Fury as Neighbor Uses Next-door's Garden To Socialize With Friends

The internet has backed a homeowner who claims their next-door neighbor is using their side of the shared garden instead of using her own, without even asking for permission.

In a post shared on Mumsnet last Sunday, MickeyMouseEars explained that at the time they wrote the post, their neighbor was beneath their window painting some furniture with her mates, using their side of the garden instead of her own.

According to the post, this is not the first time it has happened, as in the past the neighbor has had her friends over to socialize in their garden and parked their car on their grass too, despite having a three-car driveway and on-road parking being available.

The poster explained that their neighbor and themselves are semidetached and the garden in question is shared in half with no visible separation on the ground.

The poster wrote: "But it is clear who owns which half as their part is directly in front of their living room window and our part is directly in front of ours. The borders are also different so when our land changes to theirs it goes from flowers to brickwork."

According to data from the Pew Research Center, a majority of Americans, 57 percent, say they know only some of their neighbors, while far fewer, about 26 percent, say they know most of them.

The study shows that Americans 65 and older are more likely than those 18 to 29 to say they know most of their neighbors, 34 percent vs. 20 percent. About a quarter, 23 percent, of adults under 30 said they don't know any of their neighbors.

Among the 253 comments on the thread, most suggested making the garden separation more visible. One user said: "Start inviting your friends over to paint in their garden, see how they like that! Don't be afraid to spill a little paint either!"

Another commented: "I would just say with respect please can you refrain from using our side of the garden? Perhaps offer to fund something that makes the border more defined but I'd be much inclined to put a row of fast-growing conifers."

A third simply said: "One word: fence."

A fourth said: "They obviously think you are a doormat to walk all over, OP. Just go out into your own garden and ask them to move. You could say, "I think there must be some misunderstanding, as this is my garden, so I need to ask you to move. Thanks". Then get out a chair, a book, and a drink and use your own space."

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.