Need help to block neighbor from looking over our fence & in our door

Question

Naomie Moore aka baileyanddaisey, Castaic CA · Answer

Put up bamboo fencing on your side or a trellis with a fast growing vine.

Mary · Answer

not sure what your HOA allows or even if you have one, that would be first. Then go for the bamboo or wax leaf ligustrum. They will grow very tall,very fast and wont spread like the bamboo, they have a great smelling flower like honey suckle. If you have chain link between yards and it grows through the fence they can trim it and it will make it grow faster and thicker. They make a great shrub for shaping too.

Mogie · Answer

Top it with a contrasting panel. That should add at least 2 additional feet to the height.

Mogie · Answer

How tall is your fence?

Cynthia H · Answer

We have the same issue. We are going to plant shrubs along ours.

Shuganne · Answer

2 Hour Solution: Get some plastic trellis, 4x8 sheets of it, attach it to your fence with screws or zip ties. Go to the dollar store and buy them out of ropes of plastic ivy. More zip ties should hold them into place.

Your choice on window/door covering is endless. Curtains, plastic privacy film, shades, blinds, lace glued or stenciled onto the glass, whatever suits your style. Then, could you rearrange furniture so all he sees is the back of an 8' armoire?

I hate to be a chauvinist but do you have a burly, buff hubby, dad, brother, or guyfriend who wouldn't mind playing one of the above to politely explain to the neighbor that what he, the neighbor, considers neighborly, you, Stephanie, find intrusive and you are overly private and protective of home time. If he speaks in a soft non-threatening manner, you can keep peace in your neighborhood and still get the message across.

Next do everyone's great ideas about prettier real fast growing plants. (Be certain you get the non-invasive bamboo.)

THEN if you find the trellis in pieces, ivy missing, or little snips of zip ties in the yard, time's up on being civil. Call the cops. Also ask them about a list of criminal sex offenders in the neighborhood. It is public knowledge and your safety possibly at stake. Sorry to be a downer, but this gives me the creeps.

Kate Hollingsworth · Answer

Bamboo screens are a cheap and easy solution. (Not planted bamboo, I mean those ready made screens of bamboo sticks.) They‘re easy to zip-tie to an existing fence. Good luck! xx

Ellis · Answer

Visit a good garden nursery, and take a few pictures of the fence with you. Ask them to show you shrubs that would be suitable for planting along this fence, and how to space them, etc. Be sure to specify fast growing!

In the meantime, get some good window coverings, and maybe a dog with a loud bark. In line with what Shuganne said, I'd give some thought to surveillance cameras, aimed at the fence and outside your door.

Patricia Fluharty · Answer

Banana plants work well for our back fence. They do spread out and up, but you can easily control them by cutting down or digging them up. You should be able to grow them in containers due to your concrete issues.

Shuganne · Answer

Try the plastic privacy film for sure, it can be removed without damaging property or losing your rent deposit. I'm assuming you're renting? Have you talked to the landlord about excessive noise and peeping tom issues? I'd send boyfriend over with one last stern but polite announcement that you will have peace and privacy, or you may 'need to take it to the next level.' If that doesn't do it, have a lawyer write a letter. Start keeping track of when, who, where, and how long. You will need documentation, even if it's a notebook recording the data and any conversations. The lawyer will know how to proceed with a nuisance suit. Also track any personal problems related to their peeping issues. Does it cause insomnia? Anxiety requiring medications? Migraines/headaches so bad you miss work? That will all strengthen your civil case. Otherwise, moving seems extreme, but it might be your best choice. Good luck, Stephanie and all you who have similar issues.

Rose Broadway · Answer

If someone is brazen enough to stand on the step to look in your door, I would have a squirt gun filled with salty water ready for them. Go shopping for a squirter. Target has some great ones, the size of a pistol clear up to the Zoomba Guns! The other option I would take is this: (you have to visualize this) When they start looking in, you pretend you don't see them. Slowly start taking off your clothing while dancing. While this is going on, your BF sneaks around the house and blasts them with the water hose! Go get 'em, Stephanie! Let us know how this comes out!!!

Naomie Moore aka baileyanddaisey, Castaic CA · Answer

Start keeping a log. You are entitled to 'quiet enjoyment' in your home. If you can prove violation, it turns into a legal matter, then your landlord has to get involved. I know you do not want to go that route, but maybe logging your episodes would give you more of a leg to stand on so to speak.

Naomie Moore aka baileyanddaisey, Castaic CA · Answer

Here is your state's tenant info on 'quiet enjoynent,'

http://tenantsunion.org/en/rights/negotiation-process

Need help to block neighbor from looking over our fence & in our door

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