Nosy Neighbor Pesters Woman To Pay For A Fence That Was There Before She Moved In, Ends Up Receiving $600

Should she pay for a fence between her home and her neighbor's?

Lakeisha

• Published in Interesting
• November 9, 2022

One Reddit user, Ornery_River_2954, took the AITA subreddit community to ask whether she was the wrong party in a disagreement with her neighbor. Ornery_River_2954 and her partner moved into a new neighborhood in August, while their neighbor moved in June.

Since the neighbor got there first, the neighbor quickly erected a fence. However, she opted for an expensive one without consulting with Ornery_River_2954 first.

When Ornery_River_2954 and her partner moved in, they waited until they found a good deal on a simple picket fence before putting up a fence. After they had put up their fence, the neighbor asked them to pay for half of the fence she erected.

Ornery_River_2954 agreed to pay for peace's sake but said she'd only pay half for another type of fence since she didn't pick the one the neighbor chose. The neighbor was annoyed but suggested a compromise which Ornery_River_2954 agreed to.

Ornery_River_2954 gave the neighbor her number and asked her to text how much the fence cost. When a month went by, and Ornery_River_2954 didn't receive a text, she went over to the neighbor's house to give her $600 since that was half of what the fence she picked cost.

The neighbor was infuriated as she claimed she spent almost $7,000 and wanted Ornery_River_2954 to pay at least $1,000. Ornery_River_2954 said she and her partner wouldn't have spent such an amount on a fence, so it makes no sense for them to pay so much since the neighbor didn't even consult them first.

Is Ornery_River_2954 wrong for paying only $600? Here's what the AITA community thinks.

This is how it all began.

They didn't even pick the fence.

Her partner didn't want to pay.

But she went ahead anyway. Now Reddit responds.

1. She isn't supposed to pay a dime for the fence.

2. Her neighbour is trying to extort her.

3. She should have told the neighbour to take down her side of the fence.

4. She should put another fence against the one her neighbour erected.

5. She shouldn't have paid the neighbour anything.

6. She shouldn't have agreed to pay half.

7. Her neighbour has no legal backing to demand payment.

8. She wasn't supposed to pay since the neighbor added the fence before she moved in.

9. Her neighbour is wrong for demanding payment after making the decision alone.

10. Since the decision to erect the fence wasn't mutual, she shouldn't pay anything.

11. Ideally, she shouldn't have to pay.

12. Since she had not moved in when the fence was erected, her neighbour shouldn't expect payment.

13. She should check what the fence laws in her state say.

14. Her neighbour finessed her.

15. The law says she can pay the equivalent of a basic fence, not the expensive one.

16. Her neighbour shouldn't have built the fence until she moved in.

17. Her neighbour is greedy.

18. It was wrong of her to pay the neighbour.

19. Since her neighbour didn't negotiate beforehand, she shouldn't pay.

20. Her neighbour owns the fence.

What Do You Think?

It is not uncommon for neighbors to have disagreements, especially when they share a facility in a home. Sometimes, finding ways to resolve issues amicably can prove difficult due to differences in ideologies.

If you were in OP's position, what would you have done? Let us know in the comments below.

Lakeisha