New Homeowner Has To Deal With Police Because Nosy 'Karen' Neighbor Thought She Was ‘Too Young’ To Own Property

Nov 02, 2021 by apost team

Buying a house is one of those special moments in people's lives that signals a sense of achievement. Not only do you have a place that you can make your own, where you can relax at the end of each day, but for many people, buying a home can mark the moment when they've officially "made it" in life.

Unfortunately, though, there are a few things that can dampen someone's excitement about owning a home. A big one is what kind of neighbors you have. While we'd all love to have friendly neighbors who greet us with a smile and watch out for everyone in the neighborhood, it's also a reality that less-than-pleasant neighbors exist. Whether they're loud and rambunctious or cold and nosy, neighbors play a big role in how the environment around our home feels, and unfortunately, that is out of our control. 

One first-time homeowner learned this first hand when she moved into her new home. The 20-year-old bought a house in the Midwest for $15,000. While it was in fairly good condition for the price, it did need a little bit of work. So she set about getting the front fixed up. Unfortunately for her, her neighbor, a woman in her 50s, was being very nosy and didn't believe that she owned the home. This led her to call the police on the young woman, who had to show her documents and prove ownership.

The woman's father felt that she shouldn't have made her neighbor angry while the woman thought she was in the right. So she took her dilemma to Reddit's popular "Am I the A**hole" subreddit to see what people thought.  

The woman began by explaining she was "fortunate" to buy a house for only $15,000. She added that it's "quite nice" and didn't need a lot of work except for a new roof and cabinets; however, her dad is a carpenter and could help.

She explained that the previous owner of the house "was an older man who unfortunately passed away after living in the house" some time ago. She moved in two months prior to posting on Reddit and had been enjoying doing the residence up as her own.

But things turned for the worse when three weeks after moving in, she met her neighbor, who she calls Jane. She was working in the garden, clearing out space before the ground froze in order to plant flowers in the spring. After introducing herself, Jane, who is described as being in her 50s, said it was nice that "someone was doing some work for the old man" and told the woman that "it's a quiet neighborhood and [she] shouldn't have parties." The woman went on:

"I told her I [don't] throw parties but was planning on hosting a housewarming and Thanksgiving soon. She said it's weird to throw a housewarming when I was renting. I told her I own the house. She didn't believe me but went home."

Then, soon after, they met again. The woman wrote:

"Last week, I was out painting my front door. She stormed over yelling that I better of had permission to paint someone else's house. I again told her I own the home." 

This led to Jane "yelling that [the woman] was too young to buy a house and she was contacting [her] landlord." The woman "told her to stop being a busy body and leave [her] alone." 

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That's when Jane began demanding proof, leading the woman to tell her it was none of her business and to get off her property. She went on:

"She walked to the edge of her yard and called the police saying I was a squatter. When they showed up, I showed them my paperwork [and] asked to trespass her from my home. Jane is still angry."

The reason she wrote on the Reddit forum is that after speaking with her dad, he said she was in the wrong "for making enemies with [her] neighbors" and that she should have just shown Jane her documents "to put her mind to rest." 

After asking people whether she or her dad was in the right, the overwhelming response was that she was correct in her actions. Many thought that the neighbor should not have been so nosy, with one person having written:

"NTA, everything went perfectly in this situation because she made an [fool] out of herself in front of the police right away. Your dad is [in the wrong] for having no sympathy for you that your neighbor has personality disorders/mental illness/something."

Another user pointed out that simply by being 20-years-old she was destined for her neighbor to not like her anyway and warned her to look out for any other potentially grouchy neighbors in the area as there could be more.

Meanwhile, others also pointed out that "even if [she] showed her the deed, the way [she] painted her, [Jane] probably would've claimed the deed was fake." 

What do you think about this story? Was the 20-year-old woman in the right or wrong with how she handled the situation? Let us know your thoughts and pass this on so others can weigh in too.