Good fences make good neighbors. However, sometimes, that fence needs reinforcing, some barbed wire and maybe even a guard tower. A netizen spilled the tea about his unruly, disruptive, and obsessively controlling neighbor. According to the author, he had to prohibit the woman’s access to his swimming pool after she started ignoring all of his boundaries.

So settle in as you read through his tale and be sure to stick around for the many reader comments and updates he shared later. Bored Panda reached out to the author via private message, and we’ll update the article once we hear back from him.

Having a swimming pool can make you very popular in your local area. However, some people can try to take advantage of your goodness

Woman wearing sunglasses lounging in a pool float, representing Karen using neighbor’s pool with rules.

Image credits: KoolShooters / pexels (not the actual photo)

A man turned to the internet for some impartial advice after forbidding a very entitled neighbor from using his pool anymore

Text excerpt from a suburban neighbor explaining experiences with Karen using his pool and imposing pool rules.

Neighbor confronts Karen using his pool uninvited, bringing a list of rules for him to follow.

Alt text: Karen uses neighbor’s pool without permission and brings him a list of rules to follow at the backyard pool party.

Text excerpt about Karen using neighbor’s pool without permission and agreeing to follow rules after being asked.

Karen uses neighbor’s pool as her own and brings a typed-up list of pool rules for him to follow.

List of pool rules written by Karen for neighbor, showing demands about swimming time and exclusive weekend access.

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Text showing a dispute where Karen uses neighbor’s pool and brings a list of rules, causing argument over neighborhood fairness.

Text excerpt about neighbor’s pool dispute, highlighting Karen using neighbor’s pool and demanding rules to follow.

Locked black metal gate with chain and padlock securing a pool area symbolizing neighbor disputes over pool access rules

Image credits: Andrew Malone / flickr (not the actual photo)

The author of the viral story later shared a couple of important updates

Text update about installing a lock on backyard fence to control access to neighbor’s pool area.

Update text about installing keypad lock on backyard fence to prevent unauthorized pool use by Karen and address liability concerns.

Text excerpt showing Karen furious about pool rules, demanding control over her neighbor’s pool use and privacy concerns.

Text about feeling better with the lock on the pool after Karen used neighbor’s pool as her own and set rules.

Image credits: Accurate-Outside-962

The pool owner could have ended up with a tragedy on his hands if his neighbor continued swimming with her kids any time she wanted

The redditor’s story made huge waves on the internet. At the time of writing, his online post already had 21k upvotes and received over 3k comments. A lot of internet users were heavily invested in the story.

One of the scariest things about this story is the fact that the neighbor kept taking her kids to use the swimming pool without informing the owner of the property.

This could easily turn into a horror story if the woman didn’t pay close enough attention to them while they were splashing about. Meanwhile, the owner of the pool might end up being taken to court if someone were to get hurt or worse on his property.

This is why it’s such a good decision for him to start locking his backyard fence. If the author’s neighbor and her kids can’t access the pool while he’s away, their risk of getting hurt decreases dramatically. Let’s just hope nobody decides to jump the fence.

Drowning can occur in as little as 20 to 60 seconds. Every year, there are between 3.5k to 4k drowning deaths in the United States, or around 10 per day, according to the organization ‘Stop Drowning Now.’ Globally, the number of people who drown each year reaches around 320k.

Fences with locks are a good idea because they help reduce the number of potential drownings

Rusty padlock securing a white metal gate symbolizing restricted access to a neighbor’s pool in a residential area.

Image credits: Bich Tran / pexels (not the actual photo)

Some of the most effective ways to reduce the number of drowning-related accidents are to learn how to swim, to keep an eye on the kids while they’re swimming, and to have barriers around pools.
‘Stop Drowning Now’ reports that 23% of child drownings occur during family gatherings near a pool, while 87% of drownings happen in home pools or hot tubs for children younger than 5. Older kids are more likely to drown in natural bodies of water, for example, lakes or ponds.

Kids aged 1 to 4 are the most at-risk group for drowning, followed by children between 5 and 9. Learning to swim during formal lessons reduces the risk of drowning for kids aged 1 to 4 by a whopping 88%. So, swimming lessons should be a priority.

Aside from that, parents should constantly supervise their children while they’re swimming, without getting distracted even for a moment. They need your undivided attention, so even taking a phone call or answering a text message isn’t advised.

Parents can also encourage their kids to wear life jackets around bodies of water. Meanwhile, isolation fences with self-closing and self-latching gates around backyard pools are a good way to prevent people from swimming unsupervised.

Unfortunately, not all neighbors are willing to respect other people’s boundaries

Woman sitting at edge of neighbor’s pool, wearing white swimsuit and sunglasses, representing Karen using neighbor’s pool.

Image credits: Marvin Meyer / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Learning to live alongside people who are different than you is, to a large extent, unavoidable (unless you have a mansion somewhere deep in the woods with massive walls around it). Whenever people interact frequently, you get some social friction, with all the pros and cons. In some cases, it’ll lead to friendships. Other times, you’ll find that your patience is being tested… time and time again.

When it comes to disruptive neighbors, there are no easy solutions. If a couple of firm but friendly chats with them don’t help, you might have to enforce some healthy boundaries in other ways. For example, you could reach out to your local neighborhood association to mediate the tense citation.

Alternatively, if someone is intentionally malicious, ignores your boundaries, spreads lies, and trespasses on your property, the safest thing for you to do may be to get in touch with the authorities.

Collect some evidence, note down the exact times your neighbor did what, and gather some testimonials from the other neighbors. If the police can’t help, your only other choice may be to take your disruptive neighbor to court.

What do you think of the way that the pool owner handled the entire situation, Pandas? What would you have done if a neighbor of yours started using your pool without asking, and demanding that you follow a bunch of random rules? What’s the most bizarre drama you’ve ever had with your own neighbors? We’d love to hear your thoughts on everything, so grab a cup of coffee or a mug of tea, and share yours in the comments.

Many readers were wildly supportive of the pool owner. Here’s the advice they gave him

Comments discussing a neighbor setting rules after Karen uses his pool as her own, sparking frustration and boundary issues.

Reddit comment discussing Karen using neighbor’s pool as her own and advice to set boundaries firmly.

Comment discussing Karen using neighbor’s pool without permission and imposing her own rules, seen as overstepping boundaries.

Comment discussing liability and home insurance related to neighbor’s pool use and setting pool rules for Karen.

Text comment about pool safety rules and liability advice for neighbors in case of unauthorized pool use.

Text post discussing Karen using neighbor’s pool and bringing a list of rules for him to follow regarding property access.

Comment text discussing Karen using neighbor’s pool and opposing pool sharing rules in an online forum.

Text discussion about Karen using neighbor’s pool and imposing rules, highlighting disputes over pool ownership rights.

Comment discussing Karen’s entitled behavior using neighbor’s pool and imposing rules on him.

Comment highlighting neighbor’s right to set pool rules as Karen brings an unreasonable list of demands.

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