While it's possible to buy what you consider the perfect home, there's no way to control the neighborhood or the neighbors that come with the house. And unfortunately, many homeowners have realized that the hard way. Bad neighbors can turn a dream home into a nightmare, and that's exactly what one couple went through. But instead of sitting back and letting their annoying neighbors win, they decided to fight back in the best way possible. Getting there was a journey, though.
It Was Their Dream House
To truly understand this story, we need to know a little more about the homeowners. And the Swansons were over the moon when they finally bought their dream house in Hawaii. Moving to the Aloha State had been on their minds for years, and after working hard and saving up their money, they were finally able to do so. And they found their forever home in the form of a stunning duplex.
In their eyes, they were in paradise. On paper, their home was everything they had ever dreamed of, and they couldn't believe that their dream had finally become a reality.
Everything Seemed Perfect
Everything about the Swansons' new house seemed to tick all of their boxes. Not only was the property itself incredibly beautiful and perfect for their needs, but it was also in a neighborhood that seemed to be a great fit for them. The local area was luscious and green, there were enough stores nearby to keep their cupboards well-stocked, and there were even bars and restaurants to keep them entertained.
As they moved in their stuff, they began to look forward to the many years that they intended to live there. And they couldn't wait to show off their new place to their family and friends.
Then They Decided to Make Changes
While their Hawaiin abode was beautiful in every way, the Swansons did want to make a few changes and updates to make it more personal to them. And their first order of business was to take down an old playset that was looking a little worse for wear in the backyard. The playset had come with the house, and while it would have been a great addition if their children were younger, they were now too old to get any enjoyment from it.
So, it just made sense to take it down. But as they got to work, they had no idea that this decision would set in motion a chain of events that would ruin everything.
Their Neighbor Put up a Fight
Although the Swansons were under the impression that they could do what they wanted on their property and with the playset that came with it, their neighbor came over and suggested otherwise. In fact, this neighbor was incredibly annoyed that the couple was touching the playset. She claimed that the playset was in an area of the yard that was apparently shared by the Swanson's home and the neighbor's home, so she stated that the Swansons had no right to take it down.
According to their neighbor, Tanya, they were breaking the rules by taking the playset down, as it was supposedly owned by Tanya herself. She didn't hold back, either, and was incredibly rude.
The Swansons Tried to Stay Calm
At first, the Swansons decided to stay calm. The last thing they wanted was to annoy the neighborhood just as they'd moved in, and they really didn't want to get on the wrong side of their neighbor. So, the wife, Emily, decided that a proper conversation was the only way to solve their problem. Emily told Tanya that she had already spoken to the landlord of Tanya's rental house, and he'd agreed to let them take the playset down.
Of course, this didn't go down well with Tanya. She didn't appreciate the Swansons and her landlord going behind her back like that, and so she let loose her rage.
Emily Tried and Failed to Reason With Her
The last thing the Swansons wanted was to make an enemy out of their neighbor just days after they moved into their dream home, which is why they wanted to settle the argument before it escalated. So, Emily decided to try and reason with Tanya. She stated that they were acting on permission from the landlord and that they no longer wanted Tanya's children playing in the yard that they owned.
However, Tanya wasn't impressed. And while she walked away from the Swansons, they could tell that she wasn't finished. And it wasn't long before Tanya's unfinished business came back to bite them.
Tanya Decided Plan a Loud Party in Response
Although the Swansons could sympathize with Tanya, they also knew that they were in the right - and they knew that Tanya was not acting like a very good neighbor. But they had no idea that Tanya would fight back with a loud and obnoxious party just one night after their initial altercation. Yes, as payback, Tanya invited hundreds of people to her home as she blasted music and mingled in the garden.
The Swansons knew what was going on immediately. They knew that their neighbor was trying to seek her revenge, and they knew that she was on a mission to cause chaos. And then things just went from bad to worse.
A Rogue Guest Ventured Into the Swanson's House
Although the Swanson's wanted nothing more than to call the cops on their neighbor, they knew that this wouldn't help their situation with Tanya. So, they stayed in their living room and tried to ignore the thump and the ruckus of the party next door. But just as they were trying to think about anything other than the neighbor next door, they were interrupted by a rude and very unwelcome guest.
