A frustrated homeowner is considering installing an expensive fence to combat the wild habit her neighbour’s son has that she has to deal with every evening when she returns from work
Alan Johnson Social News Reporter
15:59, 21 Mar 2026
A woman has opened up on a situation that is driving her ‘insane’ in her property (stock)(Image: Ekaterina Goncharova via Getty Images)
A woman desperately trying to stop her neighbour’s child’s irritating behaviour has confessed there’s one major problem preventing her from acting. Turning to Reddit to discuss her neighbour dispute, she detailed an issue that’s driving her “insane” following the installation of a basketball hoop along the boundary separating their properties.
“I moved into this house about three years ago and everything was fine until my neighbour decided his teenage son needed to become the next NBA star,” the woman explained in the Neighbours From Hell community. “About two weeks ago he installed one of those heavy duty portable basketball hoops but instead of putting it near his garage or in the middle of his driveway he tucked it right against the edge of my property.”
The woman proceeded to disclose that the hoop’s backboard sits mere inches from her external wall, directly beside her master bedroom.
“Every single time that kid misses a shot the ball slams into the side of my house with a massive thud that shakes the pictures on my walls,” she complained. “It starts at around 4pm when he gets home from school and goes on until 9pm or even later some nights.”
Given her “highly stressful” work life, the woman explained she yearns to unwind after returning home, instead of enduring the “rhythmic thumping sound” every five seconds throughout the evening.
“I tried talking to the dad nicely and asked if they could move it just 10 feet to the left so it wasn’t leaning against my house,” she continued. “But he just shrugged and told me that his driveway is levelled better on that side and that it’s a free country.”
The “worst part” of the situation, though, is that the ball repeatedly ends up in the woman’s flowerbeds. “I spent a lot of money and time on my landscaping this spring and now half of my hydrangeas are snapped because the kid just tramples through them to get his ball back,” she moaned.
The woman revealed she’d even captured footage on her Ring doorbell of the youngster crushing the flowers without any concern, and when she went outside to challenge him, she was greeted with a “blank stare” and no comprehension of why she was so distressed.
“I feel like a prisoner in my own home,” she admitted. “I cant even have the windows open because the shouting and the constant metallic clanging of the rim is so loud. I checked the local ordinances but apparently as long as they aren’t playing past 10pm there isn’t much the city can do about noise.”
The frustrated woman concluded by explaining she was contemplating installing a tall fence, though this would cost her “thousands” of pounds. “It’s not even about the kid playing sports it is the fact that they chose the one spot that impacts me the most,” she said.
Responding to the post, one Reddit user quipped: “I think you need to install a motion-activated sprinkler for those poor hydrangeas. Every time that kid misses a shot, he gets soaked.”
The woman acknowledged: “Part of me loves this idea way more than I should. Realistically I’d probably end up starting a whole new war, but the image of him getting blasted whilst trampling my flowers is very satisfying.”
Meanwhile, a second person insisted: “He can’t be damaging your house and property like that. There are rules about things like that out there. Ask them to move it and to stop hitting your house. They should be some kind of city code about this in your area. Also contact the cops and ask them to come trespass the kid for coming it your property and destroying your flower and siding.”
The woman conceded: “You’re probably right. I kept second guessing myself because I didn’t want to be the uptight neighbour, but once it’s hitting my siding and they’re walking through my flower beds, it’s clearly past being a minor annoyance.”
According to the government, you can ask your local council for help if the neighbour dispute involves an activity that is damaging to health or a nuisance. This is known as a ‘statutory nuisance’.
This could include:
noise (including loud music and barking dogs)artificial light (except street lamps)dust, steam, smell or insects from business premisessmoke, fumes or gasesa build-up of rubbish that could harm health
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