Her Neighbors Bought a House That Needed Major Repairs—Instead of Fixing It, They Made Things Worse

p { margin-bottom: 1.125em; } p:first-of-type { margin-top: 1.125em; } Shutterstock Imagine living in a nice suburban neighborhood, but then a family buys a house that's basically a fixer. While it needs some work, the right owners could make it wonderful. Unfortunately, the people who buy it don't make any repairs. Instead, the house looks worse and worse as time goes on. What would you do if the city ignored all of the code violations? That's the exact situation the homeowner who wrote Keep reading for the whole story. Decrepit neighboring home, code violations abound. What is my recourse? I live in a suburban home and have a problematic neighbor. The home was apparently neglected years ago and sold at auction at a low price with the indication that there was mold present and a lot of work to be done. Because of the low price, it was purchased by someone in 2020 who does not have the money to maintain it. This does not sound like a safe place to live. The property was not in move-in condition at the time of the auction, but they moved in anyway and never fixed the home — in fact, they damaged it further. They ripped off the siding somewhere around 2020-21 and never replaced it. The house just sits bare with exposed foundation, pipes, etc. and has all sorts of damage. When it rains the house is just a wet concrete box with no gutters. But it gets worse. They've had various contractors come and begin work but they always leave just after beginning a project – my suspicion is they don't pay them – and they've told other people in the neighborhood that the 'contractors stole all of my money and didn't do the work' (more than once). Worst of all, they have a pool in the ground that is completely neglected. It fills with black storm water and they will leave it uncovered like that for months and it attracts mosquitos. The 'pool' is unfenced and so is the backyard. How can they live like this? The glass on the front picture window had a massive hole in the glass for years until it was recently repaired after someone complained to the town. They have tape across the other front picture window meant to look like blinds because they don't have any window coverings — it's just lines of painters tape. Window screens on upstairs windows are torn. Numerous times, they have had shattered glass sitting on the grass or sidewalk in front of their house and they don't clean it. Yikes! Most recently a light fixture shattered and they just left it, with big chunks of glass on the sidewalk. They have loose trash on their lawn because they don't bag it properly so it flies all over during collection. They cut down trees but don't dig them up so there are tree stumps on the front lawn. There is a massive pile of pebbles just randomly sitting on the front lawn. This sounds illegal. They also seem to be involved in a shady car selling business and tow trucks come at all hours of the night dropping off cars without plates. The owners themselves drive numerous cars with one fake plate that they rotate from car to car while they are driving it – none of their cars are registered. There are also two tall poles affixed to the roof on the side of the house (higher than the roof of the two story house) that are there from a previous abandoned construction project, but they have been sitting there for years and they are probably not maintained by anyone. They also recently had workers come rip up the pavers all around the 'pool' in the backyard and then the workers never came back, so the backyard is an eyesore filled with loose pipes and abandoned construction equipment. It seems hopeless. I personally have complained to the town and I know many other neighbors have as well, but no meaningful action has been taken by the town and it's been an issue for years. No other homes in the neighborhood or even the entire town look like this. Never Miss a Story Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox. Looking for insight regarding my recourse as an impacted property owner when the town seems to not be taking the many blatant code violations and hazards seriously. Those living conditions sound unlivable. The residents sound like they're doing something illegal. And the house and yard sound like they look like a junk pile. Why won't the town do anything about it? Let's see what Reddit suggests. Here's a good suggestion. Here's another idea. This person offers some hints about what to say. If you enjoyed this story, Another person thinks they need to take this higher than the local police. It seems odd that that police would completely ignore a neglected house in disrepair with most likely stolen cars and a pool full of mosquitos. Surely, one of these many violations would cause the police to take notice. I think they need to keep reporting the neighbors, and they need to get the other neighbors to do the same. Something must be done! Enjoyed this story? Readers who liked this also read Author Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives. Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary. Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast. 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