'Neighbors sending their relatives to my house to try to use my pool without my consent.' UPDATED
"Neighbors sending their relatives to my house to try to use my pool without my consent."
Do not judge my paragraph formatting please, everyone has their own structure of writing so don't be quick to judge or think it AI. Edited for some parts I forgot to include. For those commenting call the police read this whole post, the trespassers got arrested and got dealt with.
The front of my driveway has a sign that reads Private Property No Trespassing as you pull up to the driveway. I have a fence up around my pool to keep out unwanted animals and intruders with only way in is a key to unlock the gate. I have security cameras on certain places of the house pointing to the pool.
Last summer while I was away my phone alerted me my security camera had caught something and so I checked to see the live footage, it was three teens that were in early teens and one adult trying to climb the fence to my pool.
I have a tarp over my pool at all times which can only be removed from a switch in my house, you'd think they'd see the tarp and leave. I immediately called the police and they told me they'd take care of it.
The four didn't even attempt to leave they kept trying to climb the fence, I watched as the four were arrested. The day I get home my neighbor who must've been watching for my car storms over and starts screaming at me, "My sister and her kids are going to have a criminal record now because of you!"
I said, "So that's who my cameras detected. You should know my sign in front of my house says private property no trespassing!" She says she'll see me in court when their court dates come up.
The sister of the neighbor plead in court it was a hot summer day and they wanted to cool down so her sister insisted that they go use my pool but to ignore the sign that said private property because her sister and I are good friends. My neighbor and I are not good friends.
I explained to the judges I did not give consent for neighbor to use my pool while I was gone. The judges saw all the evidence needed especially of the sign in my driveway saying no trespassing and found the neighbor and her sister guilty of second degree trespassing which in my state carries the punishment of $200 fine and twenty days in jail.
The judge found the two nephews and niece guilty as well. My lawyers requested a restraining order which was granted as well. The teens lawyer tried to explain the teens didn't know about the sign in my driveway but the judge dismissed that because they willingly listened to their mother and aunt it was ok to trespass.
Here is what readers had to say in response to the OP’s post:
Classic FAFO. I do not understand what goes through people's heads, honestly. "Oh look, someone else's property that I can use because I WaNt tO!"
Imagine trespassing then suing the person you trespassed on. Olympic level delusion.
Love the neighbour blaming you for her family’s records, when it was in fact she that prompted all this.
Great friends that can use the pool any time, but doesn’t have a key… yeah… That should have been the families first clue that they had to jump a fence.
You did nothing wrong . If they didn’t want charges, maybe don’t break into someone’s yard and lie to the court. Some people just don’t get boundaries.
Two days later, the OP returned with an update.
Ever since one entitled neighbor had her family trespass on my property last year my husband and I keep pretty quiet about when we will have our pool open and only tell those we trust.
I made a post telling the story about the entitled neighbor. So you don't have to ask yes my property has security cameras pointed around the yard especially on the pool. Yesterday my husband was at the store buying supplies so we can start preparing our pool. One of our neighbors saw him and asked, "so when are you opening the pool this year?"
My husband says, "Don't have a set date but we'll see, after what happened last year we just might have it be family only. If we plan anything for a gathering we'll keep people posted."
Entitled neighbors brother who was shopping nearby suddenly acted entitled towards my husband saying, "You and your wife are so selfish! The prior residents in that house used to let the pool be open to any other house to come over as long as they watched their kids!"
My husband told him, "Look we've had an uptick of wild animals crossing over our property the last couple of years that's why we had a fence put up around the pool and it's our private property we don't have to always have people over especially if we're not home" then husband left. I'm not sure why the brother is now acting entitled it's what got his sisters in trouble last year.
Here is what readers had to say in response to the OP’s post:
You can bet that the same entitled people would sue you if one of their kids got hurt in your pool if you gave them free access. Hell, they'd probably try it if they got hurt even if you didn't give them access. At least with the cameras and the well known policy you have, you have some protection should something happen.
Are pools really that big of a deal in the west ? So many stories surrounding them & people going crazy over them lol.
Sometimes I do really wonder how someone could be THIS entitled to the point it's baffling. Life is really weird.