Bad neighbors can turn into harassing neighbors if their conduct becomes so egregious that you have legal recourse. By documenting everything and getting effective legal representation, you can protect your property, rights, and your emotional well-being.
The attorneys at the Katz Law Group handle a wide range of neighbor disputes, including neighbor harassment, in central Massachusetts.
When Does Bad Behavior Become Harassment?
Broadly speaking, bad conduct by your neighbor becomes neighbor harassment when it intentionally and repeatedly disturbs your peace or your property rights. There are few people more creative than a bad neighbor, so harassment can take a wide variety of forms, like:
- Verbal or written threats
- Playing loud music all day or during the night
- Repeatedly calling the police on you for trivial things
- Trespassing
- Stalking you or pointing surveillance cameras at your property
- Violating your property line, whether by disposing of things in your yard or building over it
These sorts of things are designed to get under your skin and often causes significant emotional distress. In many cases, your neighbor is trying to get you to move.
How to React at First
If you think that your neighbor's conduct has crossed the line and become harassment, there are 3 good things that you can do on your own before getting legal representation:
- Document
- Do not escalate
- Consider communicating with them
Following these rules can set yourself up for success if the harassment continues.
1. Document Everything
Take pictures and videos of every time that your neighbor harasses you, including the date and time of the incident. Make note of any other witnesses to the harassment. Consider getting surveillance cameras to capture your neighbor's bad behavior.
2. Do Not Escalate the Situation
Do not respond to the harassment by doing the same thing or some other annoying thing back to your neighbor. Not only is this likely to make your neighbor behave even worse, it can also make any authorities who are called into the situation think that you are not the only victim or reasonable person in the conflict.
3. Consider Communication
Occasionally, a harassing neighbor is only behaving out of an incorrect perception on their part or in response to something that you are unknowingly doing. If you think this might be the case, reach out to see. If so, this can end the situation quickly and relatively amicably.
Take Legal Action
If the harassment persists, there are numerous things that you can do, depending on the situation. Some common actions to take are:
- Filing noise complaints
- Calling the police
- Getting a restraining order
- Initiating a lawsuit
Even if the police do not do anything when called, you can at least insist that a police report be filed about the incident. This can be used to support a restraining order, which is an enforceable court order for your neighbor to stop the harassing behavior. If a lawsuit is necessary, the nature of the legal claim will depend on the specific conduct at issue.
Get Legal Help for Neighbor Harassment at the Katz Law Group
Throughout this incredibly stressful process, it can be helpful to have effective legal representation with experience in handling neighbor harassment. Call the Katz Law Group at (508) 480-8202 or contact them online for help.
