Tenant furious after catching neighbor's disgusting habit damaging their property: 'Nightmare status'

A Reddit post in r/Apartmentliving struck a nerve online, shedding light on a frustratingly common issue: neighbors who don't respect shared spaces.

In a post titled "Neighbor throwing food scraps out their window into my yard," a tenant living in a city duplex shared photos of what appeared to be dinner leftovers — including pasta, ham, and hard-boiled eggs — scattered across their shared backyard. 

Alongside the mess, the original poster shared a note they wrote to their upstairs neighbors after suspecting they were behind the recurring issue.

They explained: "A few days ago I found half a summer sausage roll, but thought it was an isolated incident. … I've also found food scraps in the past, but … it just never registered as alarming because I just kept assuming it was animals. Well, pretty sure I was wrong."

"Yesterday, no food scraps. This morning? A whole f****** meal was out there," the OP added. "It looked like it was thrown from a high distance and was all over the place as a result."

The backyard, which had been overtaken by brush in recent years, was finally getting some care thanks to the OP, who said they'd spent five hours clearing weeds the day before. The post illustrated how stressful having conflicts with neighbors can be.

But these tensions can be more than irritating; they can also be a barrier to sustainable home solutions. Shared yards and multiunit properties can be ideal spots for small pollinator gardens, composting setups, or native plant landscaping. However, conflicts with neighbors or landlords often discourage tenants.

We've seen similar cases, including tenants who litter in shared spaces and someone who mowed over their neighbor's wildflower patch. For people facing similar issues, it's smart to keep thorough documentation of conflicts and communication, looping in landlords and property managers when possible. And if it's neighborhood policies that are holding back your sustainable goals, you may even have to fight with your homeowners association to change outdated rules.

Commenters on Reddit were quick to empathize. 

One user wrote: "No, no, no. This needs to be handled through the landlord if the tenant won't stop the nuisance. … I would go nuclear if neighbors were throwing food attractants into my yard." 

Another agreed, writing: "This is going to attract vermin quickly. I'd go straight to the landlord."

One Redditor summed it up: "Nightmare status. Ugh."

Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden? Yes 💯 Only if it impacts your neighbors 🏘️ Depends on what you're growing 🌼 Heck no 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.