NBR: Don't know what to do and vent!

mamayo26

Ok, so I apologize that this is kind of long, but I am at my wits end with my white trash neighbors and don't know what I can or should do! Any advice would be greatly appreciated:

I live in a neighborhood where people keep mostly to themselves, we smile and wave, but we tend to stay out of each others business, for the most part. Well I have just about has it with the two houses next to me:

1. This woman does in home day care and homeschooling (this doesn't bother me), she has a fence from the two houses around her, and instead of having a legitimate fence put in on the side that we share, she has decided that putting up baby gates as a fence is ok. Forget the fact that it is ugly and against code. It doesn't even work--meaning the kids can get around/over it. And on the other side of her house where there is a gap between her house and the neighbor's fence she is using chicken wire. I can't believe people would leave their children in the care of a person this stupid, but I would like to get these gates taken down as they are really unsightly--Any suggestions on how I do that without being the a-hole neighbor (which I am not totally against, but would like to avoid being the neighborhood b*tch if at all possible)?

2. The other neighbor next to me has the most annoying voice (think Fran from "the nanny") and is constantly yelling at her 5 kids. well last night they were outside yelling and running around after 11 at night. I had to shut the window so that I could sleep. I come to find out from my sitter (who is also a neighbor--one I actually speak with) that this family had their 12 year old watching the other 4 kids including a 1 year old who was running around at midnight. The young boy was playing with sticks in the fire pit and they were playing on our driveway. The cops showed up and the parents weren't even there!--I have no idea what to do about this, because not only is she bothering us, she is endangering her kids and potentially other people (kid playing with fire). This is also not the first time she has kept me up because she has not idea what a normal volume level should be---I am going to go ape sh*t on her.

HELP! I know at least #2 is a rental, but not sure about #1. I just wasn't brought up this way and cannot fathom how people can act like this! UGGGGG! Oh and when we went to meet #2 a couple months ago, she offered to watch DS as she runs an in-home day care too--fat f'ing chance!

Sigir

I would totally call the town for number 1, and CPS for number 2.  They have to keep you anonymous, so you don't come off as the ***, and they might actually get somewhere.   I think that is better to do than talking to them in person, IMO... that is when there is the chance of coming off bitchy and then if it does not work and you have to end up calling the police anyway, they know you were the one who did it.  

ReginaLV

Definitely do not talk to your neighbors. I learned from personal experience that it is better to just call the police. As Sigir said, if you first talk to them, then have to call the police when that doesn't work, they'll know it was you and that can cause even more problems. I had an issue with a neighbor while renting a townhouse last year and thought our issue could be resolved just by talking to them. I will never do that again as it made things SO much worse. Every time the cops were called on them they assumed it was us, even though many of the other neighbors were calling the police as well. 

With #2, maybe you could find out who their landlord is and contact them in addition to contacting CPS.  

stepper1725

I'd call on both accounts. If she's running an inhome day care, is she licensed? If so, I'd call the state about the fence issue. It would be horrible if a kid got out & ran into the street or something.

unaveragejane

I think I'd be pricing fences! Even if the daycare neighbor won't split the cost with you, I wouldn't want one of her clients to hop that baby gate, get hurt on my property, and then have a case to sue me or something.

ETA: I wonder if on #2 the landlord or rental company knows about the police being called. I wouldn't want renters like that!

Gismo123

unaveragejane:

I think I'd be pricing fences! Even if the daycare neighbor won't split the cost with you, I wouldn't want one of her clients to hop that baby gate, get hurt on my property, and then have a case to sue me or something.

ETA: I wonder if on #2 the landlord or rental company knows about the police being called. I wouldn't want renters like that!

If that were to happen they couldn't sue her since the gate was put up by the neighbor and not her and the child would be trespassing on private property.  The daycare provider would be the one sued.