I’m undecided whether this is ridiculously funny, or just ridiculous.
So, I currently rent a house in the suburbs just outside of Adelaide’s CBD. I’ve been there for 3 years, give or take. Last year, construction started on a new house across the street. Then, two months ago, the new owners moved in.
That’s when the fun started.
The owner manages a construction company himself. I know, because he’s started parking his obscenely long work truck across our driveway at times, making it rather difficult to get my car out some mornings.
I consider myself a reasonable neighbour. Not perfect, but considerate of others around me. So I figured “ah well, it’ll be over once he finishes the concreting”. I decided to let him be, moving is stressful, work still to be done on the house, all that. I’m sure when our place went up in 1994 it was noisy and inconvenient for others around too. Some understanding is a good thing.
Then, I hear him outside, standing in the street shouting -
“I’ll fire up the mixer at 6:30 AM. They’re only renters over there, if they don’t like it, they can leave!”
Shots fired.
Now I’m graced with the presence of his truck, parked across my driveway on our side, his Porsche parked on the other, and a BMW parked behind behind the truck in front of our house. I’ve started keeping a can opener in the glovebox so I can get my damn car out sometimes.
Which is bad enough, really. The occasional 5:30 PM “shouting obscenities at the wife” is a nice peaceful sound to come home to as well.
But ranting aside, this brings me to around a week ago. When my ADSL was disconnected in the process of connecting his internet service. After waiting a week for iiNet to arrange for Telstra Wholesale to come fix it, our connection was back in business. (Albeit at a lower downstream sync rate than before.)
It appears to be at the detriment of his internet service though, because now he’s apparently been cut off. I know this, because he’s standing on our side of the street, looking at the telephone pole, shouting to a customer service rep at Telstra about how he “needs internet to run a business” and doesn’t give a s#!t about whether someone else gets cut off to do it.
If mine ends up disconnected again, I’ll be beyond livid.
But unfortunately, throwing back to what he said, it’s somewhat true. If we don’t like it, we can leave. We’re the renters. All I’d be out is the $2-3k for a security bond when I break the lease, which is contracted until November next year. Plus whatever it costs to relocate, of course. (All as I prepare to leave the workforce and return to study. Even better.)
But from what I can see, there is no alternative. I’ll refrain from judging his character, but he doesn’t seem to be the reasonable type. Starting a fight sounds like a decent option if I want some budget dental work, or perhaps find out what the bare metal under the paintwork on my car looks like.
At the moment, I’m just trying to lay low and keep the peace. How long that remains a viable option though, I’ll have to wait and see.
Rant over.
Sorry to hear about your neighbour woes. He sounds like a right jerk. I’d definitely call the council if he’s blocking your driveway!