Getting to know your neighbors. can be one of the simplest ways to keep your home safe and secure. But what happens when your neighbors aren’t willing to cooperate?
That photo is of my backyard, which shares a fence line with my neighbor’s garage and driveway. I hadn’t noticed the giant ladder leaning against our shared fencing, which leans into my yard, until my mom pointed it out. I became instantly nervous because we often forget to lock our back door after letting our dog in and out throughout the day. With that ladder basically inviting someone to sneak into my yard, my laziness at turning a deadbolt could cost my family’s safety.
However, our unlocked door was really the least of my problem. I can lock a door. I can’t help that my neighbor stores his ladder half into my yard. So when my husband got home, I asked him to politely go introduce himself to this neighbor we’ve yet to meet, and then ask him if it was possible for the ladder to be stored somewhere less conspicuous. He did … and yet the ladder hasn’t moved.
The neighbor reassured us that he has a gate that locks across his driveway, and someone would have to jump it in order to get to the ladder. While this seemed sufficient enough for our neighbor, I’m less than comforted by his logic. But short of knocking his ladder over into his yard (and potentially onto their own little dog), I don’t really have much say in the matter.
All of this to say that you can take several precautions to make your home safe, but sometimes what puts you at risk isn’t yourself, but the people who surround you. So take a look around your the outside of your home, but also at your neighbors‘ homes. Keep an eye out for compromising situations and try your best to counteract them. I plan on asking our neighbor to remove the ladder again before the weather turns cold, but in the meantime I’m left checking and re-checking that the back door is always locked.
Have you ever felt like a neighbor made your home unsafe? How did you handle the situation? Let us know in the comments, because I could sure use some advice.
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