Shockingly, one of Tanya's guests thought that it would be okay to walk into the Swanson's house and use the bathroom. Of course, Emily and her husband didn't take too kindly to the complete stranger walking into their home.
The Swansons Were Terrified
In fact, the Swansons were terrified. They had moved to Hawaii to live out their dream and enjoy the delights of the island, but instead, they were just being dealt blow after blow - and the stranger walking into their house was something they weren't going to stand for. And while they told the stranger that he had walked into the wrong house and that Tanya's house was next door, he claimed that Tanya had told him to go in.
According to the man, Tanya had actually told him that she owned both of the properties so he could have free reign of the bathrooms in both houses. But even though Emily told him that wasn't the case, that didn't stop him from using the bathroom.
Tanya Wanted an Apology
Although the Swansons were within their rights to call the cops on Tanya, they decided to tell the stranger to leave. Eventually, he made his way back to the party - and he quickly told Tanya what had gone down. Before they knew it, Tanya had rushed to her neighbor's house, all guns blazing, and she wasn't afraid to give her a piece of her mind. After all, she thought they were trying to embarrass her.
In a rant that lasted ten minutes, Tanya blamed the Swansons for trying to make her look bad while also claiming that they didn't deserve to be her neighbor or even live in the house they had worked so hard to buy. It was shocking.
The Swansons Thought up a Plan
As Emily and her husband listened to their neighbor go on and on and throw ruthless remarks their way, they didn't know what to do. They had never been so shocked by someone's behavior before, and they couldn't believe that a singular person could be so rude. And while they knew that they wanted to get their own back, they didn't want to stoop to her level. So, they decided to think up a plan.
They knew that they needed a way to prove that Tanya was in the wrong, but how would they do that? They put their heads together, and tried to think of the perfect plan.
They Continued Work on Their House
While they thought up the best way to get their own back, the Swansons continued with their property projects. They weren't going to let Tanya scare them or ruin their dream home for them, and they weren't going to let their bad neighbor win. After all, they were confident that they were in the right, and they were confident that Tanya was the bad guy in their story - and they knew they were the good guys.
So, they continued their plans of building an outdoor kitchen and firepit in their backyard. All the while, they were conscious that Tanya would have something else to complain about - but they didn't care.
Tanya Started Getting Nosey
As Emily and her husband worked on their dream house, they tried to think of the positives. After years and years of saving, they were finally in Hawaii and living the life they had always been working towards. And they loved making the changes they were making to their house, as it was making it more personal to them. However, one day Tanya started getting nosey and poking her head over the fence.
Although she didn't ask this question with any malice in her voice, the Swansons could tell that something wasn't quite right. She was being too polite, and they soon realized why.
Their Nosey Neighbor Threw Another Party
That night, the Swansons realized why Tanya had seemed way too polite. While Emily and her husband were busy working hard on their dream home, Tanya had been cooking up a scheme that would annoy them even further. In fact, she had planned another huge party on the piece of property that was shared between the Swansons and the landlord next door, which meant that the Swanaons had to deal with another long and loud night.
Like last time, the party continued into the early hours of the morning and kept them awake all night. They knew that Tanya was trying to get them to move, but they weren't going to let her win - so they tried to ignore it again.
A Few Days Later, Tanya Lost It
They may have lost a few hours' sleep, but that didn't stop the Swansons from continuing with their home improvements. And while they had told Tanya about most of their plans for the house when she had all-too-politely asked a few days earlier, they had neglected to tell her their most important plan. But it wasn't too long before Tanya saw what they had done for themselves, and she wasn't happy about it.
The Swansons had expected backlash from their neighbor, but Tanya reacted in a way that scared them. She screamed at them, she threw expletives their way, and she completely lost it.
The Swansons Had Installed a Barrier
But what had the Swansons done? Well, they decided to build a barrier around the shared piece of land between their house and Tanya's house. They wanted to do this to add some privacy to their property while also creating a definitive distinction between their house and Tanya's house. And as it was built on the land they owned, the Swansons knew they hadn't done anything wrong. Tanya didn't think of it that way, though.
