I have two neighbor stories.
In Texas, we lived in a neighorhood where everyone had 2.5 acres. We were the first people one the street. Everyone built within two years, except for one guy who owned the land next to me. After watching it frow for two summers and never be mowed, I started to mow his land to the building line to improve the appearance of the street, afterall the construction phase for the street was apparently over. To my suprise, NO TRESSPASSING signs appear one day soon after I mowed. Maybe he had land grab concerns, but he consulted with no one in the neighborhood. We all had a good laugh at his expense, and several other neighbors were inspired by the apparent danger and started mowing his lot. Why, because he was in the wrong: NO TRESSPASSING signs were forbidden by the covenants AND we had the right to charge him $100 per mowing according the the covenants. I was elected to the covenant committee. We all hoped for the day when he would arrive and try enforcing his no tresspass desires; we would just give him a bill as a welcome to the neighborhood. Anyway, we moved before he built and never did have a confrontation.
Second, new neighborhood with only three houses in the woods and a common private road. At the end of the road, before the last driveway starts, there is a turnaround on my property, which also happened to be the local teen party spot. On more than one occassion, I have chased the kids out, and after several occassaion cleaned up after them. Anyway, after a year passes, my new neighbor moves in. We meet and he is very concerned about the party spot. I didn't want to post any PRIVATE DRIVE signs until the developer sold the last house. Anyway, the day after he moved in he put in a gate complete with NO TRESSPASSING signs. The gate wasn't just on my property, but 150ft from the start of his driveway. A 150ft on my land. /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif On top of that the first time I saw the gate it was closed. I left a somewhat urgent message, and he came by the next day. Apparently his wife told him he was doing wrong, but he REALLY didn't want the kids partying there. He also felt that since the road was a public easement he had the right to do what the wanted. I pointed out with his own logic that I could put up my own gate anywhere I wanted on the road. I also showed him the plats that clearly showed that we each had some land in the easement. Our property line actually goes down the center of the road for bit. He offered to move the gate back to the start of his driveway, but we came to an agreement that the gate may remain in place, but it was to remain open at all times. Also, the gate may need to come down at our desire if we plan to sell. He agreed, and even moved the NO TRESSPASSING signs to his driveway entrance. Anyway, the gate has worked, I haven't caught any kids partying all summer and I haven't had to clean up after them at all. The gate gives the impression that you are on someone's driveway, and that's enough to keep the kids out. He and I take turns mowing the land along the road including the land behind the gate. After a potentially rough start, I think we will be good neighbors; he is a welcome sight when drives up my drive on his tractor. /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif
