Moving houses/crazy neighbor

[sfwilshire]

I should probably go back and reread JLB's tales of his neighbors. Maybe I could get some insight there.

I won’t bore you with the whole drawn out story, but to make it short, we’ve got a crazy neighbor who is determined to move a 34’ wide house down a road that is maybe 20’ wide. The mover tried to tell him not to buy it at the auction, but his wife just kept bidding because it went cheaper than smaller houses.

Since then, we’ve had about a month of craziness. The guy is apparently a compulsive liar. He has told all four of the people on the opposite side of our road that we gave him permission to cut trees on our side. He’d never even ask.

He told us that all four on the other side had given permission to cut their trees. One did, because he neglected to tell her that her husband (who has since passed away) had already told him “no way”. One we’re not sure about. The other two absolutely did not. One of them came out of the house one day and saw an X on one of her trees and a guy with a chain saw standing there ready to cut it down.

We came home one day to find three of our trees tagged.

He has tried to get the road superintendent to tell us we had to cut the trees because they are on the right of way. The supt says that they aren’t and he isn’t getting involved.

The latest statement by the crazy neighbor is that he’s just going to move the house, knock or cut down whatever he needs to, and let us all sue him. It has been suggested by the mover and by us that he cut the house in pieces to make it fit down the road, but he steadfastly refuses.

The mover seems to be a pretty decent guy, so I’m not sure how far he’ll push this and risk him business.

One of the neighbors, who is a single woman living with just a child, is scared that the crazy guy is going to go off on someone. I tend to share that fear.

The first neighbor on the road to is disabled and usually home all day. As it stands right now, we just plan to try to stop the truck and call the sheriff.

Any other suggestions or words of wisdom from you guys? I wish my daughter was in law school already and I’d get her to help us get a restraining order against the guy. I can’t really afford legal fees.

Thanks,

Sheila

 

[johnmfaeth]

You are on the right track. Hire a lawyer (with the other "victims" if possible). The lawyer can petition the court for an emergency injunction to prevent him from doing anything pending a hearing.

With an injunction in place, the sheriff is more likely to stop anything in process. And it places "Mr. Nutty" in criminal contempt of court should he proceed anyway.

 

[sfwilshire]

Might be too late to take any legal steps, as he was supposed to have it moved by this past Monday from what I'm told and the "drop dead" date is 10 days from that.

I think our local Sheriff will be cooperative. One of the neighbors is a former employee of his and has already said she has his home number and cell phone if we need to get him in off hours.

Thanks for the response.

Sheila

 

[Ekaaj]

I agree about getting a lawyer. At the very least, it will be formally documenting your struggles. And on that note, even if you can't get a lawyer, I think you should - if you haven't already - write down and clearly document every little thing that has gone on. Get neighbors' statements as well.

I would be worried about what this guy might do in the meantime, though. If he has less than 10 days to go on this thing, it might be worth it to make sure that at least one of your neighbors is home at all times - even if it means staying home from work for a few hours. (I know you said something about the disabled person - but if he/she is in a wheelchair or not able to move about much, they might not be enough to stop someone who is bent on tearing down trees, etc.) Anyway, if you have 8 or 10 people involved, it might not be that hard to accomplish a 24 hour watch. I know that might sound like you're "going overboard", but I've dealt with crazy neighbors in the past, and it's scary what people are willing to do. And if anyone threatened to cut down my trees, (and who knows what else) I'd be on watch 24/7 - I love my trees! So, I do understand.

As for the actual moving of the house, it's quite possible to cut a house in pieces in order to move it - why is the neighbor refusing this? Our own home was moved to its current location (not by us) some years ago, and it's just fine. Can you talk to the moving company about this, and get some kind of an assurance from him that he won't go too far with tree cutting, etc? Surely the house mover's business would suffer if he treated the neighbor's poorly during all of this.

Best of luck, hope it all goes well.

 

[Patri]

What a strange problem! Can a bunch of you park your cars on the street in the meantime, so they can't get around them?

 

[sfwilshire]

This is a narrow country road. Not really practical to park cars along it.

The disabled neighbor is ambulatory and a couple of us will usually be a phone call away to step in to help.

The mover is getting a bit fed up with the whole mess. He stated today that he plans to mail each of us a letter asking that we grant or deny the cutting of any necessary trees. At least three of us will deny them.

Not sure why the neighbor is so dead set against cutting the house. I understand they have to remove the roof to get it out of the current location.

He has stated more than once that he's not "used to people not letting him do what he wants". If one of my kids said that, I'd say "well get used to it".

Sheila

 

[Ekaaj]

Wow, the guy sounds like a spoiled brat! My husband also suggested hiring a security guard for a short time, just in case things get heated. (Hopefully they won't!) I feel kind of sorry for the building mover - it must be a nightmare for him! They do this kind of thing all the time, though, so I am surprised that the mover initially went along with the whole "cutting trees down" thing. There are obviously ways to move building that don't involve destroying the landscape. Maybe the mover's frustration will eventually be targeted towards the house owner, where it belongs....

