Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
We built a 4plex last year on a country road where several houses have been there for 20+ years. The entire time of the construction we got dirty looks from the neighbors and even 1 woman stormed into the building one day angry at us for choosing the same color siding than her and for building apartments near her house....
Now that the building is fully occupied, 4 houses around have formed a click and are harassing our very carefully screened and chosen tenants. They started a verbal fight with one of our tenants for using his pressure washer for over 30 minutes at 2pm on a weekday... Then they started calling and emailing us saying we needed to do something about our building because there were too many cars in the driveway and because on garbage day there’s too many garbage cans lined up on the road and because their snowmobiles are noisy...
Look I get that they’re mad that there’s a 4 plex next to their house now but they’re not doing anything illegal! we spoke to all our tenants and we visit the property regularly and nothing is out of place and our tenants are good people. All 4 units get along great with each other but they all feel harassed by the neighbours and now so do we.
I'd tell the tenants to call the police if the neighbours are harassing them. You got a building permit and if they didn't want the house built, they should have complained then...they also could have bought the land that you built the house on if they didn't want any development.
Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
6y
@Theresa Harris exactly!!! We’re trying not to let it frustrate us out but by the email we just got from a neighbor it’s hard not to be mad because now we’re the ones getting harassed. They’re basically telling us how to handle our tenants but our tenants are not doing anything wrong!
San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 4k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
I think I'd try ignoring them completely and ask my tenants to do the same thing. If the neighbors actually come over and are on your property bothering them, then they should go inside and just call the police every time.
They'll probably get over it with time, if you just ignore them so they don't get any response from you. It's hard to fight by yourself, if you get where I'm coming from.
It would be good to document any problems, though, because if they actually cause you to lose money by tenants moving out, etc., then you can probably sue them for lost income, etc.
But, ideally, it would be good to just not fan the flames and wait for them to adjust to their new neighbors.
Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
6y
@Sue K. You’re so right! But at the same time we don’t want them to drive away good tenants and I feel like it might be our duty as landlords to get involved? That’s why we’re a little torn on the matter.
New to Real Estate · Las Vegas NV · Member since 2020 · 90 posts · 46 votes
6y
It's called "honey Robber", Stinks worse than week old dirty diapers and dang near impossible to get rid of. Spray it on the neighbor's property (downwind) of your tenants and they will move due to to the smell... Wait, that is wrong... I didn't give that advice... (just having fun on a Friday night when having a rough day. Maybe I shouldn't be on the forums tonight).
@Sue K. You’re so right! But at the same time we don’t want them to drive away good tenants and I feel like it might be our duty as landlords to get involved? That’s why we’re a little torn on the matter.
I totally get it. I managed a 26 unit building with mostly small studios and it was shaped like a "U" with apartments on the outside and inside of the "U". The ones on the inside of the "U" could hear everything other tenants were doing. Sometimes I'd have a tenant that was causing problems and I had to get rid of them in order to keep my good tenants.
One thing I did do, was let the good tenants know that I was dealing with it. I'd tell them I know there is this problem, and I'm dealing with it so that they (the good tenant) won't leave, so I hope they will bear with me.
So, you could have a conversation like that with your tenants. Let them know you understand the problem and that you have been advised by (insert your lawyer or whatever) to just ignore them and just call the cops whenever it's appropriate, but you're hoping that if everyone just ignores them, that it will take the wind out of their sails and they will get used to having new neighbors.
If your rents are just enough under market that your tenants will choose to stay, that helps, too. That's what I did - if I was going to raise rents, I'd make sure when the tenants went shopping online that they would see that they're better off staying put.
If you get a tenant that is really exasperated and kind of turning into a pain for you to deal with, just offer to let them break their lease. They very rarely ever do actually move. It kind of takes the wind out of their sails, too. They get all heated up and you just really nicely say, "I completely understand if you decide you want to move. I'll waive the 30 days, if you find a place sooner, but please decide within the next 30 days, so I can organize cleaners and start advertising, etc." Do it in a really kind, understanding way. They usually look kind of shell-shocked and just nod. And, in my experience, they actually complain much less and rarely take you up on the offer - as long as it's a better deal to stay put.
Sorry you're having to deal with this. Have you tried talking to the neighbors. "I know you're upset, but my building isn't going anywhere. You know that. So, what can I do other than find really great tenants, which I have done?" It may or may not help for them to be reminded that they aren't going to make your building go away and asked what you can do other than find good tenants.
Or not. Might be worth a try. Sorry you're dealing with this. But, I do believe as long as you don't engage in a feud, it should die down.
@Theresa Harris exactly!!! We’re trying not to let it frustrate us out but by the email we just got from a neighbor it’s hard not to be mad because now we’re the ones getting harassed. They’re basically telling us how to handle our tenants but our tenants are not doing anything wrong!
Just politely reply that they are doing nothing wrong...and then if they contact you again, do what John suggests only give them a lowball offer!
Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
6y
@Sue K. Thank you for sharing. We did initially try being nice over the phone on Wednesday night but I think they just took it as a green light to keep going. We’ll take the weekend to think it over (and to calm down lol) and maybe we’ll call the city on Monday and ask them what they think of the situation. Apparently they tried calling the ByLaws a few times but ByLaws didn’t do anything (because nothing needed to be done) so I’d like to get their take on it too.
