Do any of y'all have neighbors like this? (Houston, Dallas: apartments, leasing)

[sheikh.yerbouti]

I live in an apartment and recently have been noticing an increasing amount of cigarette butts accumulating in the lawn in front of my apartment. Unfortunately, I didn't happen to see anyone actually fling their cigarette butts in front of my place and only have my suspicions about who it is.

Because I didn't feel like calling the Houston Crime Lab to have the butts analyzed for fingerprints and DNA, (I hear they're backlogged with things like rape kits and other crime scene evidence) I sent a notice to the leasing office simply stating that:

-Cigarette butts and other trash seem to be accumulating in front of my place
-If it's the lawn maintenance kicking up the trash and butts in the course of lawn-mowing weed-whacking and leaf-blowing, then have then go over the area with a rake and clean up. (although they wouldn't be kicking this crap up in the first place if people would dispose of their trash properly.)
-If it's the residents, then please send out a notice to the residents regarding any trash pickup and littering policies.

So a notice was placed on everyone's door on the building containing my apartment and on everyone's door on the building of apartments next to mine.

I don't smoke myself, but I also don't get self-righteous about smoking to those that do. I'm just taking issue with the lawn in front of my apartment starting to look like an ashtray.

What's funny is that the neighbors that I am suspicious of actually have an ashtray - packed full of cigarette butts, though.

Just some information about cigarette butts.

-Not bio-degradable
-Considered litter in Texas
-Disposing of litter in Texas improperly (including cigarette butts) can mean jail time and/or fines.

I think I may set up a web-cam in my window overlooking the area where the butts are accumulating along with a printout of this:

How to Use Ashtrays | eHow.com

[crone]

Had downstairs neighbors in Dallas. Their balcony was just below mine. We enjoyed feeding the ducks and turtles in the pond directly below the building. We had to stop most evenings when the two Dallas cops came in from work and started smoking reefer 10 feet away from us.

[pach84]

They may be trying to get back at you from a previous confrontation. Tactics like moving your trash can to other side, having their dog poop in your walkway or cigarettes butts are all pretty common. Even in nicer areas.

Passive-aggressive is the name of the game here. They talk big here, but it's just a bunch a noise. You confront them and they smile and say, "hello, no problem". Nothing better to do, but to play games.

[sheikh.yerbouti]

I guess anything's possible. Although there haven't been any face-to-face confrontations, or any confrontations for that matter. I just recently moved in so I'm not sure there's been enough time to have an issue develop. But yeah, people can be petty and pissed off for reasons I'll never be made aware of.

I guess the trick for next time is to catch someone in the act. Then I can at least confront a real person and see what's up. At least littering is technically a crime. Don't really want to drag the police into something so trivial. But I don't want to live in an ashtray either.

Originally Posted by pach84

They may be trying to get back at you from a previous confrontation. Tactics like moving your trash can to other side, having their dog poop in your walkway or cigarettes butts are all pretty common. Even in nicer areas.

Passive-aggressive is the name of the game here. They talk big here, but it's just a bunch a noise. You confront them and they smile and say, "hello, no problem". Nothing better to do, but to play games.