 

[Wonka]

I should probably go back and reread JLB's tales of his neighbors. Maybe I could get some insight there.

I won’t bore you with the whole drawn out story, but to make it short, we’ve got a crazy neighbor who is determined to move a 34’ wide house down a road that is maybe 20’ wide. The mover tried to tell him not to buy it at the auction, but his wife just kept bidding because it went cheaper than smaller houses.

Since then, we’ve had about a month of craziness. The guy is apparently a compulsive liar. He has told all four of the people on the opposite side of our road that we gave him permission to cut trees on our side. He’d never even ask.

He told us that all four on the other side had given permission to cut their trees. One did, because he neglected to tell her that her husband (who has since passed away) had already told him “no way”. One we’re not sure about. The other two absolutely did not. One of them came out of the house one day and saw an X on one of her trees and a guy with a chain saw standing there ready to cut it down.

We came home one day to find three of our trees tagged.

He has tried to get the road superintendent to tell us we had to cut the trees because they are on the right of way. The supt says that they aren’t and he isn’t getting involved.

The latest statement by the crazy neighbor is that he’s just going to move the house, knock or cut down whatever he needs to, and let us all sue him. It has been suggested by the mover and by us that he cut the house in pieces to make it fit down the road, but he steadfastly refuses.

The mover seems to be a pretty decent guy, so I’m not sure how far he’ll push this and risk him business.

One of the neighbors, who is a single woman living with just a child, is scared that the crazy guy is going to go off on someone. I tend to share that fear.

The first neighbor on the road to is disabled and usually home all day. As it stands right now, we just plan to try to stop the truck and call the sheriff.

Any other suggestions or words of wisdom from you guys? I wish my daughter was in law school already and I’d get her to help us get a restraining order against the guy. I can’t really afford legal fees.

Thanks,

Sheila

Sheila-

If the mover is cutting the trees, he'd also be sued. Get a lawyer. Inform the mover he'll be the first to be sued if he cuts the trees. Or, better yet...have the lawyer tell him. I can't believe the "gall" of some people. You might also take the story to the media...they like interesting stories and publication will make the neighbor look like the idiot he is to all.

 

[taffy19]

He sounds like a crazy neighbor. If the mover is trying to get everyone's permission to cut tree limbs off to get through, he won't do it unless the house is cut in pieces.

These limbs will never grow back so it would destroy the looks of these mature trees so who would vote for that?

 

[Don]

At the front of your yard put up a no trespassing sign. Further back put up a "Do NOT cut down my trees" sign. If you then catch Crazy stealing your sign you can carge him with criminal tresspass.

 

[mepiccolo]

I would speak with the mover and any tree cutters who come out and make sure that they are put on notice that they will be sued if they cut any of your trees down. Business owners are not as likely to disregard your warnings because their livelihood is at stake.

Also, you may be able to go down to the courthouse and get the restraining order without the help of an attorney. Sometimes court personnel are very helpful with people having to handle things on their own and, at least in the area I live in, it is just a matter of filling out some basic forms. There are even ways to get the court fees waived if you can prove financial hardship. All your neighbors may want to join you in getting the restraining order against him. Not only would I get a restraining order against your properties but also from him coming within 50 feet of any of you if he appears violent.

I once had a guy harassing me and just the threat that I was going to get a restraining order against him made him go away. If he violates the restraining order he will be arrested. If he cuts down your trees you can sue him for civil damages. The guy sounds like a total idiot who needs "the law" to come out and talk to him, it sounds like he's a total narcissist -it's "his world and all his neighbors just live in it". I don't think so. And I thought my neighbor was bad!

 

[JLB]

Why is it I am compelled to open threads with crazy neighbor in the subject line?

 

[JLB]

Good for you. That is not always the case.

I once had a guy harassing me and just the threat that I was going to get a restraining order against him made him go away.

 

[Glynda]

Going to be interesting...

I'm looking forward to reading how your episode turns out! The guy has a lot of gall but sounds like someone who will sneak in there and chop them down when your back is turned.

We have a neighbor in downtown Charleston who was doing a remodel and built a wall between my neighbor and his properties. He asked if he could come on to her side and trim some tree limbs that were hanging over his new wall. She said that he could. He sent someone in and he cut eight trees all the way to the ground. Nothing but stumps left. She was livid and the wrong one to cross as she is a former city councilwoman and has four sons and one grandson who are attorneys. A survey was done and it was established that six of the trees were on her property alone and several were grandfathered due to size. Two trees sat on the line. He wouldn't pay what she asked privately for drilling out the stumps, replanting and damages so she filed suit. He didn't respond in time and supposedly the judgment was awarded her and someone was assigned by the court to come out and look and come up with the dollar amount of compensation and damages. Her neighbor then got a attorney and counter sued for limbs hanging over his wall (which doesn't make sense to me as he had the right to trim limbs over his air space anyway and there are certainly none now). Now it's tied up for awhile in the system and things are pretty tense over the walls! It didn't help when he asked her grandson attorney how he'd like it if he put his 90 year old grandmother on the stand. She's 79. :annoyed:

 

[sfwilshire]

Why is it I am compelled to open threads with crazy neighbor in the subject line?

