Dipstick neighbour

[Grizzly_Adams]

This is ****ed up. At our old place (that we now rent out), one of our older neighbors passed away last year. Eventually the family sold the property to this numbnut who split it and built a MASSIVE house (to the size where there's basically no yard left) on the lot closest to our property. This is where things get fun. He requested several things during the building of his mansion that we quite happily agreed to, from changing the fence when there was nothing wrong with existing fence ( but he paid for it ) to allowing a massive hole to be dug in our backyard so they could have a retaining wall and flatten out their backyard (the house is on a natural slope) - luckily we had some very nice and understanding tenants at that stage also so we were happy to oblige. How are we repaid by being considerate to their needs? He demands that we cut down the only tree in our backyard! It's an African Tulip, it's at least 10mtrs high and it's a beautiful tree attracting all sorts of birds and wildlife but apparently its leaves are blocking up our new neighbors jacuzzi! Literally that's what he told us when he asked us to cut it down shortly after finishing his property! The gall of some people! We declined his request (he was only able to make it because an African Tulip is a 'class 3' weed according to Brisbane City Council) but did agree to trim it once a year - which we always use to organise under normal circumstances anyway. So we thought that was the end of that... but no! Today we received an official notice from Brisbane City Council about a complaint lodged against us for our 'class 3' weed growing in the backyward of our old property! My wife called the council and spoke with them, informed them of the situation / agreement (of which they agreed was appropriate) and made sure to take down the date / time of the call and the person we spoke to. We are under no obligation to remove our 'class 3' weed as 'class 3' only means they can't be planted - existing plants can stay. However I'm massively ****ed at the gall of the bastard next door, what an absolute prat! It's a beautiful tree, one of the few left in the area and was there loooong before he built his stoopid massive mansion. Sheesh some people are inconsiderate prats. Ooh I said some swear words when I saw that.

[theg]

I once re-aligned the front of a house development plan I was building moving it back 3 meters from the forward alignment cause my neighbour complained it would block his view . Reluctantly I did so thinking he would be a real jerk to live next door to if I didnt consider his view . 3 months after I built he sold up ! I wont cave in again . If Im legally allowed to have something I want IM HAVING IT .

[isuzurover]

Simple, cut down the tulip tree and plant the biggest gum you can find that council approves of in its place.

[clubagreenie]

1. Plant a few dozen African Tulip seedlings in his yard.
2. Include a few under his jacuzzi)
3. Call council to report planting class 3 weeds.

[digger]

Keep it, but to block his view of it plant a hedge of jacaranda trees.

Enjoy your spa now you bastard!:twisted:

[Sleepy]

Yeah, I think I know that bloke. MR R. SOUL.;)

[barney]

might have to encourage your tennants to have a few late parties and organise your tree loppers to start a 7am on a saturday morning (with the consent of your tennants)
I have a Neighbour behind us, their two storey house's ground level is slightly higher than our flat roof. we had a weeping fig up against the fence that the previous owners had planted. these neighbours continually requested we cut the trees to a ridiculous height, so they could see the bush which we set up a compromise of trimming them to a certain level only.
They took it upon themselves to poison it. after all of the leaves fell off, I began to look around up there and found weep holes where they had drilled and injected round up, also a cluster of copper nails.
karma got them back, the woman was the one doing it. she was attacking it while we were at work, unfortunately ,she woke the most territorial of our 3 cross rottys and he managed to take a chunk out of her hand. had the usual run-in with the ranger and he could see that we have friendly dogs and sufficient confinement for them (6ft brick walls on 3 sides), he got her to drop the complaint when she admitted that she had to reach over into our yard to do her "gardening", he pointed out that she was trespassing.:) 'kn bitch

[d@rk51d3]

Time to pull out the retaining wall. :angel:

[LandyAndy]

Swap you 2 lots of ferals :p:p:p:p:p
Start collecting roadkill and lobbing it ito the spa;);););)
Andrew

[barney]

a paper bag full of red or black oxide does wonders for a spa

[wrinklearthur]

so does a cake of soap!

[Sue]

I would be planting as many Jacaranda tree's that I could get along the fence line bordering his property.. and then watch him whine.. what a prat..

