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    Neighbor secretly fills homeowners' trash bin for weeks, gets caught on camera and claims it's 'her right' because they weren't there: [Good luck getting anyone to charge me]

    Taking out the trash is an ordinary household task. You put your garbage in your own bin, and that's the end of the story. It should be simple and unproblematic, and most people understand it's a basic part of being a respectful neighbor and having basic human decency. Apparently, this woman missed that lesson entirely. 

    Your garbage belongs in your trash bin. Period.

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    • A woman taking out her trash into someone else's trash bin.
      via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

      A woman taking out her trash into someone else's trash bin.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Neighbor helping themselves to our trash bin

      My husband and I own a property in a beach town that we purchased several years ago. The houses on the street are about 40 years old, 800-1200 sq ft with larger lots. They were built as vacation rentals and are still
      via Intrepid_Video889
    • zoned as allowing one rental unit/property. More people are living in them full time now because vacationers want closer to the ocean. Out of the houses immediately around us, they are: a second home, an
      via Intrepid_Video889
    • owner-occupied (OO) home, an OO with a long-term rental unit, an OO with a short-term rental unit, and an OO that rents out multiple rooms (which is against zoning). We have had short-term rentals on and off in the past but no longer rent it.
      via Intrepid_Video889
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    • We've gotten to know our neighbors well except the ones directly across the street that rent out the multiple rooms. They have never an acknowledged our waves or attempts at conversation. They've never seemed
      via Intrepid_Video889
    • approachable so I actually haven't minded too much. There's often fights on their front porch, shouting matches with people in other cars that pull up, and I've caught them letting their dogs in our front yard without picking it up. They are the NFH in this post.
      via Intrepid_Video889
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    • A woman collecting her trash and throwing it in a neighbor's trash bin.
      via Unsplash+ (Toa Heftiba)

      A woman collecting her trash and throwing it in a neighbor's trash bin.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • On arrival this spring we noticed a smell coming from the trash bin under the house. Inside were a few trash bags and several flies and maggots. We pulled up our cameras and see the NFH bringing trash across the
      via Intrepid_Video889
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    • street and under our house and into our bin. She had been doing it for at least a month, taking the bin to the street on trash day. We tried catching her attention the next morning to talk about it and she ignored us. I took
      via Intrepid_Video889

    • The fact that the homeowners were away and were not using the trash bin doesn't automatically give the neighbor the right to use it. It's still their property, and they pay for it. And by the way, if she already has her trash bin, why not use her own instead? She seems far too comfortable using someone else's property for her own convenience. 

    • her trash back and leaned it against her house. While I was hosing our bin out she saw the returned trash, let out a sigh loud enough for me to hear across the street, and put it into her own bin.
      via Intrepid_Video889
    • I thought that was that until we caught her doing it again the next week. I got her number from the county tax website and called. I introduced myself and told her to stop using our bins. I reminded her we have cameras. She told me it was her right to use it when no
      via Intrepid_Video889
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    • Well, the audacity of this woman. Instead of apologizing, she doubled down and insisted that she was entitled to use the bin. In her mind, it was a completely reasonable argument that they were not there, and that alone somehow gave her permission. She even justified her disrespectful behavior, which was clearly wrong from the start.    

      A trash bin may be a small thing, but it is still part of someone's home, and the homeowners have every right to decide who uses it, even if they are not there. So she should at least have asked first. 

    • one was there, that it doesn't cost me anything for her to use it. I told her it was trespassing and she laughed and said good luck with getting anyone to charge her and that we owe her after putting up with our renters
      via Intrepid_Video889
    • over the years. I told her we aren't responsible for HER renters' trash and to pick up her dogs' . After we hung up she texted me and doubled down. Per the cameras she is still letting her dogs use our yard.
      via Intrepid_Video889

    • Homeowners remained calm and approached the neighbor reasonably. They documented her behavior, asked her to stop, returned her garbage to her bin, and made it clear they were not okay with that happening. They gave her the opportunity to apologize and back out. Now, if the neighbor continues to act entitled, they may need to escalate the matter and use their security cameras to protect their property. Any consequences will be the result of her refusal to respect a reasonable request that shouldn't have been a request in the first place. 

    • A trash bin from a homeowner who's not at home.
      via Unsplash+ (prettycoolstrangers)

      A trash bin from a homeowner who's not at home.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Due Finish9407 no, it's THEFT, NFH! it's theft of services to use a bin you don't pay for!
      via Due_Finish9407
    • insecurecharm If you aren't there all the time, I'd put the bins up where she can't access them.
      via insecurecharm
    • Odd Awareness 1444 For about $25 to $45 you can get bin locks. They are very effective. Either keyed or gravity unlock.
      via Odd_Awareness1444
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    • WeNeedAnApocalypse She said good luck with getting anyone to charge her. Ok, challenge accepted!
      via WeNeedAnApocalypse

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