Dispute regarding trash cans for alley pick-up in DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

No, if OP has to put their trash cans in the alley, then nobody (including new neighbor) can drive through it on trash days.

[Anonymous]

Have you asked one of the neighbors with a grass strip further up the alley if you can put your cans on theirs? Seems like they’d probably be happy to accommodate if the alternative is having their access to the alley blocked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

No, if OP has to put their trash cans in the alley, then nobody (including new neighbor) can drive through it on trash days.

Wouldn’t OP have room on her property if she didn’t have it fenced all the way to the line in order to maximize her own use of space? Move the fence in three feet and then there’s plenty of room for trash cans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

No, if OP has to put their trash cans in the alley, then nobody (including new neighbor) can drive through it on trash days.

Wouldn’t OP have room on her property if she didn’t have it fenced all the way to the line in order to maximize her own use of space? Move the fence in three feet and then there’s plenty of room for trash cans.

We have no idea what OP's property line is like. Moving a fence likely impacts the neighboring lot as well, and could be quite pricey. Plus the fence could belong to the adjoining lot, another can of worms. Yes, of course, as a matter of pure property rights (unless there's an easement) OP could be told that there's no other solution. But the point is, when you live in very close quarters and have to share -- I mean your houses literally abut other houses! -- having an attitude like that is not going to get you very far. Property rights purists should probably stay in Montana.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Explain the situation ti the houses on either side of new neighbor and ask them if you can leave your cans there. Then tell new neighbor that you explained to everyone on the street that he wasn’t open to sharing space so now other neighbors have stepped up.

OMG there's something really wrong with you.

SMH.

no, it's a good solution. normally rowhouse neighbors are considerate of the weird property configurations that makes sharing space a necessity sometime. It's neighborly. If the new people don't want to be neighborly, they can't complain that word gets around.

Actually, normally neighbors make sure they can do whatever they need to do on their own property without claiming ownership or entitlement over someone else’s property.

There’s nothing stopping OP from modifying his fence to accommodate his need to have somewhere to put his trash cans. If he doesn’t want to do that, he can pay the neighbor to rent the land, hand over the cans to the waste collectors directly as required, or simply move.

As they say, poor planning on your side doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine.

Actually people normally use alley space exactly in the way OP describes. It may not be as simple as modifying a fence - and changing the fence may impact the neighbor's use of the *shared* fence ... I feel like you must not have ever lived in a rowhouse.

Also, OP may have a prescriptive easement anyway.

Then s/he’s going to have to go to court to prove it. Which is less costly- adjusting a fence by one segment to have room for trash cans, or dragging yourself to court.

OK then, my neighbor can go to court to get me to trim my tree that overhangs and clogs their gutter.

See how it works?

Wrong, he can cut any part of your tree back to his property line, thats the law. He doesnt even need to ask.

Wrong, our property is configured so that the tree can only be accessed on my lot. They would have to have the tree trimmers repel off their roof to trim it from their property. Versus - just being a normal neighbor, and I would be perfectly happy to trim it annually.

If any part of your tree canopy--doesn't mean the trunk--overhangs your neighbor's property, your neighbor has the right to trim that part.

Obviously I know that. The point is - if my neighbor is cooperative, then I will trim the tree myself. If not, he can pay $100s to an arborist who is willing to trim the tree from his roof and somehow not drop the limb in my yard.

If your property is on the other side of the alley, trimming the tree isnt going to be that big of a deal.

Look, this just shows you don't understand how crazy the lots can be in DC. Only way for them to trim the tree is from my lot or their roof.

DP. If he’s on the other side of the alley from you, this makes no sense at all because there is necessarily at least an alley’s width of space between where the limb starts in your yard and ends at his gutter in which to work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Explain the situation ti the houses on either side of new neighbor and ask them if you can leave your cans there. Then tell new neighbor that you explained to everyone on the street that he wasn’t open to sharing space so now other neighbors have stepped up.

OMG there's something really wrong with you.

SMH.

no, it's a good solution. normally rowhouse neighbors are considerate of the weird property configurations that makes sharing space a necessity sometime. It's neighborly. If the new people don't want to be neighborly, they can't complain that word gets around.

Actually, normally neighbors make sure they can do whatever they need to do on their own property without claiming ownership or entitlement over someone else’s property.