As soon as Tanya saw the barrier, she saw red. She didn't hold back in letting her neighbors know exactly what she thought of it - and the Swansons tried to ignore her. But then someone else turned up.
Tanya's Boyfriend Got Involved
Although the Swansons thought Tanya was bad, she was nothing compared to her boyfriend Billy. And when Billy turned up to take Tanya's side, Emily and her husband realized that things were going to get so much worse. Within minutes of arriving, he had thrown countless beer cans and cigarette ends over the fence and into the Swanson's yard. Alongside this, he also hurled insults at the couple, claiming that they were disrespecting his woman.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of their encounters with Billy. As the days went on, Tanya and Billy threw even more parties and threw even more trash over their neighbors fence.
The Arguments Didn't End There
In the Swansons' eyes, things couldn't get any worse for them. Their neighbor was making their dream turn into a nightmare, but things escalated even further when their dock got involved. As the couple owned over 50% of the duplex, they were entitled to 30 feet of the shared dock, while Tanya's landlord owned just 15 feet. However, problems arose when they realized that Billy owned a 30-foot boat, and he always kept it on the dock.
This extra problem wasn't one they were anticipating but was one they knew they had to fight. After all, they didn't pay for their neighbor's boyfriend to use what was officially their property.
The Swansons Wanted to Rent Their Docking Space
The Swansons didn't want to solve this problem for their own boat, though. In fact, they didn't own one. But in order to make some extra cash, they were planning on renting out their dock space to another boat owner who needed it - as was their right. But with Billy's boat blocking up a huge portion of the dock that they rightfully owned, they knew they wouldn't be able to rent out their space.
When Billy had taken his boat out, though, they arranged for their renters to park their boat on the dock. And while they knew it would cause backlash, they didn't anticipate just how much.
Tanya Gave Them a Bad Review
The Swansons weren't naive to the situation that was happening in their neighborhood. They were in the midst of a bitter battle with their neighbor, and they were sure that word had gotten out about it. However, they were still convinced that they had done nothing wrong - even though Tanya and Billy thought otherwise. And when they learned what the Swansons had done with the dock, they lashed out.
Tanya did this in a very public way, too. She wrote a negative review of the couple and their docking space in the local newspaper and complained that the couple themselves were incredibly rude and disrespectful.
Then Tanya Went to the Police
But Tanya didn't stop there. As well as leaving a negative review, she also went to the police to complain about the couple. The Swansons soon learned that she wanted to press charges against the couple for violating a verbal agreement that supposedly involved the Swansons verbally agreeing to Tanya and Billy using their dock for three months. Of course, this wasn't true and was something that had never happened.
In the Swansons' eyes, going to the police and making false claims about the couple was a step too far from them. They knew they wouldn't be able to come back from that.
She Even Pretended to Be Emily
By this point, the Swansons were getting fearful. They had hoped that their move to Hawaii would offer them a slice of paradise that would fill them with happiness. But all it had given them was stress - and that was all down to Tanya. What they didn't know, however, was that Tanya was far from done. While the couple was away, she went one step further and pretended to be Emily.
She phoned the people who were renting the dock and told them (as Emily) that they needed to move their boat. Of course, they did, and Billy was able to park his back on the dock again.
Emily Had to Call the Police
The news that Tanya had impersonated Emily soon got back to the Swansons, and they knew that this had to be the last straw. They had put up with their bad neighbor for too long, and they couldn't take anymore. So, they decided to call the police, fearful of what Tanya could possibly do next. Thankfully, the police believed what the Swansons were saying, so they sent someone round to the house to speak to them immediately.
After explaining everything to the police, the officer decided to go and speak to Billy and Tanya and ask them to move their boat. Of course, this did not go down well.
Tanya Continued Her Tirade
Tanya and Billy wouldn't listen to the policeman, claiming that the water was a free-for-all and that Emily and her husband had no rights to claim ownership of the dock. And as they were yelling so loudly, the Swansons heard everything. They could hear what Tanya was saying, and they could tell that she wasn't going to let up. And they were so drained. They were dealing with the worst neighbor imaginable.
