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Thread: Neighbour in complex could be a stalker!

  1. #1
    Bronze Member Beancounter's Avatar
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    Neighbour in complex could be a stalker!

    So I noticed that my neighbours from across my unit have developed an unhealthy fixation with me. Let me clarify. You come out of the grocery store and greet a passer by in a friendly manner as one does. Of course you don't know that the person has a low IQ and being friendly in their circles means an invite to invade someone's life. Next thing you know, that person takes a personal interest in you and hey presto, you have a stalker!

    I did the good neighbourly thing and followed the body corporate's advice to approach the neighbour about their dog's incessant barking before lodging a complaint with the trustees. I approached them in a friendly manner, offering some advice about collars, toys and giving Scampy (or whatever) access to the house during the day and at night (when little missy is out partying up a storm and leaves her dog to fend for itself come rain or shine). The moment the dad opened his mouth I realised that these people weren't my type and I should have not even acknowledged them, but the damage had been done. Now, the dad does not live there, he comes all the way here from the deep south or somewhere. Little missy squats with at her brother's house (the house across from mine) and her weekend hobby is getting into bar fights and attacking people on the sidewalk in a drunken stupor. Yip, she proudly told me all about it the first time she spoke to me!

    After months of sheer torment with the dog barking right across from my bedroom window and lounge at all hours of the day and night, I finally lodged a complaint with the trustees. This led to a vicious personal verbal attack and intimidation by the burly dad by my front door when my mom came over to visit one day. Of course he deduced that I was the complainant as I had naively spoken to them about it before. I laid another complaint against the neighbour, needless to say, in vain.

    My rental property is currently in the market and once that sells I'll look for a house outside of a complex and put my townhouse up for sale. Yip, I've given up. You don't fight stupid so I'll just move to a better area where the neighbours are further away from my personal space.

    Recently I had a complaint laid against me for some obscure rumours about me contravening complex rules. No need to state where the complaint is coming from and yes, it is a rumour that I have to still waste my precious time to wright back to the trustees and explain that I am not in the wrong and no proof exists that I did whatever the rumour alleges.

    I noticed lately that every time the dad drives past my house on his motor cycle to his son's house across from me, he revs the bike excessively loud. I ignored it although its against the complex rules. Enough of them, I thought, I'll soon be gone from here. Today however, I noticed surveillance cameras being installed and being attached to the outside beams of my neighbour's house. Positioned perfectly to survey my garden, patio and bedroom windows. I'm no techno-junky but I do know that those cameras have wide-angle lenses to see into my yard and perhaps into my house.

    I don't parade topless or anything but if I didn't want privacy I would've gone to live in a squatter camp where there are no walls between the shacks.

    It is clear that I am being victimised. Nothing has ever been done about the dog's incessant barking (I'm taking tablets to calm my nerves and to sleep through the barking), the revving of the motor bike, the unfounded rumours and complaints against me and now cameras spying into my garden and house.

    Am I entitled to request that he moves his cameras down to the inside of his perimeter walls so that they don't record over my wall? Does one take this up with the trustees or go directly to a lawyer or the police? Does this constitute stalking and will I find relief in the system or does that only apply in the USA? Should I be worried for my personal safety? You see these things getting out of hand and only read about the sad fate of the victim after the funeral.

    The sale of my properties can take another few months and I'm not too keen on being a prisoner in my house with the curtains drawn and my garden getting overgrown because I dare not go outside.

    Please help!!

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    eish...If I was living in Pretoria I would organize a couple of people to jump him one night and mo3r him silly. People like that only understand a good couple of smacks!

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    Beancounter (02-Nov-14)

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    How about a lawyers letter for harassment ?

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    Hi Beancounter

    Try theses people for good solid advice
    http://www.sectionaltitlecentre.co.za/

    Good luck

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    Beancounter (31-Oct-14)

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    Diamond Member AndyD's Avatar
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    I'm ashamed to admit it but my first though was very similar to Adrians although I doubt I'd give someone else the pleasure of doing it.

    I'm not sure of the best way to sort this out but I'd suggest you keep a detailed log of every incident along with some photographic evidence where possible. Whichever way you in the future go this will be useful.
    _______________________________________________

    _______________________________________________

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    Beancounter (02-Nov-14), Citizen X (12-Nov-14)

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    I sleep with a fan on in my room (two in summer). Besides the obvious, I find the constant drone blocks out other sound and in winter will turn the fan away but still get the constant drone blocking barking and party noises.

    And just keep in mind. Because they have gotten under your skin, anything they do is going to irritate you, even if that is not their intention. Be cool and take a deep breath. You could easily move and get worse neighbours.

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    adrianh (01-Nov-14)

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    Platinum Member pmbguy's Avatar
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    @BeanCounter - Your neighbour sounds like a bad man. Just my feeling on the matter... Find a cop friend or a friends cop friend to accompany you to his house and bring along some male friends/family. Calmly talk it out, if he gets aggressive the cop and the men will see to that. In any event you would have shown him that you are strong... he will stop seeing you as somebody he can easily bully and control.

    I wish you the best of luck.
    It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin

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    Bronze Member Beancounter's Avatar
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    So just a little feedback. I approached the chairman of the body corporate and his attitude was "sorry for you". He apparently had a look at the monitor (after the owner obviously had moved his camera to show only his property) and came to the conclusion that I had to live with the matter.

    Then I approached the administrator of the body corporate and he understood the seriousness of the matter and made a phone call to my neighbour to alert him to the fact that he had given me the owner's details to pursue the matter criminally.

    To my surprise, I saw that the camera was promptly moved to face away from my house.

    Thanks for all the advice!

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    Glad to hear it got sorted 👍
    Comments are based on opinion...not always facts....that's why people use an alias.

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