking at?

In any event, based on the information provided, you have no basis to sue anyone. Why not simply put up a privacy fence between your properties?



That's not how things work.



You might be thinking of nuisance, and that's still a thing, but nothing in your post suggests your property is "unusable."

1/2: its the abstract concept that you dont buy something for its monetary value. i wanted to be alone out here, with the nearest neighbors being two little old ladies a few hundred yards across the highway. these people had 22 acres to do whatever they wanted, but chose to build right at the head of a shared driveway, then they put all their activity stuff, piles of wood, tools, vehicles, anything for activity they put directly on the property line... out of 0.03 of a square mile, all of their activity has to be directly across the property line... its unreasonable and the value of my property (isolation) is pretty well gone... i could have bought city lots for a fraction of the price to live this close to people...

3: it started really simply as they had a trash fire, which was proven illegal by the state environmental agency. all i did was go over to their house that night and ask them not to do it again, and they belittled me like a child and wouldnt let me explain to them that the smoke was blowing directly at my house and was comparable to fumigation for pest control, that i was getting sick and couldnt even sit in my living room without fumes seeping through the cracks in my walls... i just said that they cant do it again in the future because its unlivable, and rather then be respectful they got violent and chased me with a hammer, im in the process right now of obtaining their security camera recording so i can prove they lied under oath saying that i was never reasonable.

after that one night it was months of them driving a tractor back and forth on the fence-line for whole days at a time, like 6-8 hours of back and forth driving every spare day this man had... they amassed trash in the same spot where the fire was to scare me into a situation and try to provoke me to do something illegal. this has been six months of going to court and trying to get protection orders, and i think at this point i have compelled them with legal filings to stop being overt with stuff. but they have created such a hostile environment that we probably will never be on speaking terms again... just for my mental health im thinking seriously about moving out of here and i believe they should have to bear the cost of my moving because they created such a horrible situation over a humble request to not poison me with toxic smoke IN THE FUTURE... when you are so entitled that you reserve the right to hurt people later on... threatening me with a hammer, slandering me to law enforcement, i have a phone call with the sheriff recorded calling me a trouble maker and clearly prejudiced all while holding the video evidence of what really happened that night... its been living hell this year for no reason at all...

4: after situations get so big there really is no going back, and the problem is that they either know intentionally that they are bothering me, or they are so clueless and completely unconscious of their own behavior (probably the latter) that just being seen by this people, bumping into them on the shared driveway, its intolerable because this has been a year of significant trauma for me... i need a clear break from this situation to call it fully resolved where i can start working on moving past it already, six months of living with trauma is a hefty can of worms...

im to the point of upending my whole lifestyle and doing something different now, i was ok before all this started, and they owe me for making life an unnecessary struggle...

 

[joey34543263476]

You have nothing to sue for. You're having a typical NIMBY reaction to behavior that annoys you but doesn't make your property unusable or lose value. That's just in your head.

The solution (that many have faced, including me) is to put up a solid fence. White PVC comes to mind.

If your next question is "Why should I have to pay, when it's the neighbor's fault?" the answer is "Self-preservation is nobody's business but your own."

Live with it, sell out and move, or build a fence.

two words... hot, coffee...

 

[justblue]

two words... hot, coffee...

huh?

 

[Red Kayak]

i wanted to be alone out here, with the nearest neighbors being two little old ladies a few hundred yards across the highway. these people had 22 acres to do whatever they wanted, but chose to build right at the head of a shared driveway, then they put all their activity stuff, piles of wood, tools, vehicles, anything for activity they put directly on the property line... out of 0.03 of a square mile, all of their activity has to be directly across the property line... its unreasonable and the value of my property (isolation) is pretty well gone... i could have bought city lots for a fraction of the price to live this close to people...

If you bought the adjacent 22 acres, you'd have your isolation.

You can control what is done on your own lot. You cannot control your neighbors You can report them for violations and argue against variances, but you cannot control them.

 

[joey34543263476]

huh?

million dollar suits for spilled coffee, my grief is not lesser.

 

[joey34543263476]

If you bought the adjacent 22 acres, you'd have your isolation.

You can control what is done on your own lot. You cannot control your neighbors You can report them for violations and argue against variances, but you cannot control them.

inversely they are controlling me, i have been intimidated out of my own yard, made to not feel safe or free to exist in their sight... its amazing to me that they have reach over me but im not allowed reach over them... not even the recognition that the reach they have is wrong... its amazing to me how society only recognizes the rights of the aggressor... but not retaliation, you cant respond in a meaningful way, you can only be aggressed upon...

 

[army judge]

you cant respond in a meaningful way, you can only be aggressed upon

Times have changed, mate.

Save yourself the worry, stress, and regret; learn to ignore what the rabble does.

As Greta Garbo often said, "I never said, 'I want to be alone.' I only said, 'I want to be left alone!' There is all the difference."

 

[zddoodah]

its the abstract concept that you dont buy something for its monetary value. i wanted to be alone out here, with the nearest neighbors being two little old ladies a few hundred yards across the highway. these people had 22 acres to do whatever they wanted, but chose to build right at the head of a shared driveway

This doesn't change anything. You bought Property A. You did not buy Property B or any interest in Property B. You knew (or should have known) when you bought Property A that you had no control over what happened on Property B.

Other than the illegal trash fire and the possible assault with a hammer, nothing you have described is legally actionable. Sorry.

 

[Red Kayak]

inversely they are controlling me, i have been intimidated out of my own yard, made to not feel safe or free to exist in their sight...

You are choosing to be controlled. Put up a fence of privacy plantings.

 

[adjusterjack]

Or a low/no maintenance solid pvc fence.

 

[justblue]

million dollar suits for spilled coffee, my grief is not lesser.

sigh...

Your comment makes it very clear you have no idea what you are talking about.
The woman that was seriously burned, required hospitalization and skin grafts on her genitals from the insanely hot coffee spilled on her due to the McDonalds employee negligence was most certainty harmed to a far greater degree than your, at worst, annoying situation with your neighbors.

Seriously. Get a freaking fence.