There’s nothing stopping OP from modifying his fence to accommodate his need to have somewhere to put his trash cans. If he doesn’t want to do that, he can pay the neighbor to rent the land, hand over the cans to the waste collectors directly as required, or simply move.

As they say, poor planning on your side doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine.

Actually people normally use alley space exactly in the way OP describes. It may not be as simple as modifying a fence - and changing the fence may impact the neighbor's use of the *shared* fence ... I feel like you must not have ever lived in a rowhouse.

Also, OP may have a prescriptive easement anyway.

Then s/he’s going to have to go to court to prove it. Which is less costly- adjusting a fence by one segment to have room for trash cans, or dragging yourself to court.

OK then, my neighbor can go to court to get me to trim my tree that overhangs and clogs their gutter.

See how it works?

Wrong, he can cut any part of your tree back to his property line, thats the law. He doesnt even need to ask.

Wrong, our property is configured so that the tree can only be accessed on my lot. They would have to have the tree trimmers repel off their roof to trim it from their property. Versus - just being a normal neighbor, and I would be perfectly happy to trim it annually.

If any part of your tree canopy--doesn't mean the trunk--overhangs your neighbor's property, your neighbor has the right to trim that part.

Obviously I know that. The point is - if my neighbor is cooperative, then I will trim the tree myself. If not, he can pay $100s to an arborist who is willing to trim the tree from his roof and somehow not drop the limb in my yard.

If your property is on the other side of the alley, trimming the tree isnt going to be that big of a deal.

Look, this just shows you don't understand how crazy the lots can be in DC. Only way for them to trim the tree is from my lot or their roof.

DP. If he’s on the other side of the alley from you, this makes no sense at all because there is necessarily at least an alley’s width of space between where the limb starts in your yard and ends at his gutter in which to work.

to clarify: I am not OP. I'm a rowhouse owner with a similarly nasty new neighbor. Our lots are adjacent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

No, if OP has to put their trash cans in the alley, then nobody (including new neighbor) can drive through it on trash days.

Wouldn’t OP have room on her property if she didn’t have it fenced all the way to the line in order to maximize her own use of space? Move the fence in three feet and then there’s plenty of room for trash cans.

We have no idea what OP's property line is like. Moving a fence likely impacts the neighboring lot as well, and could be quite pricey. Plus the fence could belong to the adjoining lot, another can of worms. Yes, of course, as a matter of pure property rights (unless there's an easement) OP could be told that there's no other solution. But the point is, when you live in very close quarters and have to share -- I mean your houses literally abut other houses! -- having an attitude like that is not going to get you very far. Property rights purists should probably stay in Montana.

Even if the rear section connects to side runs owned by the neighbors, OP can remove the rear section on her property or could cut a gate in it that she could open on trash day and leave the cans sitting just inside of. She has options, she just doesn’t want to exercise them because it’s more convenient to keep using her neighbor’s property,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Explain the situation ti the houses on either side of new neighbor and ask them if you can leave your cans there. Then tell new neighbor that you explained to everyone on the street that he wasn’t open to sharing space so now other neighbors have stepped up.

OMG there's something really wrong with you.

SMH.

no, it's a good solution. normally rowhouse neighbors are considerate of the weird property configurations that makes sharing space a necessity sometime. It's neighborly. If the new people don't want to be neighborly, they can't complain that word gets around.

Actually, normally neighbors make sure they can do whatever they need to do on their own property without claiming ownership or entitlement over someone else’s property.

There’s nothing stopping OP from modifying his fence to accommodate his need to have somewhere to put his trash cans. If he doesn’t want to do that, he can pay the neighbor to rent the land, hand over the cans to the waste collectors directly as required, or simply move.

As they say, poor planning on your side doesn’t constitute an emergency on mine.

Actually people normally use alley space exactly in the way OP describes. It may not be as simple as modifying a fence - and changing the fence may impact the neighbor's use of the *shared* fence ... I feel like you must not have ever lived in a rowhouse.

Also, OP may have a prescriptive easement anyway.

Then s/he’s going to have to go to court to prove it. Which is less costly- adjusting a fence by one segment to have room for trash cans, or dragging yourself to court.

OK then, my neighbor can go to court to get me to trim my tree that overhangs and clogs their gutter.

See how it works?

Wrong, he can cut any part of your tree back to his property line, thats the law. He doesnt even need to ask.

