My Neighbor's Snow Blower Guy (a rant)

[KurtNYC]

My neighbor is a real estate agent who paved his entire backyard 2 years ago. He hired some guy with a snow blower and that guy blows all the snow off of his pavement onto our yard because apparently Mother Nature dropped my snow on this poor real estate guy's driveway. We have a little set of steps, about 7, that lead down from the backdoor and if I clear those steps then the snow blower guy will douse them with a fresh batch of my neighbor's snow for me.

The snow blower guy does not use a shovel or salt -- just the snow blower and he has no idea what is under the snow so he runs the thing about 2 inches off the ground and still hits all kinds of stuff. Yesterday he made a little detour through my yard and chopped up the 10-foot leash I use to tie out my dogs for a minute while I am picking up their poop. I need the leash because I have 2 dogs, gloves, snow, etc and can't hold the dogs while I clean up. I found 4 pieces of the leash but not the clip so I can't put it back together or make a new one from the remnants.

When I was a kid we had to clear all the way to the pavement to get paid. This guy just blows snow around and puts the blower back in his truck and leaves. No shovels. No salt. No clear pavement. And this was EASY snow -- about 5 inches of light powder, like piles of feathers -- not the heavy wet, thawed and frozen stuff.

I wouldn't care. I am not paying. I can deal with snow on the steps but I need that leash. I don't want to just buy another one and hope for the best.

Why can't people who get paid to clear snow actually clear snow ??

Btw, our city is going to wait until Sunday to start clearing the streets. The snow stopped but they are going to wait almost 48 hours to plow and clear (?). It is supposed to be 40 degrees on Sunday.

[anasv]

1. have you talked (politely) to either of these people?

My evil twin is now thinking, if you have and it failed, get your own snow blower and blow it back.

[KurtNYC]

2. the real estate guy may be in florida this time of year

and the blower was gone before I knew what happened.

My evil twin is thinking maybe replace the destroyed leash with a chain....but the halo'd twin says "no, just tell him that I will clear my yard."

[magical thyme]

3. Somebody owes you a leash, and yes, you should replace it with a chain

They have no right to force you to shovel up their snow as well as their own and no right on your property at all.

Call me your evil twin, but experience tells me that people who are that inconsiderate don't take "hints." They only take in your face retribution.

[anasv]

4. Be careful of metal in this freezing weather.

Also, consider a fence.

[KurtNYC]

5. there was a fence -- real estate guy had it ripped down with no discussion

leaving sharp metal sticking out of the ground where the posts were cut. Real estate guy said it was "too close" to the property line and that local law says you must leave enough room for him to open the door of his BMW convertible when he is parked in his driveway.

If "good fences make good neighbors" what do ripped down fences make?

[Duer 157099]

6. Sharp metal sticks?

You said so in your own post.

That is, ripped down fences make sharp metal sticks.

[anasv]

7. you need to have a chat with the town code people

It sounds like stuff is out of code. For example, it is unlikely that a driveway can be right next to the property line. Probably several feet of clearance are required.

Also, the sharp metal sticks are a danger to the dogs and will also give any insurance company providing liability insurance nightmares.

The real estate guy sounds like he is doing a number on you. Talk to the town code people. They will consult for free. Ask them about legal locations of a fence, and the location of the driveway. I don't know if they will have anything to say about the metal sticks, but it's worth asking them.

Juts because he's a real estate guy does not mean (1) he knows what's what about local laws, or (2) he won't lie to you about them.