Reminds me of a previous neighbour who borrowed our chain saw and then proceeded to use it on tree's on our fence line at 5am Sunday morning.. :o

[CraigE]

Red food die works a treat.
:angel::wasntme::angel:

[korg20000bc]

Another option is to realise some people are jerks and choose to not let his actions annoy you.
Yes, he's a *****.
But, you can look after yourself by not holding it against him.

[Blknight.aus]

hydrochromic water based inks work even better, clear when wet, white, grey, black or a handfull of other colours once its dry.

and its odourless.

aaannnd

Roger me if this isnt a link to a place that sells em. (http://www.matsui-color.com/hydrochromic/)

[33chinacars]

Anyone for jelly. Mix in some jelly crystals or gelatine in his tub while he's away. Will take him ages to clean it out :wasntme:

Gary

[Tank]

I would be planting as many Jacaranda tree's that I could get along the fence line bordering his property.. and then watch him whine.. what a prat..

Reminds me of a previous neighbour who borrowed our chain saw and then proceeded to use it on tree's on our fence line at 5am Sunday morning.. :o
Trouble is if you plant the trees so that when they grow any branches that hang over his side of the fence can be chopped by him and placed back on your side. The owner of the tree is responsible for any overhang or any damage it may cause, so look into it carefully, it could come back and bite you on the arse, Regards Frank.

[Dave_S]

Chuck a "Chokito" bar in his jacuzi! :D

[incisor]

toads are a lovely naturally occurring jacuzzi ornament .....,

[Bigbjorn]

Trouble is if you plant the trees so that when they grow any branches that hang over his side of the fence can be chopped by him and placed back on your side. The owner of the tree is responsible for any overhang or any damage it may cause, so look into it carefully, it could come back and bite you on the arse, Regards Frank.

New rules now apply in Qld. You can get a form from the council offices, fill it out and serve it on the neighbours requiring them to prune back the vegetation to at least the fence line and remove the trimmings. This may cause considerable ill-feeling. Up to you.

My alderman tells me that the greatest number of disputes between neighbours and complaints lodged to council are over fences and vegetation.

Many people have planted totally inappropriate trees and shrubs, often far too close to the fence or boundary.

[It'sNotWorthComplaining!]

:twisted: May 10,000 Wynumm Fruit bats deficate their purple poo into his pool every night :twisted:

[Bigbjorn]

I once re-aligned the front of a house development plan I was building moving it back 3 meters from the forward alignment cause my neighbour complained it would block his view . Reluctantly I did so thinking he would be a real jerk to live next door to if I didnt consider his view . 3 months after I built he sold up ! I wont cave in again . If Im legally allowed to have something I want IM HAVING IT .

I bet he was aware he would be moving and was protecting his resale value from a development that possibly interfered with his views, breeze, and light.

I don't know about elsewhere but Brisbane City Council don't have to take into account any interference with existing amenity when considering a development application or objections thereto. Council greatly favours what they call "small lot redevelopment" where an existing 32 perch lot (sometimes smaller) is subdivided into 2 x 16 perch (sometimes smaller) lots. Usually huge new houses are built on these pocket handkerchiefs with eaves allowed to be 1 metre from the fence line and carport walls on the fence line. Council only requires one covered and one open car space on these lots. Four bedroom houses seem to have four adults at least. Your street ends up looking like the K-mart car park as these households usually have several cars, plus trailers of all kinds which have to live on the street where the parking space has been reduced by doubling the number of driveways.

Council may favour "small lots" but anyone living next to or nearby generally loathe them because of loss of existing amenity. Our green leafy open inner suburbs are disappearing under a rash of huge houses on small lots, and home units.

[V8Ian]

I believe Jacaranda have been declaired a noxious weed, but BCC love Leopard trees. :mad:

[isuzurover]

I believe Jacaranda have been declaired a noxious weed, but BCC love Leopard trees. :mad:

No, they are "under investigation" to see if they are invasive.
Weed species declared by Council - Brisbane City Council (http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/environment-waste/natural-environment/weeds/pest-plants-in-brisbane/index.htm)

Noxious weeds MUST be removed.

