Neighbor Billing Locals $8.6K To Fix Potholes in Front of Their Home Slated

A resident is stunned after their neighbor presented them with a £1,000 ($1,079) bill to repave the street, but only repaired the bit in front of their own home.

The resident shared the dilemma to Mumsnet, under username MamaVikki, where they claimed the bill was "out of the blue."

They wrote: "I'm stunned... My neighbour knocked on the door on a Monday to say that they'd organised for our road to be [resurfaced] on that Wednesday at a cost of £8K between 8 houses."

In the U.K., where the neighbors are thought to be based, the government has advised people to try and resolve disputes by talking to another, contacting landlords, if applicable, or using a meditation service.

When trying to open a dialogue, a government website advised: "Before making a formal complaint or getting others involved, try to discuss the problem with your neighbor.

"If you're worried about approaching them, write a letter, explaining the problem clearly and sticking to the facts.

"If the problem affects other neighbors, involve them as well. It can be easier to settle a dispute if the complaint comes from a number of people. A tenants' association might help if you're a member of one."

Depending on the situation, the site advised: "If the dispute involves a statutory nuisance (something like loud music or barking dogs), you can make a complaint to your local council.

"Contact the police if your neighbour is breaking the law by being violent or harassing you. As a last resort you can take legal action through the courts."

In the post the Mumsnetter said they'd first heard the neighbor "muttering" about the road needing resurfacing a year ago, but there had been "no discussion" since then.

"We don't have a spare £1k sitting around and if there'd been a discussion about it we would've wanted more time to try and save for it—but would've also liked to have looked into all the options (like patching the potholes maybe?)

"We have no idea if they even compared quotes," they fumed. And to add insult to injury, the neighbor didn't repair the whole road—just the part by their house.

The resident said: "The work has now been done. They ended up only [resurfacing] the part in front of their house, although we drive over this to access our house."

Bizarrely, they claimed the neighbor said "whoever wants to chip in can chip in," but were assertive when asking for the money.

"They've come round with the bill—which we need to pay into their bank account— in a fairly aggressive manner but still saying it's up to us if we pay?" the Mumsnetter said.

The post, which can be read here, has racked up more than 200 responses since being shared on Sunday.

The chart below, provided by Statista, shows where neighbors borrow WiFi.

You will find more infographics at Statista

They signed off the post saying: "I'm upset and confused and have no idea where we stand with this? Can anyone offer any advice?!"

People backed the resident's unwillingness to pay, while sharing suggestions of how to navigate the tense discussion, which was inevitable.

FluffySocksAndHotChocolate said: "I would just say 'sorry CF, we can't afford this.' Or put the bill away and never look at it again, he can't enforce you to pay."

SequinsandStilettos suggested: "You say no, you cannot afford it. OR You give them a token sum. OR. You devise a payment plan. But I would not be paying it personally."

Luredbyapomegranate commented: "Just say—this is not how you organise joint repairs. I didn't agree to this and so no won't be paying."

MrsTerryPratchett replied: "They've [resurfaced] in front of their? So if you want to do yours, you'll have to pay twice? Nope. Hard nope. And watch making offers because that does imply that you think you should pay. Don't pay anything."

While Mrsuntidy added: "If they've only [resurfaced] the part in front of theirs then no way."

Newsweek was not able to verify the details of the case.