5 Reasons Neighbor Revenge Is a Bad Idea

Retaliating against a noisy, nosy or otherwise annoying neighbors is a bad idea. Neighbor revenge will only make life in your apartment uncomfortable, and you may end up a victim of a crime as a result. You don’t really know who your neighbors are until there’s a conflict, and you don’t want to find out that you have a neighbor who is willing to do you harm in response to your revenge. Stay away from it for these reasons:

1 – Landlord May Not Have Done a Background Check

Neighbor revenge poses a safety issue. You don’t know what kind of criminal background the landlord conducted prior to them moving in, and you can’t rely on your move in experience. If you’re a newer tenant than your neighbor, the landlord could have started background checks with you, after that neighbor already moved in without one. Maybe your landlord didn’t conduct an adequate background check, and your neighbor has a criminal background that you’re not aware of.

2 – No Security When You’re Gone

Tenants, even the ones that make life miserable for you, are beneficial for keeping thieves at bay when you’re away. For example, when you travel on business, or visit family out of state, it’s good to have someone keep an eye on your apartment when you’re away. Most tenants will do that without you asking. They’ll notice that you’re gone, and call the police if they see any illegal activity. You can also ask them to keep watch if you have a relationship with them. That’s not going to be possible if you seek neighbor revenge. You’re on your own.

3 – Negative Relationship with Landlord

Your plans for neighbor revenge may backfire if it involves getting the landlord to evict or take some other negative action against your neighbor. There are two sides to every story, and if the landlord finds your neighbor’s side of the story more convincing, the landlord may harbor negative feelings towards you. It will hamper your chances of building a good relationship in the future, because the landlord will not trust you.

4 – Landlord May Go too Far

The landlord may believe you when you complain about your neighbor, and evict them, when a much lesser consequence is warranted. For example, you might complain to the landlord about a neighbor who plays loud music as a way to seek neighbor revenge. Your goal may have been to get the landlord to send the neighbor a notice to lower the music, but instead your neighbor gets a 14-day notice to vacate the apartment. You’ve now got your neighbor kicked out of an apartment, which may not have been your original intention.

5 – Criminal Retaliation

Whether in response to an eviction proceeding or something else, your neighbor may commit a crime against you out of rage. Historic examples of crimes involving neighbors include:

-Criminal battery and assault
-Apartment robbery
-Identity theft
-Murder

None of these risks are worth your plans for neighbor revenge.

Find other ways to resolve disputes. Neighbor revenge is never a good idea.