[Sleepy]

Geez, you are an evil lot aren't you.:twisted::p Talk about passive aggressiveness.:D

Love the chockito bar and Dave's hydrochromic ink. (How the hell do you know all this stuff Dave???)

Anyway, as someone said earlier. Karma will get him.:angel:

[tonic]

In the drilling game we have this foam that you add to water and pump down the drill pipe with air to increase the up hole velocity of the cuttings and clear the hole.

Makes the best buble bath effect in a spa and lasts for ages, goes really well in council fountains, apparently, :ninja:

[horaceOz]

if this was happenning to me I would leave the tree there and plant a heap of Jacarandas next to the fence where his spa is and see how he likes them apples

people are becoming so selfish these days - all take no give

[horaceOz]

Council may favour "small lots" but anyone living next to or nearby generally loathe them because of loss of existing amenity. Our green leafy open inner suburbs are disappearing under a rash of huge houses on small lots, and home units.

this may seem bad but small block developement is better than cutting down bush and farm land

[frantic]

Couple of quick questions as i dont know about brissy but in NSW certain councils you need approval for a retaining wall over 1m(600mm in some) and it needs to be INSIDE your boundary not as part of a fence, the distance varies between councils and changed over time.
have a look at brisbane coucil rules and report him for building retaining wall wrong:D as it will affect ground movement and water runoff on your land. Here you go have a look and see if it complies: ;)
Build a retaining wall - Brisbane City Council (http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/planning-building/building-selling-renovating/renovating-restoring-and-extending/renovating-and-building-improvement-projects/building-a-retaining-wall/index.htm)

[Ralph1Malph]

I don't know about elsewhere but Brisbane City Council don't have to take into account any interference with existing amenity when considering a development application or objections thereto. Council greatly favours what they call "small lot redevelopment" where an existing 32 perch lot (sometimes smaller) is subdivided into 2 x 16 perch (sometimes smaller) lots. Usually huge new houses are built on these pocket handkerchiefs with eaves allowed to be 1 metre from the fence line and carport walls on the fence line. Council only requires one covered and one open car space on these lots. Four bedroom houses seem to have four adults at least. Your street ends up looking like the K-mart car park as these households usually have several cars, plus trailers of all kinds which have to live on the street where the parking space has been reduced by doubling the number of driveways.

Council may favour "small lots" but anyone living next to or nearby generally loathe them because of loss of existing amenity. Our green leafy open inner suburbs are disappearing under a rash of huge houses on small lots, and home units.


this may seem bad but small block developement is better than cutting down bush and farm land

I see the issue as a combination of both points of view.
There should be a block size to dwelling size ratio and the issue of car parking is solved by requiring two enclosed AND drive through access to the back yard or side of the block.
I remember living in a new local government area in melbourne that was full of mcmansions and the council planted heaps of trees on the nature strips. The residents either relocated them to reclaim their nature strip parking or outright dug them up. Nasty letters followed but at the end of the day, the council planted them during water restrictions and the residents just plain 'forgot' to water them.:twisted:. Then came the speed humps (a court so who knew why?:angel:) the chicanes and finally the replacement of the lawn nature strips with 'environmentally friendly' coloured gravel (about 100mm deep so cars got bogged and was messy). All because planning allowed too big a house so as to detriment parking.
Secondly, too many small lot developments are allowed to be single story (cheaper for developers and FHO). All small lots should be multiple story so as to leave decent easements and green space on the block.

Finally, a bit of a rant but councils only favour small lots because our elected councillors are allowed to approve them. Activism at local level works. Lobby your local councillor.

Cheers

Ralph

[Grizzly_Adams]

Council greatly favours what they call "small lot redevelopment" where an existing 32 perch lot (sometimes smaller) is subdivided into 2 x 16 perch (sometimes smaller) lots. Usually huge new houses are built on these pocket handkerchiefs with eaves allowed to be 1 metre from the fence line and carport walls on the fence line.

This is exactly the situation, our old property was 16 perch and next door was 32 perch - the guy who bought next door split it into 2 16 perch lots and them crammed a massive mansion into "his" 16 perch lot.

