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Sometimes it's best to approach these situations by playing dumb. You go over and introduce yourself and say "hey, by the way your motion sensor light is stuck in the "ON" position and it's been all day and all night. Just wanted to let you know so you don't end up with a huge electric bill". Now you have no idea why that light is on but it gives him an "out" and it's not confrontational. Since the light is newly on, there may be a situation you are unaware of that they ARE aware of. We've had a rash of burglaries in our neighborhood recently and my neighbors have been leaving their back light on and it lights up our yard as well. If I didn't know about the burglaries I would have been like WTF when they started doing it.
Yes, you are within your right to say something. He probably has NO IDEA this is a problem and wouldn't know unless he had spent a night in your bedroom.
^^^^ Years ago when we moved into one of our homes it had a light above the garage. The switch blew and the light wouldn't turn off. It was on our list of things to do. What I didn't realize is that the wind had tilted it just enough to make it shine at our neighbors bedroom window.
The neighbor introduced himself and then asked me if we could turn it off. I had no idea it was bothering him. We had only been in the house a couple of weeks. I apologized, told him about how the switch stopped working and it was on our list. Our first day in the house the water tank blew so we had been pre-occupied with that. He chuckled and welcomed us to homeownership.
Turns out he was a retired electrician and offered to help my husband fix the switch and then it was a good time to get a new light too. We became really good neighbors after that. I think he expected us to be jerks because when he first talked to me about it he seemed guarded like he waiting for a problem. Not at all because he was respectful. He had his own garden and every day in the summer there was a bag of fresh veggies hanging on the fence for me. I miss that guy.
Location: When you take flak it means you are on target
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I live in a bad area with several drug houses on the street and have giant halogen lights on all my properties. My house and business are lit like fortknox all night to keep the zombies at bay. Followed by fences, cameras, alarms. It sucks! But better than being robbed or having to kill some nightcrawler who sees darkness as an invitation.
I know it bothers a couple of neighbors, I'm sorry. Clean up the neighborhood.
I agree with this 100%. I will never understand the people that think going to the neighbors house with some version of "you need to change the way you live to suit me" is ever going to work out. If someone I don't know comes to my house with a pie and some criticism, I would tell them not so politely to go f themselves.
Buy some curtains and move on with your life is my advice to the OP.
How is this not a version of "you need to change the way you live (buy curtains so I don't have to stop being inconsiderate of my neighbors) to suit me"?
I agree with this 100%. I will never understand the people that think going to the neighbors house with some version of "you need to change the way you live to suit me" is ever going to work out. If someone I don't know comes to my house with a pie and some criticism, I would tell them not so politely to go f themselves.
Buy some curtains and move on with your life is my advice to the OP.
I'm glad you are not my neighbor. Being a good neighbor requires a little give and take, a kind and reasonable request doesn't necessarily warrant an obscene attack.
^^^^ Years ago when we moved into one of our homes it had a light above the garage. The switch blew and the light wouldn't turn off. It was on our list of things to do. What I didn't realize is that the wind had tilted it just enough to make it shine at our neighbors bedroom window.
The neighbor introduced himself and then asked me if we could turn it off. I had no idea it was bothering him. We had only been in the house a couple of weeks. I apologized, told him about how the switch stopped working and it was on our list. Our first day in the house the water tank blew so we had been pre-occupied with that. He chuckled and welcomed us to homeownership.
Turns out he was a retired electrician and offered to help my husband fix the switch and then it was a good time to get a new light too. We became really good neighbors after that. I think he expected us to be jerks because when he first talked to me about it he seemed guarded like he waiting for a problem. Not at all because he was respectful. He had his own garden and every day in the summer there was a bag of fresh veggies hanging on the fence for me. I miss that guy.
This how being good neighbors is supposed to work.
How is this not a version of "you need to change the way you live (buy curtains so I don't have to stop being inconsiderate of my neighbors) to suit me"?
There really are multiple solutions to this problem that won't have you come off as a jerk to your new neighbor.
The neighbors behind us (We have large yards) leave their back light on most nights. When we are in the living room at night watching TV, that light is in the background (TV sits between two windows) and we have to look at it non-stop. It annoyed me for a while, and one day while I was out cutting grass behind my fence the neighbor was doing the same so we stopped and talked. Apparently they were worried because their last home had gotten broken into when just the wife and kids were home. So now they always leave the light on as a precaution. That changed my direction completely as I was about to ask them to turn it off.
Instead.... I told them we could see their yard from our living room and would help keep an eye on the place if need be when they were gone. The neighbor thanked me and we became friends. Now... when we go out of town they come over (through the back gate) every day to feed and water our dogs for us.
I solved the light "problem" by slightly rearranging our furniture where it is out of our line of sight. No harm... no foul. And we made friends in the process, purely by accident. It is ALL in how you react.
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We became really good neighbors after that. I think he expected us to be jerks because when he first talked to me about it he seemed guarded like he waiting for a problem. Not at all because he was respectful. He had his own garden and every day in the summer there was a bag of fresh veggies hanging on the fence for me. I miss that guy.
