How would you handle this neighbor issue?

[Robert_in_NY]

We bought another farm over the winter and have been spending a lot of time there working and fixing the place up. Most of the houses around there are rentals and that is ok. The people have no say in anything so they don't bother us. The other neighbor is the widow of the guy who we bought the farm from and she still farms a smaller area. She is a great lady and is always happy to help when ever she can. But the neighbor on the opposite side has one horse, a half mile horse track, lives in a trailer and owns just under 20 acres with a few small barns on their property. Their trailer is on the opposite side of their property from our border.

About a month ago I was plowing behind the vineyard where I am going to expand the vineyard and the neighbor lady with the horse walks over to talk to me and my father (who just arrived to check on things). Her purpose of coming over to talk is to tell us we can't open up a ditch on our property because the previous owner did supposedly and it flooded the back of their property (all the land slopes to the back of their property). At the time I was plowing and we were not doing any ditch work but she made sure we knew she had a lawyer and she wouldn't be afraid to use him if we did anything she didn't like (very personable exchange).

Fast forward to today and I am on the boundry with my excavator working on digging out stumps along the road and piling pine limbs. There is a shallow swale along the boundry that I would like to clean out as I have water standing on the headland of the vineyard and would like to give it a better path away. As I was working on the stumps I see this ladies husband start mowing over towards me. He mows around the outside blowing the clippings in towards his property. I wave to him as he keeps going and he waves back. So I decide I want to verify the boundry and discuss my idea with him so that they would be included in the decision process and hopefully avoid any hard feelings. When I see him mowing towards me on his second pass around I shut down and hop out of the excavator and stand right on the edge of his first pass waiting for him so that I could introduce myself and talk with him. As he gets up to me he sees me standing there and I wave to him, his mower deck has the deflector propped up so the clippings shoot up high in the air. Anytime I see someone standing next to where I am working I stop. Well this guy says something to me as he gets close and I couldn't hear what he said over his mower but he never stopped and went right past me blowing grass clippings all over me in the process as I stood 3' away from him looking directly at him trying to be neighborly. He continued on his way and never looked back

I found it extremely rude and actually dangerous what he did and it made me mad. I wanted to try and do the right thing and discuss and include the neighbors with boundry decisions that benifit/affect both of us. I am going to call a surveyor this week and see when they can mark that boundry for me. When its marked I am going to decide my options at that point but am I wrong in feeling upset with these neighbors? The wife introduces herself just to tell me what I "can't" do on my land and the husband blows grass all over me without even stopping. Any thoughts on how I should handle or should have handled it? I keep trying to look at things from their perspective and to a point I could understand where the wife was coming from but I don't know the particulars of what happened as it was quite a few years ago but the husband just baffles me as I can't see any reason how anyone could intentionally blow grass clippings on a person standing 3' away from them on the boundry while making eye contact.

 

[MasseyWV]

she made sure we knew she had a lawyer and she wouldn't be afraid to use him if we did anything she didn't like

this guy says something to me as he gets close and I couldn't hear what he said over his mower but he never stopped and went right past me blowing grass clippings all over me in the process as I stood 3' away from him looking directly at him trying to be neighborly. He continued on his way and never looked back

I hate to say this, but it sounds like you have the neighbors from heII, and it will probably only get worse with time. Your land is their land, or so they think. Been there, done that.

Personally, I think you should get your land surveyed, and avoid them at all costs. Anything you say or do, is likely to be used against you. Even if you do nothing wrong, I guarantee you they will probably twist it so it sounds like you did. Beware!

 

[greasemonkeyok]

Actually your neighbor gave you valuable information - that they are antisocial and possibly litigious. Don't expect a leopard to change his spots and keep this in mind when dealing with them in the future.

I would just ignore the mower insult, and not attempt to engage them on their property. Find out what the law in your state is on common boundaries and fences, and proceed to do what is legal. Document thoroughly with photos and video. It might be a good idea to go to the courthouse and see if they actually filed a lawsuit about the water. They may be bluffing.

When someone tells me they have a lawyer, I always say "oh good, who is it and would you like for me to confer with him/her regarding any legal issues?" If they won't tell you who their lawyer is, they are probably lying. It doesn't cost anything to say you have a lawyer, and often times they are too cheap to hire one.

 

[k0ua]

In my opinion they are angry that you are there and wish you would go away. Not anything you did, they just don't want any neighbor there. They were pretty rude by almost any standards.


James K0UA

 

[rekees4300]

Any thoughts on how I should handle or should have handled it?

The best way to deal with idiots is to avoid them. On your property you have the right to do as you please so long as you don't break any laws.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I didn't actually go on their land. From what I can tell he is mowing up onto my ground actually. His wife walked onto my ground to talk to me as well. I know I can't intentionally divert water onto their property and I have no intentions of doing such, I just wanted to be nice and try to be freindly and hopefully help them with the ditch at the same time. The ditch can benifit both properties and will actually benifit both. But it looks like I just need to survey it and do what I am legally able to on my own property and maybe put a fence up along the boundry. I don't really want to dig a ditch and have the guy intentionally blow grass clippings into it. I may just tile it.

 

[Little_Grizzly]

I gotta tell ya... very few people can afford to "have a lawyer". In fact, it's rarely done these days. 'Having' a lawyer means you have him on retainer. You're paying all the time to keep his attention. If they mean they 'have the name of a lawyer' well... we all do. It's called the phone book.

 

[k0ua]

I gotta tell ya... very few people can afford to "have a lawyer". In fact, it's rarely done these days. 'Having' a lawyer means you have him on retainer. You're paying all the time to keep his attention. If they mean they 'have the name of a lawyer' well... we all do. It's called the phone book.

Reminds me of Kim Darby "little Mattie" in the original True Grit. and always threatening people with her lawyer J. Noble Dagget

Strother Martin-the horse dealer: "she pulls him like a gun!" :laughing:

James K0UA

 

[MasseyWV]

I didn't actually go on their land.

If you had, there's no telling what might have happened.

From what I can tell he is mowing up onto my ground actually. His wife walked onto my ground to talk to me as well.

Further proof that they think they own and control your land.

The ditch can benifit both properties and will actually benifit both.

Anti-social people don't care what benefits anyone else, they are only interested in themselves, and want everyone else to simply disappear.

But it looks like I just need to survey it and do what I am legally able to on my own property and maybe put a fence up along the boundry.

Smart move! And about that fence, make it a high privacy fence, if possible. It will drive them nuts not being able to watch your every move.

I don't really want to dig a ditch and have the guy intentionally blow grass clippings into it.

If you do, he will.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I gotta tell ya... very few people can afford to "have a lawyer". In fact, it's rarely done these days. 'Having' a lawyer means you have him on retainer. You're paying all the time to keep his attention. If they mean they 'have the name of a lawyer' well... we all do. It's called the phone book.

I agree, I felt she was trying to sound tough by mentioning "her" lawyer. These people don't appear to have much money so I doubt they have one on retainer. The wife did say she wants me to cut down a small locust grove because it blocks her view of the fireworks display the local winery puts on every year. She has lots of ideas for my ground I believe.

Also, I dont live there. We have 150 acres there now and are about to add another 35 acre parcel. We're going to have a Vineyard running almost the entire length of that boundary