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The advice people are giving you, first and foremost keeping your child protected and out of harms way until a fence can be put up and using an attorney to get your LL to get that done makes really good sense to me. If you are fearful and the LL takes too long to get it done, using that same attorney to get you out of the lease is also a good option.
One other thing I didn't see mentioned is would it be worth it to you to buy a few security cameras with night vision capability? Have them installed up high and inconspicuously to keep a visual record of goings-on in your yard(s) just in case the neighbors start escalating (seems like this could be likely)?
We have piggy, drug and alcohol-addicted neighbors too, long story... and we do have cameras. Strangers coming and going all hours of the night for quick hops into the neighbor's garage to (assuming) complete drug transactions and also once coming onto our property (motion detectors with very bright LED lights and the Jeffco sheriff's dept. afterward put an immediate end to that activity). I cannot say too much about it, they are being watched very carefully right now. The homeowner has been arrested several times now since they've been there for 9 years. He doesn't seem to spend much time in jail though.
Two days ago we saw a realtor over there going over the property with the homeowner, though so there is hope on the horizon. The house is literally falling apart around them but hopefully someone comes in and fixes it all up again. We are planning to put up a high fence just in case they are still there when we go to put our house up for sale later this year anyway. The dysfunction will never leave the people and you cannot do anything about that; but people like that don't seem to roost in the same place too long either. Hopefully that will be the case soon for you.
Please be careful, people like that are unpredictable.
We actually decided yesterday that we're going to buy cameras!
Is it just the one unit that is the problem? Is there no condo board? If everyone else is upper class and with condos you're in close proximity, have you talked to others about this?
No, I was trying to undertand the situation. It's very odd to hear all of this going on in an upper class area.
Let's put on our thinking caps eastcoastguyz shall we?
Upper class usually means quiet areas, you see people either have to get up in the morning to go to good paying jobs to pay to live there, or they're well off retired people, either way they like QUIET.
So things like vicious dogs running wild, people smoking meth in the open, loud music coming from cars, aren't the norm.
Caught up now?
There is no condo board unfortunately and yes, it's only the one unit that's a problem.
OP....I understand why you want to stay, because the neighbors are in the wrong and leaving might feel like you are giving up. But, I have lived by neighbors that harassed me, and made my life hell.....Not physically dangerous like you are describing, but mean and nasty to myself and my children. Believe me....the stress and possible danger you are experiencing is not worth it. When you get out from under this and are back to normal you will wonder why you waited so long.
I cannot imagine being afraid to go into my own yard, and fearing putting my baby down to garden because she might be attacked by the dog next door. You may have lost perspective because this has all creeped up on you. But, imagine what you might have said if anyone had told you what your neighbors would be like when you were looking at houses to rent. I doubt that you would have made the choice to live there.
Other posters have advised contacting a lawyer. The person you sue should be the LL next door, and perhaps your own LL.
But, if I were you I'd settle for getting out of the lease with your security refunded. Short of that, your LL better be putting in a very secure fence asap. And, you are in an attached home? Your back porches are joined? What are you going to do about fencing there....security cameras?
Be careful, not only is that nut case a danger, but anyone he is hanging out with and partying with are also.....these folks gravitate towards each other.
And, Sorry to say this, but it sounds like the authorities are only to happy to allow you to make their case for them.....be very careful.
Cameras are a good idea....and make sure and put security notices up.....it may at least keep this guy from being so blatantly in your face.
RE: the dog...my brother used to swear by that hornet spray....the stuff that sprays 20 feet....for loose aggressive dogs. Maybe even a dog catchers net....anything to stop him. A dog that aggressive has lost all inhibition to bite humans....I do not think it can be helped. Also, get yourself some thick long pants, and some **** kicker hiking boots, strap that baby onto your body with a sling when you are outside until this is resolved one way or another. In fact, I'd go buy some cheap fencing to put up right away....at least a small dog cannot get into any area that you cordon off.
Please keep us updated. Be safe.
Our goal is to leave the city altogether. We've had nothing but trouble with all of our neighbours here. The police officer described the city as a disaster and it really is. We do have a small fence that we took down to install sod. The sod is why we have to be in the back yard. It requires maintenance. We were going to wait a bit before putting the fence back up but we plan to do it immediately instead.
It is you who aren't caught up. In fact, you are highly clueless in your assumptions. I have a friend who lives in a neighborhood where the homes sell between $600-$800K+. Everything was fine until the nice old couple in the house passed away, and their crackhead son who doesn't work, deals drugs, and sits outside and runs a loud motorcycle moved in. The neighborhood has to put up with this. The rest of the area is fine. This one crackhead doesn't speak for the entire area.
So the people next door to the OP with all these problems, it has nothing to do with it being a statistical sampling of the entire neighborhood. And $1500.00 a month is expense in some areas while you couldn't find a place to live on the Upper East side of NYC for that, but you could in a small Midwest town or down South.
I will repeat what I said before about your posting, how is your contribution offering help or make the OP feel good about the situation? All you did was go on the attack that $1500.00 a month in your narrow view of the world is not considered upper middle class? Again, what was the point of your posting? To do some kind of chest beating that $1500.00 to you doesn't mean upper middle class? And in doing so, how once again does that help the OP or anyone on this forum frankly. And you back-peddling to say you are trying to understand things doesn't make sense. You don't attack someone, and then claim you were doing so to simply understand their problem.
So dial down the condescending tone when you have done zero to contribute to helping the OP with their problems. You offered no solutions, didn't invoke an intelligent discussion. So why are you posting at all then? Your position on this topic is nothing less than sadistic.
The house that we are renting for $1500 sold for $450,000. Across the road most houses sell for $850k. This is not a poor neighbourhood by any means. It's simply been infiltrated by trash who can afford the rent thanks to welfare.
An update to this.. The SPCA is requiring the dog to be leashed for 10 days and that's it.
Yup.
DON'T expect the dog owners to follow the rules about that dog .. your best bet is to carry a can of pepper spray or a small taser outside with you .. oh and a long walking stick.. and do not be afraid to use it on the dog .. oh and your cellphone on camera mode .. its called self protection here since having a loaded pistol on your hip is frowned on in the city
We made it clear if the dog comes over again WE will put it down. We carry a baseball bat when we go in our backyard now. And the police are encouraging us to do so. They know this family and do not care for them.
You need to move. Life is too short for this kind of stress. It's not about making a stand, and tell your landlord to get stuffed if they try to after you for breaking your lease.
I'd tell the owner that you're moving because of all this.
We also rented a home in a very nice high end neighborhood, single family homes that were close together. The owners 3 doors down were crackheads with two small kids who harassed everyone, they would block the street, flatten tires, scream in front of your house, etc. You can't fix this, you can't win, you just need to move and be thankful you don't own the place.
You'll be their target now, even though you did the right thing. Criminals hang with criminals, maybe you'll be robbed by one of their friends to teach you a lesson for calling animal control.
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