What's the best way to deal with this situation without damaging our friendship with our neighbors?

Question

We live in a "bowl", if you will, we're in part of a canyon where there's 4 houses on about 20 acres. They're all beautiful houses and us and our two other neighbors keep our yards nice and we don't keep stuff sitting out around the house that would ruin the scenery that we have down here... however, our neighbors who live in the middle have kept their rv, boat, a huge trailer and just tons of their building c**p down by our house... here's a rough sketch of how our properties connect, http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/shsyearbook/neighbors.jpg all of our backyards face towards their stuff (and no, our houses don't all look the same haha - mapquest just hasn't updated stuff in the past year.) so as you can imagine it's getting really annoying having their stuff just sitting down here (they even have a shop!!) so i'm looking for some advice as to handle this situation. we've tried not so subtle attempts such as "how much longer are you going to keep your stuff all down by our house?" and stuff like that but it's obviously NOT working. i have their son on my myspace and i've debated messaging him saying "so when are your parents going to move all their stuff away from our house?" but i don't think it'd be that great to go through the son. (i'm 18 btw... so its not like i'd be a parent talking to the son lol)

anyway... any suggestions? they have nearly 5 acres and a shop they can put all their c**p, and out of all places, they set it down by our house, down where everyone has to stare at it and down next to the creek and hill which totally ruins the scenery...

thank you :D

sorry its so long lol

Answer 1

can you put up a fence? or have them put one up?  

Answer 2

pay some delinquents to vandalize their belongings without mercy.  assure them that this act occurred as a consequence of their belongings being so highly visible in thier current location.  then assure them that the c**p is more secure if they move it where you tell them get your other neighbors to agree with you when asked

Answer 3

Is it a bushfire risk?  Maybe a local council/government agency could intervene as this is a health or danger risk.   Yet to get that happening would require other neighbours to also complain.  

Unfortunately some people believe that what ever happens with in their fence is their business.

I know of a house where his back yard (twin suburban block) has so much junk, there is no grass.  

Only metal, wood,  plastic plus an old boat and box trailer, a van and a few old sheds.  

He sees it as his possession not as junk.  It’s a selfish attitude.

Answer 4

If it's on their property there isn't much you can do.

You can try asking them to move their stuff, but it probably won't make any difference. I have a similar problem with my neighbor.

I planted about 50 fast growing bushes - Russian Olive along the property line.  They get about 12 ft tall and are very bushy. Now I don't have to look at their stuff every time I get in my car.  BTW, the neighbors HATE the bushes.

Answer 5

Go to your homeowners association.  They are created for things like this and will tell them to move it without saying who complained.

They also have enforcement power... they can literally make them move it.

Answer 6

I think its pretty obvious by the overhead of those pictures why they keep the junk so far away from their precious house.  So, have you tried showing them this overhead just to get across how you feel?

Unfortunately, alot of wealthy people have this obnoxious 'me me me' attitude and feel their wealth triumphs anything considerate in regards to being neighborly. In other words, its their land, they can do as they want with it.

In thinking about it, why would you care to be friends with people so inconsiderate of your property. If they cannot see how this affects you, then they are worthless neighbors who evidently dont care about being  neighborly. True to life 'me me me and only me' people. Yeah. They are everywhere in upper crusty neighborhoods though you dont seem that way.

Answer 7

I dont have access to the pic so i cant see but no, you should say nothing. You have no right to say anything about others properties, just because you dont like it, tough. Stay within your own and forget about theirs, doesnt matter what you can see and what you cant, stop starting c**p and leave them alone.