People are so difficult. OP, cut the fence to allow for a swing gate. You keep your gate open with the trash cans parked right there. Still on your property and cars can pass through. However, if the trash truck can pass through, a car can pass through. Trash trucks people will go ahead of the truck to retrieve the trash cans. They have seen many alleys and can deal with it all

Anonymous wrote:We also lived in a DC rowhouse with alley trash pick up. I put our cans out front on the street side on trash pick up days (which is the case for all the houses on each end of a rowhouse block without alley access anyway). I get that it's not convenient and that there are all sorts of "sharing" arrangements in an alley but this seems to be on you.

If you store your trash cans in your front patio area, that technically violates DC regs.

The new neighbors may technically have the right to block access (if there is no easement) but it's a dick move that is not going to help them feel welcome, and may have consequences if they ever have to cross or access their neighbors' property (for example to repair an adjoining wall.)

What about just leaving the cans in the alley, thereby blocking car traffic (which is mostly your neighbors and cut through drivers). When neighbors complain that your cans are blocking the alley, you say you have no place to put the cans due to new neighbor’s preferences. I’m sure one of them won’t mind your putting your cans on their property.

fWIW, in our DC neighborhood, most row homes are fenced to the property line and cans just sit in the alley in trash day. People who drive just have to deal or get out and move the cans to pass by.

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.

We also lived in a DC rowhouse with alley trash pick up. I put our cans out front on the street side on trash pick up days (which is the case for all the houses on each end of a rowhouse block without alley access anyway). I get that it's not convenient and that there are all sorts of "sharing" arrangements in an alley but this seems to be on you.

If it is intact the case that OP’s fence goes all the way to the alley (rather than an actual structure sitting right at the property line), I am totally siding with the neighbor. You wanted to maximize your yard space, now you have to figure out what to do with your trash. Either find another neighbor willing to accommodate you, try to rent the space from this guy, move your fence or pull your cans to the street. You definitely should not feel entitled to keep your trash on somebody else’s property, whatever the circumstances. And I am no suburban mom. I live in a townhouse and pull my trash to the street because the alley is often blocked and the trucks can’t pass.

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.

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.

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.

Anonymous wrote:You covered every inch of your property with s fence so you wouldn't have to share with others.

Why do others have to share their property with you?

Highly doubtful that OP did the covering of the property. I would bet my paycheck that the fence to their property was there when they bought. As OP noted above, people in DC have these arrangements all the time regarding use of alley.

Unless you live in DC with an alley (or have lived in another city with a similar situation) you really have no business commenting here. The rules of suburbia do not apply to spaces that were designed over 100 years ago.

You covered every inch of your property with s fence so you wouldn't have to share with others.

Why do others have to share their property with you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your expectations are the definition of entitlements. And banding together to shame a new neighbor who has done nothing wrong is just horrible. You reconfigure your property to create a space for your trash removal. Even asking other neighbors for space is presumptuous: when they have an extra large trash day will they have to accommodate you?

These new neighbors paid for full use of their property and have no presumed obligation to house your waste. Get over yourself!

you get over yourself. people in DC have been cooperatively using alley space forever. people who can't handle being cooperative should move to sfh in the suburbs. next thing you know you'll be demanding that your neighbors' houses stop touching yours ...

+1

Anonymous wrote:Your expectations are the definition of entitlements. And banding together to shame a new neighbor who has done nothing wrong is just horrible. You reconfigure your property to create a space for your trash removal. Even asking other neighbors for space is presumptuous: when they have an extra large trash day will they have to accommodate you?

These new neighbors paid for full use of their property and have no presumed obligation to house your waste. Get over yourself!

you get over yourself. people in DC have been cooperatively using alley space forever. people who can't handle being cooperative should move to sfh in the suburbs. next thing you know you'll be demanding that your neighbors' houses stop touching yours ...

Anonymous wrote:Your expectations are the definition of entitlements. And banding together to shame a new neighbor who has done nothing wrong is just horrible. You reconfigure your property to create a space for your trash removal. Even asking other neighbors for space is presumptuous: when they have an extra large trash day will they have to accommodate you?

These new neighbors paid for full use of their property and have no presumed obligation to house your waste. Get over yourself!

Dramatic much???
Please stay in the suburbs.

Your expectations are the definition of entitlements. And banding together to shame a new neighbor who has done nothing wrong is just horrible. You reconfigure your property to create a space for your trash removal. Even asking other neighbors for space is presumptuous: when they have an extra large trash day will they have to accommodate you?

These new neighbors paid for full use of their property and have no presumed obligation to house your waste. Get over yourself!