I find if you do something nice for some people they start to feel entitled. I have a backpack leaf blower that’s great for snow in winter and lawn care in summer; it does a great job and is fast. I get up really early and blow the snow off my walks and my rental properties, as well, before they get walked on and packed down. I also do the walk for [Neighbour] next door to me as a courtesy. (She is a paramedic in the city I live in, so I know she’s able-bodied.)

I also do the walks for a retired couple in their late eighties who live five houses from mine, and for another house near one of the rentals we own. The owner of that house is seventy-nine, and I saw her outside one time with her walker trying to do her walks, so now I do hers all the time. She keeps trying to pay me, but I refuse.

One day, I did not do [Neighbour]’s walk because I had no time; I got up too late to do anything extra and still make it to my regular job. When I got home, [Neighbour] came out and yelled at me.

Neighbour: “You didn’t blow my walk for me! I had to do it myself! Make sure you do it from now on. You’ve been doing it, so you should do it all the time!”

I just stared at her.

It snowed even more that night, so the next morning I went out early again and did just my walk.

[Neighbour] dropped a note in my mailbox that day.

Note: “You’re a bad neighbour for not blowing my walks. If you do not do them, I will call the police. As I am a paramedic, I’m good friends with the police, and you will be charged.”

She signed her name at the bottom.

I took the note, went to her place, and nicely knocked on the door.

Me: “[Neighbour], I have been doing your walks as a courtesy only, but I will not anymore. You are able-bodied and can do them yourself from now on. Your boyfriend looks healthy, as well; he could do them.”

She cursed and swore at me. I said nothing but left.

The next day was my day off, so I took the note, went to the head office in my city for the paramedics, and talked to the district manager. I gave him a copy of the note and told him of [Neighbour]’s attitude and how bad an impression she was giving of the ambulance/paramedic service. He thanked me.

[Neighbour]’s boyfriend, a nice guy, came out the next week and told me what happened. Apparently, the district manager called [Neighbour] in to go over her behaviour. (Yes, she was in her uniform when she yelled and cursed at me). She got a reprimand placed on her file and was told to keep her temper in check.

She got in trouble for implying that her position gave her authority with the police and trying to make it appear that she had a special relationship with them, and also for disgracing the uniform by cursing and swearing at me.

I live in a three-unit townhome. We’re all good friends and share keys with each other. One of the residents is my best friend. With my approval, she sometimes enters my house when I’m gone to grab a soda. In return, she cooks me food and shares her alcohol with me on weekends. She has the code for my house alarm.

[Neighbor] lives in a different building, and she thinks we’re friends just because I’m friendly to her when she comes around. [Neighbor] is very obnoxious, but we’re all nice to her because you don’t want crazy people living across the street.

One day, [Neighbor] sees [Friend] leaving my house and asks what’s up. [Friend] tells her what’s up. Later, [Neighbor] texts me to “rat out” [Friend], and I tell her it’s fine.

A week later, [Neighbor] comes by.

Neighbor: “Why won’t you give me a key to your place?”

Me: “It’s a safety thing; I’m the only one with a fire extinguisher.”

The fire extinguisher part is a fact, but this is just an excuse I’ve made up. The only other excuse I’ve thought of is that my landlord won’t let me. But my excuse seems to shut her up. I really don’t want her in my house. I can only imagine what she’d do in there, and I know she’d bring her kids over to see my s***. I have expensive computer equipment; I don’t need kids around.

A month later, [Neighbor] sees me unloading a bucket of Fireball shots and quickly makes a beeline across the street. She asks for some and tries to make friendly conversation. I roll my eyes, struggle with the seal, and hand her two.

Neighbor: “Thanks, babe! Love you!”

Ugh. Whatever, it’s not a big deal.

Meanwhile, she still messages me like friends, and I watch her house from time to time when she’s gone.

Last week, I’m at my mom’s house when I get a phone call from my home security system company asking if I need the police. My roommate, [Friend], and keyholders have my code, and it gives you sixty seconds to push the code even if it’s wrong, so something is up.

I rush home, and my front door is wide open, letting the hot summer air strain my electric bill. There are two cops inside.

And there’s none other than [Neighbor] standing at the counter.

Neighbor: “Here she is! She lets me in her house! We’re best friends!”

My jaw dropped.

Apparently, [Neighbor] had the garage door code to [Friend]’s house. She found my house keys in [Friend]’s house, and she had the balls to take MY stuff when I was gone like she was entitled to it. Then, she didn’t message me that the alarm was screaming, let me know she wanted something, or even leave when the cops showed up.

It took the cops eight minutes to get there, so I have no idea what she was poking around with while the alarm was screaming. She broke into two houses like it was no big deal.

I demanded that she leave, but I didn’t press charges because I don’t want a crazy, angry neighbor.

My city charges you $100 if you have an unregistered alarm system, so I got a fine from the city. I paid the fee and stuck the bill in [Neighbor]’s doorway. I haven’t seen a dime of that yet. [Neighbor] also hasn’t asked for my alcohol, either, since then.

Related:
Like A Good Neighbor, Eyes To Yourself!
Like A Good Neighbor, Back Off My Dog!
Like A Good Neighbor, Try Saying “Please”
Like A Good Neighbor, F*** Bigots
Like A Good Neighbor, Don’t Be An A**

I’m nineteen, and I am studying computer science at a university in India. This university is not in my hometown, so I had to rent a small apartment on the outskirts of the city since the rent is lower in the suburban area). My neighbours are a family of four: a mother, a father, a ten-year-old son, and a five-year-old daughter.

