You need to necessarily live in harmony with your neighbors, regardless of whether you’re a homeowner or a renter. However, when your neighbor gets under your skin, it’s only natural to want to address them with passive aggressive neighbor revenge. While I advocate for a more subtle approach, in this article, you will get to know some tactful strategies to gently remind your neighbor to be more respectful.
Passive Aggressive Neighbor Revenge
Get several windchimes
Windchimes make nice sounds, but having too many can be annoying quickly. Hang 2 or 3 windchimes, then just wait for the wind to make noise and get your neighbor’s attention. Check your community’s rules before putting up windchimes; some places don’t allow them. Remember, too much noise annoying one neighbor might upset everyone else, so be considerate.
Take your neighbor’s parking spot
Do you stay in an apartment building? Taking up your neighbor’s parking space is an irritating thing to do, as it is passive aggressive neighbor revenge. It really hurts, especially when parking is limited and they have to walk far to find another spot on the street. Even if your neighbor knows it’s you, pretend you don’t notice to be really annoying. It’s a better idea to find a solution that doesn’t inconvenience your neighbor.
If your parking spots are next to each other, it can be really annoying to park a bit into your neighbor’s spot, taking up both. Just remember, your neighbor might report this to your apartment manager or even have your car towed, so be cautious.
Don’t remove your clothes from the laundry machine on time
It can be frustrating for others if someone forgets to remove their clothes from the washer or dryer, as it stops them from doing their laundry. So, please be considerate and remember to collect your laundry promptly to avoid inconveniencing your neighbors.
Before trying this trick, keep in mind that someone might move your clothes for you, so be okay with that possibility.
Host a fun garden party with your friends on a beautiful evening
Have drinks, games, and plenty of chairs for everyone. Just remember, your neighbor might not like the noise, but you’ll be too busy enjoying the party to worry about getting back at them.
Make sure to keep the noise at a reasonable level. If it gets too loud, your neighbors might call the police, which is something you’d want to avoid.
Alternatively, you could be the bigger person by hosting a garden party and inviting your annoying neighbor. Including them might lead to better relations in the future.
Turn up your music
Music can bring people together, but it can also bother your neighbors. Play your music on your porch, from your car, or through your open bedroom window. Playing really loud or annoying pop songs might annoy your neighbors.
If your neighbor asks you to lower the volume, it’s your choice to listen or not. But be aware that if it’s too loud, they might call the police.
Maybe you’ll be a great singer like Aretha Franklin or Elvis. Even if you’re not very good, you won’t know until you give it a shot, and your yard is a good place to try. You can make it more fun by singing while you do noisy yard work or setting up your lawnmower in the morning.
Put a basketball hoop in your driveway and play a lot
It’s a fun way to make noise and good exercise too. If your neighbor says it’s too loud, you can say, “I’m just staying active.” You can also invite some noisy friends over for a basketball game for an act of passive aggressive neighbor revenge.
Play racquetball or tennis against the wall
If your neighbor is bothering you, take out your tennis or racquetball racket and have some fun hitting the ball against the wall.
Make sure you do this when you know your neighbor is at home, and keep doing it regularly. But if they complain to the apartment manager, stop. Too many complaints to the manager or landlord might make you leave your apartment.
Mow your lawn a lot early in the morning
As a homeowner, you have the right to mow your lawn whenever you want. If you feel like mowing it really early, even on a weekend morning, you don’t need permission from your neighbor. If they ask you to be quieter or mow later, you can just say you’re busy and can only do it early. This passive aggressive neighbor revenge is great because your neighbor can’t say you are making noise on purpose; you’re just doing a necessary task.
Get your neighbor tons of unwanted mail
You can do this online or by filling out forms at stores, but keep it a secret so they don’t know who’s sending it.
Make the prank even funnier by getting really random junk mail. Like, get mail about pets even if your neighbor doesn’t have any, or mail about fishing and hunting stuff, even if they don’t do those things.
Send pizza to your neighbor’s door
Call your nearby pizza place, get some big pizzas sent to your neighbor’s house, and wait. Your neighbor won’t know and might get upset.
You can do this even if you are not at home to be less suspicious. Make sure the pizza place can’t find your number or call you back if they get confused.
Allow your dog to bark
If your dog enjoys making noise, let them out late at night or early in the morning to bark. Remember, dogs are not people, so your annoying neighbor might not complain, but they’ll likely be annoyed. If your neighbor does not like it, you can just tell them, “Dogs bark; what’s the problem?”
Wear your bathing suit in your front yard
Even if you are not going swimming, you might want to be seen in your bathing suit in front of your yard as passive aggressive neighbor revenge. It’s your right to dress as you like. Whether you’re on your porch, doing yard work, or playing basketball in your driveway, wearing your suit is perfectly fine.
Your neighbor might feel awkward asking you to cover up, and you might even catch some sun while you’re at it. When your neighbor has guests, step out to your front lawn, say a friendly hello, and strike up a conversation with them confidently, without feeling shy or modest.
Redirect salespeople to your neighbor
If salespeople come to your door, let them know that you are not interested. However, mention that your neighbor really supports their cause. Tell them to talk to your neighbor instead and not to bother you. Unfortunately, the person asking for donations might mention that you sent them to their house. You can always tell the person not to mention that you recommended them there.
Bother your neighbor at odd times
You can ask to borrow things late in the night. However, it is not a good idea to knock on their door at 7 a.m. looking for cookie dough or late in the evening asking for bacon. Make sure your neighbor does not think you are just joking around. Also, act like you genuinely need these items.
If your neighbor seems confused, you can say something like, “You don’t have any bacon? That’s surprising.”
Cook high aroma foods
If your neighbor can smell what you’re cooking, try making dishes with strong smells, such as garlicky pasta. Open your windows so they can smell it, and you’ll also enjoy a delicious meal.
The only problem is that you will also have to smell the strong aroma. To lessen it, cook just before you leave the house for a few hours.
Turn On the TV Volume
Another passive aggressive neighbor revenge is turning up the volume too loud. Avoid playing your favorite old movie and talking along with it loudly, or watching TV late at night and laughing loudly.
If you play your TV loudly, your neighbor might turn their own TV up to hear it, so be ready for some noise in return.
Read also: Neighbor’s Cat Poops in My Yard: What to Do
