I spent thousands fixing the fence between me & my Karen neighbour – now her letter has people claiming ‘mental issues’
A WOMAN has revealed that she spent thousands of pounds fixing the fence between her and her ‘Karen’ neighbour’s garden.
However, things have since developed into a full blown feud, after her neighbour began throwing weeds into her garden and started writing angry letters.
Keen to open up on the situation, the confused woman took to social media to reveal all.
Posting on Reddit, under the username @ownlife909, the woman explained that things started because of overgrowth between her and her neighbours’ home.
She shared: “When we moved in five years ago, there was 20 plus years worth of overgrowth between our house and the neighbors house.
“It was all weeds, and full of poison ivy. We asked our neighbor if she wanted to split the cost of clearing it, and she said she couldn’t afford it.
“So we offered to do 75/25 (about $1,000 [£783] for us), and she agreed.
“Once we cleared all the c**p out of there, we found an old, rusty, mangled wire fence along the property line.
“We again asked her if we could remove it and put up a new fence, and she said ‘sure, just don’t make it a privacy fence, it makes my back yard feel closed in!’
“We were planning on building a more open fence anyway (using galvanized cattle fencing), but we couldn’t build it right on the property line because there were also two enormous stumps right over the line on her side that didn’t allow it.”
The woman explained that they spent four weeks building the fence and didn’t ask for a penny from her neighbour.
She added: “So we built the fence about six inches onto our property. We also built the fence ourselves, so it took about a month.
“We paid for everything 100% ourselves, and didn’t ask for anything from her.
“Over the course of that month, she’d remark that it was looking good, other neighbors said the same, ok great.”
However, things soon turned sour, as she continued: “Once we were done, something flipped, and these letters started coming.
“She was worried about her grandson (who visits once a year) somehow falling down a one foot slope right on the property line, she was worried about her dog getting out (she doesn’t have a dog), and so she put a bunch of rubble and garbage along the fence on her side, which we asked her to remove because we were going to plant the small slope with soil stabilising plants.
“She ended up calling the county on us to report a permit violation (there was no violation), and started a five plus year campaign of low key harassment – putting up signs in her yard, throwing weeds over the fence, parking her car really close to ours on the street…
The Top Five Reasons Neighbours Squabble
One study by Compare the Market revealed the top reason British neighbour's argue
- Broken fences – top of the board was broken fences and whose responsibility it was to fix it
- Parking: one of the leading drivers of neighbour disputes, with 54.1 per cent of people having issues with people parking in front of their house, parking bay or driveway
- Trees – complaints about a neighbour’s tree cracking your garden path was also common with nearly half of participants finding it frustrating
- Bin wars – outdoor bin etiquette continues to ignite the most furious debates between neighbours
- Nosy Neighbours – some people have their eyes and ears at the ready to have a peek causing problems for others
“Last I heard from her, she was telling neighbours she thought we were drug dealers because of all the caregivers that come to our house for my terminally ill wife.”
Not only this, but she also claimed: “Eventually she ended up spending a month grinding out the stump herself, and then built a max height privacy fence just over the line on her side…”
The letter from her ‘Karen’ neighbour
The woman then shared pictures of the neighbour’s angry letter, which read: ‘Due to your removal and failure to replace the original location of the fence along the boundary between our two properties, my yard is no longer enclosed.
‘A thirty inch space at the front and a twelve inch gap in the back constitutes a hazard, endangering the safety of my grandson and his dog whenever they visit, as either can easily wander out into the street.
‘Due to your amateurish and blundering construction, there remains a severe drop off where my property is a full foot higher than yours. The original fence served as a natural retaining wall for the soil.
‘By building your new fence several inches into your property, you have established a hazardous situation for both child and dog, as either can easily fall into the “ditch” left behind and become trapped under the new boards.
‘I also now see how your request for removal of poison ivy along the fence line (and your request that I help pay for this) was a first move toward the construction of a new fence.’
The ‘Karen’ claimed that she was ‘tricked’ into paying money to her neighbour, as she confessed: ‘I resent the $380 [£298] that you tricked me out of, stating that it was for the safety of your child.
‘Environmentally, you have created a situation where a heavy rainfall is causing erosion of the soil in my yard to flow under the bottom board of your fence.
‘This will undercut the stability of the soil in my yard and eventually cause the possibility of damage to the foundation of my home.
‘I was assured that the bottom board would be placed so that this would not happen.’
I am removing the tree stump myself, and am getting bids for the construction of a retaining wall along the boundary line between the two properties
'Karen' neighbour
As a result of the issue, the neighbour admitted: ‘Because of your refusal to acknowledge responsibility and your rude response to my query about completion of the above mentioned problems, I have consulted with a property attorney.
‘His response was, “even though you have some pretty s*****y neighbors, they have not broken any laws.” Therefore, I will not move further with a court claim.
‘I am removing the tree stump myself, and am getting bids for the construction of a retaining wall along the boundary line between the two properties.
‘This already is causing financial difficulty for me. Once the wall is completed, I will take bids for a new fence.
‘If you have any issues with this plan, now would be the time to speak up (by letter, not text). Be advised that the term “neighbourly” does not apply to your behaviour.
‘In response to your letter you stated that you have made arrangements to address the issue of the downward slope between our properties, I am going to postpone any further plans to erect a fence.’
She then warned her neighbour: ‘Once you have finished any work you plan to do, I will then decide what steps still need to be taken to ensure the safety of my family.
‘The stones and other materials are within the property line on my side and can remain there until such time as I see you intend to keep to your word.
‘If they prove to be in the way of your contractor, have him let me know and I will move them.’
Reddit users react
Reddit users were left stunned by the woman’s post and many flocked to the comments to share their thoughts.
Most of them told the woman to ignore her neighbour’s claims.
Your neighbour is mental and doesn’t seem to understand the concept of property. She’s definitely a Karen
Reddit user
One person said: “Lol, some people have mental issues. Let her try to settle anything in court so the judge could have a laugh…”
Another added: “I wouldn’t worry about what the other neighbours think. I’m sure they’re aware of what a psycho she is.”
A third commented: “Your neighbour is mental and doesn’t seem to understand the concept of property. She’s definitely a Karen.”
Meanwhile, someone else chimed in: “As a landscaper, all of her complaints are her problems.
“Laws are different everywhere but generally speaking fences cannot act as a retaining wall, which is why she’s getting one installed and not another fence.”