A home and a yard, perhaps an untenable luxury for many millennials and Gen Z’ers, come with a comforting amount of privacy and autonomy. In the comfort of your own home, you can do what you want with the safety and security in the knowledge that it’s your piece of ground.
But one man shared his tale of horrible neighbors with the internet after they raised a fence two feet higher than his just to put a camera up that would face his yard. He turned to the internet for advice and was presented with a plethora of ideas, ranging from pranks, jokes, and gaffs to methods that might get the neighbor in legal trouble.
Privacy in one’s own home is an important right
Image credits: Magicisntreallyreal
So one man had a bit of a shock when a neighbor put up a security camera facing his yard
Image credits: Magicisntreallyreal
Image credits: Magicisntreallyreal
Privacy is protected under the law, but not in every situation
So setting aside moral and ethical questions, in which OP is absolutely in the right, technically, in the US state of Texas, one can install a security camera in their territory and have it point at a neighbor’s land. However, to actually record another person on their property requires their explicit permission, which OP has naturally not given this neighbor. Now, it’s quite possible that the neighbor doesn’t record anything through the cameras, but this would mean that they can only use them to actively watch OP, which somehow seems worse. One advantage OP may have is that the cameras are in the backyard. The front yard, despite being OP’s property, is still pretty visible from a variety of directions, so he can not reasonably demand that no one looks at him there. But the backyard is different and he has put resources into enclosing it.
While we do not have enough details to make any truly in-depth judgments, there are a few factors that don’t paint this neighbor in a particularly flattering light. First, that a legal injunction was needed to get them off OP’s property. Then the fact that they raised a second fence higher than OP’s fence, which is, at best, monumentally petty. The backyard-pointing cameras are just the cherry on top of this horrible ice cream sundae. While it remains a possibility that this neighbor is just security-conscious, we might have to consider the alternative, that they are simply anti-social and hostile.
Bad neighbors are not likely to change by themselves
We have a decent idea of what being a “good” neighbor means, as Jesus Christ, Mr. Rodgers, and others have all given us some working examples. But in reality, many neighbors are downright bad, selfish, and annoying. Indeed, the entire advantage of a private home and maybe a yard is the ability to “escape” from loud or obnoxious neighbors that one might encounter in, say, an apartment. The unfortunate truth is that many people possess inflated egos, are deeply entitled, and may be suffering from pretty significant personality disorders.
Even in cases where the person does not possess any sort of disorder that would explain poor behavior, upbringing, and personality can always leave a mark. While many recommend that OP just talk to the neighbors, realistically they already know what they are doing. OP should still do it, at the very least, he will be able to say he tried before seeking legal action, but it would appear that a higher authority will be needed to get this neighbor to change their ways. Unfortunately, a spiteful, antisocial person can and will find ways to harass and bother someone. This is another reason why OP should already start building legal evidence against them, as it might be important to build a future case.
Some netizens suggested a few humorous ways he could take advantage of the situation
Others discussed legal options