For Emily and her husband, the worst thing was feeling their excitement for their new house diminish day after day. They had worked so hard to achieve their dream, and Tanya had ruined everything for them.
Their Lives Had Turned Upside Down
While many people would have stopped their tirade when the police got involved, Tanya and her boyfriend weren't those kinds of people. In fact, they seemed to get worse as the weeks went on, and they continued to do everything they could in an effort to push Emily and her husband out of their home. And the Swansons did consider moving, but then they realized that they'd be letting their horrible neighbors win.
But things were bad. Tanya even encouraged her children to follow in her footsteps, and they would always throw their trash over the fence and set off fireworks on the Swansons' side of the dock.
It Lasted Years
All in all, this situation lasted years and years. And their neighbor from hell just wouldn't let up. Tanya and her whole husband continued to do everything they could to spoil the Swansons' dream, and they almost did it. During this time, the police were so used to being called to this neighborhood dispute that they knew which house to go to as soon as the phone call came through. It was a nightmare.
Emily and her husband just wanted to enjoy their lives in Hawaii, but Tanya had made it impossible. And they would have given up hope if they hadn't known that the police were on their side.
The Police Supported Them
Throughout this process, the police had been called so many times they had lost count. And while Tanya and Billy always hoped that the police would be on her side, that wasn't the case at all. The cops knew that Emily and her husband were being terrorized by their neighbor, but they just didn't know what to do about it. Technically, they hadn't done anything illegal, so they couldn't be arrested.
What Tanya and Billy didn't realize, though, was the fact that karma always comes back around. And theirs was just around the corner, just waiting for the right moment to strike.
The Call That Changed It All
By this point, Emily and her husband had almost given up. They were talking about putting their house up for sale and giving it to their bad neighbor. But just before they were able to phone the real estate agent, they received a phone call themselves. It was from Tanya's landlord, who came bearing some news that would change everything for them. In fact, the call came at the perfect time.
When Emily listened to what the landlord had to say, she stopped dead in her tracks. She immediately looked towards her husband, and knew exactly what they had to do.
He Was Tired of Tenants
What Emily and her husband learned from the phone call was that the landlord who owned Tanya's property was not only tired of being a landlord, but he was also tired of having disruptive tenants like Tanya. And while he appreciated the extra money that came from the house, he just didn't think that it was worth it any longer. He'd had enough, and just like the Swansons, he'd had enough of Tanya.
Emily was relieved to learn that Tanya also caused problems with her landlord and that they weren't the only ones who she had terrorized. But what did that mean for Tanya's house?
Putting Forward a Proposal
At first, Emily didn't really understand why the landlord was calling her. But the more she listened, the more she realized that the landlord was putting forth a proposal. He wanted to sell the house, and he wondered if the Swansons wanted to buy it off him. He knew that Tanya had been causing them a huge amount of stress and unease, and he thought that it would be the perfect solution to their problem.
In fact, the deal would work perfectly for both of them. The landlord would be able to grab an easy sell without having to deal with real estate agents and extortionate fees, and the Swansons would get rid of their nightmare neighbor.
They Had to Think About It
While there was no doubt about the fact that the offer tempted the Swansons, they also had to stop themselves from getting ahead of themselves. After all, buying the property next door would cost them a lot of money - even if it would turn their nightmare back into a dream. So, they needed to really think about what the landlord was offering them, and make sure it really was the right option for them.
However, in the back of their minds, the Swansons knew exactly what they wanted to do. And while they thought about it for a little while, this niggle at the back of their minds was too intense to ignore.
The Perfect Solution
In the end, Emily and her husband decided to go ahead and purchase the property next door to their dream Hawaii home. But this didn't just solve the problem with her nightmare neighbor. This also solved a problem that had been in the back of their minds for years, as Emily always wondered what would happen to her parents as they got older. And she had always dreamt that they would move to Hawaii with them - ideally next door.