The tree is no-where near the fence line and there's no risk of any branches overhanging the fence-line as it's a fairly straight up-and-down style of tree. The trunk is least 5 meters from the fence line and furthest tip of the branch closest to the fence line would still be greater than 1 meter....

Thanks for all the suggestions, some great things to wish on him :cool: I just needed to vent, I was sooo annoyed at it all...

[Blknight.aus]

Love the chockito bar and Dave's hydrochromic ink. (How the hell do you know all this stuff Dave???)


I am an insomniac with an internet connection and agressive paranoic tendencies. You know your basic evil person trying to play nice to get along with the world till it goes away and leaves me alone.

[goingbush]

Next time they are having a BBQ get a teenager to tweet everyone they know that Cory Worthington is having a party there

[clubagreenie]

Now THATS a plan.

[Hymie]

Well I am at the end of my tether with the neighbor I have behind me.
There is a spoon drain that separates the properties on the uphill side of me that takes away the ground water from rain events and house runoff.
The bloke behind me has built a chookyard over the drain and now the wire fills up with leaf litter and debris and won't let the water flow.
So now when we have rain events like Monday just gone we get flooded.
We have had no carpet or plaster since Novembers event.
Local Council says the drain is a private one and they have no control over it, Land Titles suggest that it is a drain subject to a covenant and subject to The Water Act.
My hands are now infected from cutting the wire and allowing the water to flow to try averting Mondays debacle as the 2 houses upstream of him had overflowing septics and I copped some bacteria in the wire cuts.
I can appreciate them wanting fresh eggs but they are going to start costing him......

[frantic]

Are you insured? Maybe a few photo's blaming the chook pen's blockage of the drain for the house damage will get your insurance co. to put their lawyers into action up council and your neighbours butts. Again check your council rules on chook numbers for land size , pen position, etc

[Beckford]

"It's all about me mentality" is taking over....

My suggestions are to screen out your neighbours with shrubs and sort out the drainage on your block if possible.

A good place to start is Dividing Fences Act 1953 (QLD);

http://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/D/DividFenA53.pdf

Do you believe in Karma?

[Hymie]

Are you insured? Maybe a few photo's blaming the chook pen's blockage of the drain for the house damage will get your insurance co. to put their lawyers into action up council and your neighbours butts. Again check your council rules on chook numbers for land size , pen position, etc

Yes we are insured, however as I said we are still settling the November 2011 claim and yes, we have Pictures and Video of it all happening.
Council have already been and looked at the chook palace he's built after he complained about my Jack Russel eating them. They advised him to move it as it was a bit unfair putting the prey right in front of the predator and wondering why they were getting eaten.
We are in a Semi Rural area and all the fences are 7 strand wire. Except for the chook palace, which is 3 meter high chook wire.

[Beckford]

How did the Jack Russel break into the chook palace?

[Hymie]

She dug under the fence, even though he had buried it 20cm.

She mysteriously died of poisoning about 6 months ago.

[digger]

Do you believe in Karma?


Yep a few years ago someones Karma ran over my Dogma...:(

[Beckford]

She dug under the fence, even though he had buried it 20cm.

She mysteriously died of poisoning about 6 months ago.

Foxes will also dig under fences to get chooks. Total over-reaction.

Time to call in the big dogs. I would be putting a drag chain around that chook palace and floor it.....

[korg20000bc]

Yep a few years ago someones Karma ran over my Dogma...:(

Isn't Karma that place on the NSW Sth coast with the Blowhole?

[frantic]

Yes karma (kiama) has the big blowhole and it also has the giant Poo as a protest about the sewage outlet, it is downstream/ down a very steep hill(maquarie pass, or jamberoo Mt rd) from Robo(robertson) which has the giant potato which may have washed its seedling down to form the kiama poo:D

[Hymie]

Foxes will also dig under fences to get chooks. Total over-reaction.

Time to call in the big dogs. I would be putting a drag chain around that chook palace and floor it.....

Yeah much as I'd like to Jail time doesn't appeal to me.
I'll just let my Solicitor take care of it.

[frantic]

Saw an article in syd's sat tele , council in nsw is supposed to issue orders under s.124 of local govt. act 1993 for remedial action to be taken by owner who is causing flooding.