The Conversation (0)
Sinead Butler
Jul 22, 2021
A man has shared how he reported his neighbour for sunbathing in their communal garden - and he hasn’t received a positive response
Getty Images/iStockphoto
With summer in full swing, most of us want to enjoy some the sunshine – and, as far as we can tell, that’s allowed.
But one man has sparked a row by claiming his neighbour committed “anti-social behaviour”, simply by relaxing in her bikini outside their apartment block.
He wrote: “Her lying outside half naked makes our building look tacky, she makes it look like a university dorm. This could lead to apartments losing value.”
The 29-year-old male resident posted his story on to Reddit’s “Am I the A**hole?” sub-reddit, asking whether he had been unreasonable for telling the woman that the garden – which she believed was communal but he describes as “purely ornamental” – was “not to be used in this way”.
“We have been experiencing a heatwave and for the last four days, I have noticed a woman sunbathing on the grass,” he writes.
“She brings a blanket and a book and is out there for hours, reading in a bikini top and shorts. On the first day, I asked her if she lived in the building and she said she did, having recently moved in.
“Later on, I saw her access the building with keys so I don’t think she was lying. She was literally out there from 10am till 4pm.”
He continues: “Today, I saw her again and let her know that the gardens weren’t to be used in that way.”
He describes the grounds as “extensive” and “maintained”, adding: “These grounds are purely ornamental though and never used as a garden... In my two years of living here, I have never seen anyone use the grounds as if it is their personal space.”
But he adds: “She told me she was a resident (I think she rents as I know most owners in the building) and was under the impression the outdoor space is communal. She mentioned her realtor had told her that and it was a huge reason as to why she moved here.”
He described feeling “intimidated” by the woman and decided to take matters further by sharing a photo of her that he took from his window, before posting it in the residents’ WhatsApp group “to remind others to call out this anti social behaviour.”
But his strong response divided neighbours.
“Some residents agreed but others said I was being weird,” he admitted.
To make the situation even more awkward, the woman was added to the group chat where, according to the author, she posted a long message saying that “she wasn’t going to stay inside in 30c heat when she has green space right outside.”
The man added that English is not his native language so accepts that his definition of “anti-social” may be different.
He explains: “In my country, annoyance to your neighbours is antisocial.”
Redditors were quick to call out the man’s behaviour and categorically dubbed him as the “A**hole.”
One person wrote: “This person needs to get a life asap. She has just much right to be there as he does.”
“Who takes a picture of their neighbor using a communal space to blast them on social media?” Another person replied.
Someone else added: “Who made you the garden police? In what world is someone sunbathing on their property antisocial behavior?”
“Taking a picture of a woman in a bikini from you window and distributing it is total creeper behavior,” a fourth person commented.