By purchasing the house next door, they could ensure that their neighbors wouldn't be a problem, as they would be Emily's parents! And when the sale went through, they put their first order of business into action.
They Had No Idea What Was Coming
Of course, Tanya and Billy had no idea what was coming. Although their landlord had made them aware of the fact that he would be selling the house to new landlords, they had just assumed that they would be staying put. After all, in their eyes, they had been the perfect tenants. But paying your rent on time isn't everything - and the new landlords didn't want them to stay there one bit.
However, they wanted to give Tanya and Billy the chance to make amends. So, before kicking them out completely, they decided to give them an option. In fact, they could stay if they wanted to.
Knock, Knock, Emily Was There
As Tanya was still oblivious to the fact that Emily and her husband were her new landlords, Emily decided to break the news once and for all. So, she knocked on the door and told Tanya what had occurred. But when Tanya thought the whole thing was a joke, Emily was able to pull out her paperwork and prove that they did indeed own the house that she was living in.
As if that wasn't enough, Tanya was also presented with the news that the Swansons were expecting her rent by the end of the month - and that there had been a few changes to the rental agreement.
They Priced Her Out
As owners of the house, Emily and her husband could change the rental agreement as they saw fit - and they wanted to price Tanya and Billy out of the house. So, Emily explained to Tanya that they were increasing her rent and that they expected the higher amount within just a few weeks. Of course, they knew that it was highly unlikely that they would be able to afford the increase, but they wanted to give her the option anyway.
Soon enough, they learned that Tanya and Billy had decided to move out of the house as they could no longer afford the rent. It was the news the Swansons had been waiting for!
Tanya's Mom Apologized for Her Daughter
With nowhere else to go, Tanya was forced to move out of the Swansons' property and move in with her mother. And while there was a part of Emily and her husband that felt bad for Tanya, they also knew that she had brought the whole thing upon herself. She had been a horrible neighbor and had made their lives hell for years, and she was being served the karma she deserved.
At one point, Tanya's mom even apologized to the Swansons for her daughter's behavior. She knew that she was rude and abrasive, and she even stated that she was ashamed of Tanya.
Not Sure Where It Came From
During a particularly revealing conversation with Tanya's mom, the Swansons learned so much more about the neighbor who had plagued them for years. Tanya's mom expressed her apologies for the way that her daughter treated them, but also her confusion. After all, she didn't know why her daughter always acted in such a way, as she had always tried to raise her as a warm and affectionate person. But she had not become that at all.
Although Emily didn't feel sorry for Tanya, she did feel sorry for her mom and the fact that Tanya had to move in with her. But more than anything, she was glad to be rid of her.
They Became Friends
In a bizarre twist of fate, Emily and Tanya's mom quickly became friends. It seems as though they bonded over their shared experiences with Tanya, and the two of them were able to talk for hours about anything and everything. In fact, they also realized that they had a shared love of baking, and so they often came together to bake cakes and cookies for the rest of their neighborhood.
Emily couldn't believe how different Tanya was to her mom, but she appreciated the fact that her mom understood why they had to do what they did to get rid of their nightmare neighbor.
Tanya Was Incredibly Jealous
When Tanya learned that her mother and her ex-neighbor were such good friends, she was furious. She couldn't believe that they would do such a thing to her, and she was jealous of the fact that her mother had such a good relationship with someone who wasn't her. However, this was a major teaching moment for her. When this happened, she realized that the situation had been caused by her own actions.
We bet this forced Tanya to really rethink how she treated people, and especially how she treated her neighbors. And let's hope she's now a much better person for it.
Finally Free and Enjoying Life
With Tanya out of the picture and a new friend in Tanya's mom, Emily and her husband could finally enjoy what they had been looking forward to for so many years. Although their initial move to Hawaii was fraught with tension and neighborly altercations, they were ultimately able to enjoy the delights of the island and how beautiful their house really was. And, of course, the piece-de-resistance was the fact that Emily's mom moved in next door!
With new neighbors that they loved and could trust, Emily and her husband felt as though they could finally start their lives together. And now they're enjoying every single moment in Hawaii.