@Sue K. Thank you for sharing. We did initially try being nice over the phone on Wednesday night but I think they just took it as a green light to keep going. We’ll take the weekend to think it over (and to calm down lol) and maybe we’ll call the city on Monday and ask them what they think of the situation. Apparently they tried calling the ByLaws a few times but ByLaws didn’t do anything (because nothing needed to be done) so I’d like to get their take on it too.
I'd be really curious to find out what they say. What a pain.
I have a funny neighbor story - well, sad/funny depending on which point of view - I bought a 2 acre parcel in WA state and the guy next door was a real jerk. When I first bought the property, I moved an Airstream trailer onto it and the well digger was really booked up, so I wouldn't have water for a couple months. At the time, the next door neighbor was a renter and he let me run a hose from his property to my trailer, so I'd have water until the well digger could come.
So, another guy bought the property next door, kicked out the renter and moved in and immediately took away my water source, no matter how I begged and offered to pay him a premium for the water. (Turned out he later admitted he wasn't aware my property had been for sale and he wished he'd bought mine, too).
He was just a jerk. Called the building inspector on me for living in my trailer while I was developing the property, which was legal, but I had inspectors coming by regularly because he complained about this or that, just a complete jerk. I was a single woman, too. With a horse and a dog :-)
Anyway, one morning I'm having coffee in my trailer and I hear chain saws. The jerk's property had huge old-growth Douglas Fir trees, really beautiful. I look out my window and see a crew cutting down those gorgeous trees along the road. I'm thinking, wow, that's weird, but one of the loggers kind of looked like the jerk, so I thought, well, I guess he needs the money (the trees were selling for a premium at the time - I sold a bunch of my trees and that's how I paid for my well).
So, later that evening, I'm sitting in my trailer relaxing and there's a knock on my door. It's the sheriff. "Did you see anyone cutting down trees?" "I sure did." "Didn't you think it was odd?" "I sure did, but that guy's been such a hostile jerk to me, I sure wasn't going to go over there and talk to him."
Turns out, it was a robber crew and they stole his trees. One of them carved initials in a stump, but we never figured out what they meant. No doubt, he ticked somebody else off, too, he was such a jerk.
After that, he became a friendly neighbor. He even brought back one of my pigs that got loose once lol.
Anyway, I totally get neighbor problems. Been there many times, in many ways. Someday, I'll tell you about the crazy homeowners association plant nazi. Sometimes it's better to be sweet, sometimes to just ignore, sometimes to get back in their face. Hard to tell which tactic may or may not work. I do feel your pain, though.
@Sue K. Haha thats hilarious! As if someone would steel trees!
Yeah, crazy, huh? But, it happens up there when the trees are up in value. The trees they stole were worth thousands of dollars. I cut down some on my lot next door that were just big enough to market (nothing like his huge trees, which were worth a lot more than mine), and got about $6,000 for them back then in 1992 or so. Paid for my well.
They're really organized and fast. Gangs of bandit loggers. Crazy. And see, if we were on good terms, I would have called him up. Live and learn. It pays to be a good neighbor :-)
Rental Property Investor · Concord, GA · Member since 2015 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
I owned a property in MI that had timber stolen off of it but it happened before the purchase so it affected the seller more than me. It is a thing. Here in Georgia, forest products are one of the state's largest industries so I wouldn't think twice if all the neighboring property's trees were being cut down as it's such a common activity.
Rental Property Investor · Durham, NC · Member since 2016 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
6y
@Natalie Cloutier. Calling the police will not be very useful but you can start there. I’d install security cameras so if something happens you can document it and go to the police with that. That may get you some results but just tell i them that your neighbors are bothering your tenants won’t get you very far
Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
6y
@Caleb Heimsoth you’re right and I wouldn’t call the police. I would simply call the municipal ByLaw officers who deal with neighbourhood complaints and enforce the municipality property bylaws to see if they had any issues at our property recently. That way I’ll know if there’s truly an issue with our property or if it’s the neighbors being childish. From there I should have a better idea of how to respond to the neighbors email.
Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2020 · 26 posts · 11 votes
6y
@Natalie Cloutier
Start by having a camera installed. Also document incidents that happen. They may be able to get a restraining order so they can't contact you or the tenants. Sounds like it's gonna be a fight but can't really do anything without proof. Police reports would help but you don't want to call them with every incident. Good luck.
Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Natalie Cloutier Love @kris h's analogy! If you go the ned flanders route, you could organize a tour and a meet and greet between tenants and neighbors...flyers and email invites...show them the quality and have them shake hands with the tenants, etc. as an "intro to the neghborhood". Harder to be jerks to people they have met and they will be curious to see inside.
Or, individually addressed tony soprano letters saying you are keeping a record of frivolous complaints and harassment of peaceful tenants, you have notified the police who are aware of the situation and you expect that their actions wil cease. Cc a lawyer and the cops :)
Rental Property Investor · Ottawa, ON · Member since 2019 · 68 posts · 225 votes
6y
@Jonathan R McLaughlin haha love that analogy too! But we did do the Ned Flanders route already in the beginning :( We introduced ourselves to the neighbors and they met the tenants but we were still sensing their negativity. You could tell they were being fake nice. We’ll try to find an in between approach somehow :)
Rental Property Investor · Boston, Massachusetts (MA) · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 2k+ votes
6y
@Natalie Cloutier Sigh. I thought you guys were nicer than us :) It likely won't work and I wouldn't write it down, but you may be able to remind them if they make life unpleasant for good and decent tenants the only people that will end up there are....