My first comment that this story was stolen from an 8 year old reddit post and posed as if it was sent in by a reader was deleted. Grade A journalism right here
My Neighbors Hated the Color of My House, I Refused to Change It, and Then They Went Too Far
Some people are lucky to have neighbors, who are so sweet that they can even become friends with those who live next door. But our today’s heroine just isn’t the case. Her neighbors have recently moved to the area, but they already managed to turn her life into a complete mess, and some of their actions were just a blatant impudence. The woman wrote a letter to our editorial and told us her story, and we can’t but feel for her in her uneasy situation.
A woman wrote us a letter to tell us about her entitled neighbors.
A woman, 36, whose name is Florence, has recently sent a letter to our editorial. She sounded very desperate, and she didn’t really keep her emotions while speaking about people who have interfered with her life and her property and made her existence unbearable.
Florence opened her letter, saying, «So this may seem a quite weird situation for me to ask advice for, I’m really desperate and not really sure what I can do. My small house is located on a corner lot.
Recently, a newlywed couple moved in to the house that’s just beside mine. Just as they appeared in our area, they started making weird and nasty comments about the color my house was painted. I love the color yellow, so it’s logical that I preferred to paint my house the color I had warm associations with.»
The woman’s neighbors went on from comments to claims. Florence explained, «Very soon the neighbors switched to pure, demanding that I totally must paint it a different color. I need to mention that there is no bylaw against a specific color of the houses in our area, and I didn’t violate anything.
This couple turned out to be very persistent. They have called the police on me about this tiny issue. They applied to the city authorities with their claims. Both of them explained to these people that I hadn’t done anything wrong and there was actually nothing they could do.»
The whole thing was getting even more tense.
Florence revealed that her relationship with the new neighbors was completely spoiled because she refused to do what they wanted. They wouldn’t listen to any arguments, and soon they wouldn’t even say «Hello» to her while meeting her. They went even further in their attempts to spoil the woman’s life and to deprive her of her comfort.
The woman wrote, «These people even tried suing me in court. As a result, their suit was thrown out, and they even had to pay my legal fees. This obviously has made them even more mad about me and my only existence.»
The couple didn’t stop even at this point. Florence said, «They got our other neighbors together to form a kind of association of homeowners, hoping that I will be eventually forced to paint my house a different color. But other people from neighborhood asked them to stop making a stir out of nothing, they really didn’t want to get involved into this petty case. So, these people have actually alienated themselves from other neighbors in the area at this point.»
The woman’s neighbors went too far at some point of their confrontation.
The desperate woman goes on with her letter, revealing even more shocking details of her story. She wrote, «Last week, I went out of town on business. I was gone for 4 days. When I returned back, I saw that my house was gray. Seriously. I even drove past it from the start because I was so used to my yellow house and I didn’t recognize my place in its new color. »
The woman was fuming when she discovered this act. She wrote, «I guessed immediately who was responsible for this act, but when I went out and knocked on their door, no one opened. I believe they understood that I was away and not just went to work as usually, when they saw our other neighbors picking my mail for me. I am pretty sure I have never told them I was going away, and I believe my other neighbors don’t actually like them too, and they just couldn’t tell them.»
Later, the woman got some evidence about the whole thing. Florence revealed, «Some time later, a person from across the street called me and then showed me photos that she took of some hired painting company doing the repainting work. She told me that she and another woman called the police, but the painting company actually had a legal work order and the amount for their service had already been paid to them. So the police couldn’t actually do anything.»
The woman was totally frustrated, but the most appalling thing was still waiting ahead.
Florence went on with her story, saying, that she immediately contacted that painting company and asked them to give her a copy of the work order. The paper was in the name of her neighbor and was paid for in cash. As the company representatives explained, a man and a woman came to them saying they would be out of town for a few days, and they would like their house painted while they’re absent. They provided the painting company with the photos of Florence’s house, which were taken from the street.
Florence explained, «I have a surveillance camera installed at my front and side doors. I also have one in my backyard because while I’m absent from my place while working shifts and also being a woman who lives alone, I don’t want anyone breaking into my house. My entitled neighbors never came to my property, so they can’t really be charged for this repainting act.
They didn’t do the painting themselves, they hired a company to do it, and the painting itself was done neatly and properly. When I asked the police about what can be done, they explained that the painting company workers were acting properly, and they didn’t breach any laws and didn’t cause any damage to my house.»
Florence’s neighbors hadn’t answered their door for a long time. The woman was mad beyond belief because she was in love with her yellow house. She sincerely wanted to make them pay to paint the house back to its initial color. But then, Florence faced another appalling revelation.
The woman wrote, «I had a call from a lawyer this morning. I was told that these people have actually filed a lawsuit against me. I am supposed to compensate them the cost of the painters. I’m really desperate, and I don’t know what to do and what to think about the whole thing now.»
Advice from Bright Side
We sincerely feel for Florence, and we can only imagine her frustration about the whole situation.
We’d advise the woman to certainly proceed with the legal help and advice from some experienced lawyer, and to not be afraid of being right. This case is nothing that she might be guilty of, as the woman mentioned that by painting her house yellow, she didn’t breach any local rules and laws.
And we’re sure that the court will finally put a full stop to this appalling story, and Florence will be able to paint her nice house in the brightest shade of yellow again.
And here’s yet another unlucky person, whose neighbor went even further. The man demanded to be included into the OP’s grandma’s will and wanted to take out her possessions.