I have a part-time job at a nearby computer coaching center to teach kids some basic programming. The neighbours’ son goes there to learn coding, and from there, he learned that I am building a new gaming computer. (I was talking about it with one of my friends who works there.)

One day around 3:00 pm, the doorbell rings. I answer it, and the mother from next door is standing there.

Mother: “Oh, hello.”

Me: “Hi. How can I help you?”

Mother: “Are you building a new PC?”

Me: “Umm, yes. I finished building it.”

Mother: “My son wants a new PC to play some games.”

Me: “Do you need any help building it? Today I am a bit busy, but I can help you tomorrow.”

Mother: “No, we don’t want to build a PC.”

Me: “Oh, you want to buy a pre-built one? What is the budget?”

Mother: “That’s the problem; there is no budget.”

Me: “I can show you any PC you’d like.”

Mother: “No, we want your PC.”

I don’t understand.

Me: “You want the same configuration as my PC?”

Mother: “No, I want to get the PC inside your room.”

It’s a small flat, so my PC can be seen from the doorway.

Me: “Umm, that’s not possible.”

Mother: “Why? You are too old to play video games.”

Me: “The PC is for my studies, not for gaming.”

That’s kind of a lie since I am going to satisfy my Minecraft addiction with the PC.

Mother: “Don’t lie! Why would you need such a good PC for university?!”

I just closed the door.

My little brother is playing outside with his new friend. They are spraying each other with water guns.

While this is going on, a lady keeps driving by. At one point, she rolls her window down.

Woman: “Don’t you spray my car!”

[Little Brother] stands there, perplexed.

This happens multiple times over the next half-hour until my mom comes outside.

Woman: “Don’t spray my car!”

Mom waves her over, and she parks next to the curb.

Woman: “Are you their mother? Those kids shouldn’t spray cars. They almost hit me!”

She keeps rambling on until Mom cuts her off.

Mom: “First off, we have a rule that we don’t spray cars. I’ve been watching from the window. He never shot at you. Second, maybe you should roll up your window and stop driving by our house if you don’t want to be sprayed.”

The woman went off again, ranting about the kids and how she HAD to drive by the yard.

Eventually, Mom got fed up with this lady, took a water gun from the bucket, and sprayed her. She drove away swearing.

We haven’t seen her since.

My girlfriend and I live in a building with many apartments. Although our apartment isn’t that big, it has a huge balcony. And during heatwaves, we practically live on our balcony. Our next-door neighbour’s balcony is directly next to ours. There is like a fifty-centimetre (about twenty-inch) gap between them.

Next door lives a family. The husband seems fine. He works a lot, and he greets me in the hallway. He doesn’t call the cops or the landlord when people are too loud; he talks to them first. Good man. His wife is the total opposite. She’s a complete stay-at-home mombie. Her kids are okay, I guess. She has a daughter in elementary school and a boy in like seventh or eighth grade. I’ve never really had problems with this family… until this week.

[Girlfriend] adores our balcony because we didn’t have one in our old place. (We lived together in my first place; it was a crappy cellar with a bathroom and a kitchen.) She grows flowers, tomatoes, and strawberries on our balcony, and she enjoys sunbathing. Because it’s really hot and sunny right now, she’s been sunbathing a lot. And she does that in a bikini. And, well, she opens her bikini top when laying on her stomach — never when on her back because our other neighbour is kind of an old creep, (He isn’t a perv, but he likes to watch people. Not just us.)

A few days ago, I came home from my shift at the hospital and I met my female neighbour in the hallway. It started with the usual small talk, but then it shifted.

Female Neighbour: “You need to get your girlfriend in line. She’s exposing herself, and my son is getting distracted!”

I shrugged it off and got past her. After nearly ten hours of fighting the stupidity of people in the Emergency Room, I wasn’t in the mood for her s***.

I told [Girlfriend] what [Female Neighbour] had said, and she laughed.

Girlfriend: “I’ve seen her son watching me when he’s been on the balcony, but I didn’t think much of it.”

I took my neighbour’s advice. My brother is a carpenter, so I asked him if he could build some screening protection for me. (I dont know if this word is right, but I wanted a big plate that would prevent my neighbours from looking at my balcony.) He said yes, and I picked them up yesterday and installed them.

Today, I was talking to [Creepy Neighbour]. He had been talking to [Female Neighbour], and she seemed pissed that I put the screening protection up because it’s not very “neighbour-friendly” and I’m “rude”.

Well, lady, choose. If you can’t control your kid, I will gladly take this burden off of you. [Female Neighbour]’s husband is okay with it. He told me that his wife is too nosy anyway, that she might just be jealous of [Girlfriend], and that he’s talking to his son about respecting women.

Later, [Female Neighbour] actually apologised to [Girlfriend] and me! Yes, it was half-a**ed, and yes, her husband made her do it, but I take that as a huge win. And now I’m enjoying privacy on my own balcony.

Related:
Like A Good Neighbor, Back Off My Dog!
Like A Good Neighbor, Try Saying “Please”
Like A Good Neighbor, F*** Bigots
Like A Good Neighbor, Don’t Be An A**
Like A Good Neighbor, Control Your Kid!