Renter neighbor issue update

Ooooh! The renter neighbor issue is about to come to a turning point, I think. It's no longer just us complaining to the home owner, which I think will make a huge difference. The developer (he still owns the 6 vacant lots here) has forwarded us copies of the letters he has just sent out certified to the home owner and the renters. If she (the lady that own's the house) doesn't take this seriously, I'd be surprised. He wrote very good, thorough letters on letterhead from his engineering/development business.

She got a 3 page letter, outlining all the violations and the fact that he and the previous owners of our house (of which he made mention to her that he was also part owner of, prior to selling to us), have been dealing with this the past several years. Numerous complaints. He told her he has lost sales of his properties because people are concerned over the condition of all the junk at and around her house. He said off an on they have also used his property to store their junk on (seen as late as last week, when he was in town) and that is to cease immediately, unless they first have permission.

Basically, he nailed her/renters for violating just about every covenant there is. He listed the covenant and then in bold listed examples of how it's being violated. That they appear to not be using it for a single family residence, based on the number of cars parked there on a regular/nightly basis. It appears 8-10 people are living there. (for sure 8, often times 9). Nusiance: the hammering, pounding, impact hammering, revving engines late and night and into the early morning hours. Maintenance and Upkeep: he stated there has been a junked vehicle in the driveway for months with the driveline laying on the ground, as well as other parts. Your home is being used for the long term repair of vehicles in the garage and driveway. This renter is involved in repairs to vehicles that is more than just a hobby. No business will be conducted in the subdivision that would necessitate the storage or resale of material: the renter has been storing vehicles, trailers, bbq's and other types of junk on the property and at times on my adjacent property. Miscellaneous: this is where he told her to keep their junk off of his adjacent property Then he listed a couple of town regulations that are being violated as well: parking in the driving lane of the street, as well as disturbing the peace.

I especially liked how, for the most part, he mostly used examples from prior to us owning the house, not mentioning us very much, other than to say, it appears your renter is continuing the same behavior with the new owners of the house next door, going as far to tell them he knows how to make people's lives miserable, as he did with previous owners.

Some of the examples of the violations, at the end of the paragraphs, he said "this offensive activity will stop immediately" "The longer term repair of vehicles and the storage of junked vehicles needs to cease immediately". At the end he gave her 7 days to resolve or he will be seeking other alternatives to resolve this matter.

DH had tried to call her again on Monday morning and had to leave a message. So he basically said if it's not resolved we will be seeking legal counsel to enforce the covenants. Of course, she didn't return his call.

The letter he wrote to the renters was a totally different tact, which I found interesting. He introduced himself and said he used to be part owner of our house with the previous owners and he also owns the 6 vacant lots in the subdivision. He said he is retiring soon and moving back to the town and possibly might have plans to build himself a house on the lot adjacent to the home they rent, but at a minimum, he plans to get going on building homes in this subdivision to sell. He also said over the past few years he has received numerous complaints about them from several different people in the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhood regarding his storage of salvage vehicles, etc. He said he has passively overlooked these violations, but has no plans to anymore, as he progresses with the completion of this development. He also told them he will be forming a Home Owner's Association to ensure the compliance of the covenants for the protection of his investment, their landlords investment and the investment of future homeowners. Basically he was telling them "I'm back and involved and your crap is done".

He sent these letters certified, but did not have the PO Box number for our renters, so he just sent it General Delivery and with their street address. I'm pretty sure this town is small enough that it will get to their PO Box. Hopefully, they get the copy. For sure the lady that owns the house will get her letter (as well as a copy of the letter sent to the renters).

It will be very interesting to see what all ends up happening in the next week and from here forward. He said the letters should arrive by tomorrow. From meeting him a couple of times now, he seems like a very serious type of guy and not one to be pushed around. Unless she is a wealthy woman (and I don't think she is if she was worried about having to spend money if they trashed her house getting them to move out) then I cannot see where she would want to have to pay double attorney's fees, if she ended up getting sued by two other property owners. Her attorney having to respond and deal with 2 different attorneys would cost her twice as much as just one of us suing her, I would think.