A group of Fern Park, Fla. homeowners haven gone public with their fight against a neighbor who's been running an amateur junk yard in his front lawn.
Apart from plain old trash, the yard is littered with vacuums, TV sets, old trailers and tattered furniture, which extends all the way to the sidewalk.
“Most the time, I won't even look over there, because I don't even want to see what else has been added to it,” resident Val Sowry told WFTV.
Most local communities have housing codes property owners must abide by, but it's up to local law enforcement to decide whether it's worth stepping in or not when people bend the rules.
In this case, that tactic hasn't worked. The group took their complaint to police, but so far the man who owns the mess is in the clear. Officers found that the yard is in compliance and cut the owner some slack, saying he sells some of the junk to make extra cash and has health issues.
Just a few months ago, an Arlington, Texas man was fined for failing to maintain lawncare at a home he lost to foreclosure two years beforehand. Officials were serious enough to issue warrants against him and drag him to municipal court.
After local police, homeowners associations are usually the next line of defense against messy or otherwise obtrusive neighbors. Usually, they have to pose a real threat to neighborhood security to justify taking action against them, so be sure to document very carefully any transgressions (i.e., chemical leakages, vermin infestations, hazardous objects, etc.).
If all else fails, put on your friendliest smile and go the direct route.
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