I knew JLB would be along eventually for moral support.

Things have been quiet this week. I plan to follow the advice above to add No Trespassing signs to the front line over the weekend. We haven't contacted any lawyers, primarily because of lack of funds. Haven't been able to get to the courthouse to see what kind of protective/restraining orders we can get for low cost. One neighbor did check on the building permits. I suspected there wasn't one, but apparently there is. Haven't called the media as suggested because the neighbor is such a skillful liar and the paper just a local rag. I'm sure it would get all distorted.

We constantly keep our ears open for the sound of chainsaws and are prepared with the digital camera at the ready to capture evidence. My husband is going to grieve if the neighbor's trees who gave permission get cut down. We're still hoping they'll give up and cut the house to get past the rest of us and that will save them.

Didn't get the promised letter from the moving company yesterday. Maybe it will come today. I think you're right that he doesn't want to risk him business and reputation. I'm told that the crazy neighbor listed the mover as the "general contractor" on the building permit, which upset the mover. I don't know what kind of contract he has with the neighbor. One of the other folks in the neighborhood ask the neighbor's wife to see it and she said there wasn't one. We don't believe that and assume there is something in it she doesn't want us to see.

After a month of drought, it's been raining a lot in our area this week with more predicted. That should add another interesting wrinkle.

I'll keep you posted.

Sheila

 

[Don]

Here in Charlotte County,, FL, you can find a listing of permits on line. I tried to read one , but the print was too small. If I wanted to I could use the permit number and go down to Admin to see it. Permits are a matter of public record and you could see it and maybe even make a copy at you local governmaent office.

 

[Wonka]

I knew JLB would be along eventually for moral support.

Things have been quiet this week. I plan to follow the advice above to add No Trespassing signs to the front line over the weekend. We haven't contacted any lawyers, primarily because of lack of funds. Haven't been able to get to the courthouse to see what kind of protective/restraining orders we can get for low cost. One neighbor did check on the building permits. I suspected there wasn't one, but apparently there is. Haven't called the media as suggested because the neighbor is such a skillful liar and the paper just a local rag. I'm sure it would get all distorted.

We constantly keep our ears open for the sound of chainsaws and are prepared with the digital camera at the ready to capture evidence. My husband is going to grieve if the neighbor's trees who gave permission get cut down. We're still hoping they'll give up and cut the house to get past the rest of us and that will save them.

Didn't get the promised letter from the moving company yesterday. Maybe it will come today. I think you're right that he doesn't want to risk him business and reputation. I'm told that the crazy neighbor listed the mover as the "general contractor" on the building permit, which upset the mover. I don't know what kind of contract he has with the neighbor. One of the other folks in the neighborhood ask the neighbor's wife to see it and she said there wasn't one. We don't believe that and assume there is something in it she doesn't want us to see.

After a month of drought, it's been raining a lot in our area this week with more predicted. That should add another interesting wrinkle.

I'll keep you posted.

Sheila

Most lawyers will charge very little (if anything) for a brief consultation and can advise you of the best course of action. If your neighbor's share in any legal cost, it would be even less. Even if you have to pay $150-$300 for a consultation, it'd be worth it. A simple letter on the attorney's letterhead might suffice. You might also contact the sheriff/police and advise them of the threat to cut down trees and trespass so they are prepared if you call.

 

[sfwilshire]

Here in Charlotte County,, FL, you can find a listing of permits on line.

Nothing available on-line in our county. You have to appear in person and fill out a form.

I think one of the county offices has started putting public records on-line. Maybe some of the others will follow.

Sheila

 

[JLB]

Things have gotten quiet here, too. Just a beautiful, peaceful lakefront neighborhood, like it should have been all along.

I guess things tend to get quiet once the litigation begins.

I knew JLB would be along eventually for moral support.

Things have been quiet this week.

 

[sfwilshire]

We're told the house is to be moved today. None of us ever got the certified letter we were told we would, but they wore one of the neighbors down and she agreed to let them cut her trees. They cut three big cedars last week. She called us last night crying about the two dogwoods that still have to go. They've promised her to relocate or replace them, but I'm not holding out too much hope for her.

They willl go through three yards plus their own. It's been pretty dry, but I still would suspect that will make a big mess.

Should be an interesting day.

Sheila

 

[IreneLF]

Just seeing this now, a crazy story. Man is a brat and a bully.
Hope it works out ok for you, sorry that the one woman gave her ok to cut. It will never be the same for her.

 

[laxmom]

Shirley, I will be thinking of you today and hoping for the best. Please keep us posted.

 

[Glynda]

Question

Do they have to cut on the other two lots?

 

[Dave M]

We haven't contacted any lawyers, primarily because of lack of funds.

You can get a free 30-minute in-office consultation with an attorney who has appropriate expertise by contacting the Knoxville Bar Association, as explained on this linked page.

 

[Hoc]

Frankly, I would have documented it in a letter to him and the mover, and then gotten together with the other neighbors and hired a 24-hour security guard for a couple of days until the "drop dead" date is past.