Wrong, our property is configured so that the tree can only be accessed on my lot. They would have to have the tree trimmers repel off their roof to trim it from their property. Versus - just being a normal neighbor, and I would be perfectly happy to trim it annually.

If any part of your tree canopy--doesn't mean the trunk--overhangs your neighbor's property, your neighbor has the right to trim that part.

Obviously I know that. The point is - if my neighbor is cooperative, then I will trim the tree myself. If not, he can pay $100s to an arborist who is willing to trim the tree from his roof and somehow not drop the limb in my yard.

If your property is on the other side of the alley, trimming the tree isnt going to be that big of a deal.

Look, this just shows you don't understand how crazy the lots can be in DC. Only way for them to trim the tree is from my lot or their roof.

DP. If he’s on the other side of the alley from you, this makes no sense at all because there is necessarily at least an alley’s width of space between where the limb starts in your yard and ends at his gutter in which to work.

to clarify: I am not OP. I'm a rowhouse owner with a similarly nasty new neighbor. Our lots are adjacent.

So they’re house extends further behind yours and the gutters in question are along the side of their house along the property line? All they have to do is climb onto the roof to access the gutters. Do it one time, put on a gutter guard, problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

No, if OP has to put their trash cans in the alley, then nobody (including new neighbor) can drive through it on trash days.

Wouldn’t OP have room on her property if she didn’t have it fenced all the way to the line in order to maximize her own use of space? Move the fence in three feet and then there’s plenty of room for trash cans.

In DC, if you are replacing a fence and putting it exactly where it has always been, no big deal. If you wish to move a fence at all for any reason from where it has been historically, good luck. And there will be a year's worth of trash pick ups, at least, before you find out whether or not you can move it, and there is a very good chance the answer will be no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I still don’t understand why you can’t leave the tea cans in the alley on trash day. That’s what most people do around me. Obv you can’t leave them there during the week.

Some people have space because they have a parking pad or an in fenced yard (like us) but some people do not and just leahe their cans outside their fence. Yes it blocks the alley a bit but that’s city life on trash days.

True. If that's your official "trash collection point" per DPW, then it's an apppropriate use of public space. But OP's issue is that the alley (collectively) had come to a solution that let them maximize the use of the commons for everyone. Now the new neighbors want to disrupt that for their selfish reasons.

It sounds like theiy’re maximizing the use of space for everyone but the new neighbor.

No, if OP has to put their trash cans in the alley, then nobody (including new neighbor) can drive through it on trash days.

Wouldn’t OP have room on her property if she didn’t have it fenced all the way to the line in order to maximize her own use of space? Move the fence in three feet and then there’s plenty of room for trash cans.

We have no idea what OP's property line is like. Moving a fence likely impacts the neighboring lot as well, and could be quite pricey. Plus the fence could belong to the adjoining lot, another can of worms. Yes, of course, as a matter of pure property rights (unless there's an easement) OP could be told that there's no other solution. But the point is, when you live in very close quarters and have to share -- I mean your houses literally abut other houses! -- having an attitude like that is not going to get you very far. Property rights purists should probably stay in Montana.

Even if the rear section connects to side runs owned by the neighbors, OP can remove the rear section on her property or could cut a gate in it that she could open on trash day and leave the cans sitting just inside of. She has options, she just doesn’t want to exercise them because it’s more convenient to keep using her neighbor’s property,

No, that doesn't solve the problem, because the trash cans still have to go into the alley where they will block drivers. DPW doesn't generally go onto private property like that to get your cans.

[Anonymous]

OP need to make room on their own lot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Explain the situation ti the houses on either side of new neighbor and ask them if you can leave your cans there. Then tell new neighbor that you explained to everyone on the street that he wasn’t open to sharing space so now other neighbors have stepped up.

I would be thrilled if someone said his to me. You don’t put your garage on someone else’s property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Explain the situation ti the houses on either side of new neighbor and ask them if you can leave your cans there. Then tell new neighbor that you explained to everyone on the street that he wasn’t open to sharing space so now other neighbors have stepped up.

I would be thrilled if someone said his to me. You don’t put your garage on someone else’s property.

Do you live in a rowhouse with alley access, PP?

[Anonymous]

I used to live in a rowhouse and the trash was handled exactly the way some PPs have suggested - stored within our yard (behind our fence) for the week and then put out on trash day and brought in that evening. There was a gate cut into the fence so it actually just looked like fence all around but there was actually a gate that could be opened from the inside.