PETALING JAYA: From unauthorised parking in the driveway to illegal structural modifications, residents are urging authorities to address persistent issues caused by irresponsible neighbours.
A Subang Jaya resident, who wished to be identified as Amanda, said her family had to deal with an illegal renovation carried out by their next door neighbour in their linked house neighbourhood.
The situation escalated when the neighbour unilaterally decided to raise the common divider wall.
“If they had informed us beforehand, we could have resolved the matter amicably. Instead, they hired a contractor and began the renovation without consulting us.
“When the construction started, we discovered that it was not just a simple extension; the new column was over 1.5m wide and encroached onto our property,” she said.
Amanda said this was not the first time her neighbour had encroached into her family’s property without consent, prompting them to research their rights as homeowners.
Among other grievances, she said the neighbour had previously swept pet faeces onto their pavement, forcing her family to clean it up weekly.
“The construction of the column was the final straw, and I found out that I could report the issue to the local council. Thankfully, they responded swiftly and ordered the neighbour to remove the illegal structure.
“However, after the report was made, we faced retaliation. The neighbour began shouting profanities at us whenever they saw us, and they even attempted to smear animal faeces on our cars.
“My siblings, in turn, would wash it away onto their property,” she said, adding that the experience was a valuable lesson in understanding homeowners’ rights.
Another resident based in Kuching, Sarawak, who prefers to be known as Sam, has been enduring noise disturbances from a neighbour who runs an unofficial car repair workshop from home.
Sam said his neighbour regularly brought vehicles home for repairs and worked on them until the early hours of the morning.
“I have lodged reports with the police. Even after authorities visited the house at 2am while repairs were underway, the neighbour resumed operations as usual the next day.
“I am not a mechanic, but it seems as though some of these cars have been there for years. The number of vehicles keeps increasing, yet no work seems to be completed.
“My neighbourhood, especially my street, has effectively become a parking lot for his customers’ cars,” he said.
Sam plans to escalate the matter to the North Kuching Local Council in the hope that they will take action.
If this approach fails, he is prepared to pursue legal action.
Another homeowner, Maisarah, opted for legal action after her neighbour failed to maintain proper hygiene while fostering stray cats.
Maisarah said her neighbour began adopting stray cats during the Covid-19 pandemic but neglected to clean their home, resulting in an overwhelming stench affecting neighbouring houses.
“At first, I reminded them to clean their house and even offered to help since they were doing a noble job caring for the cats. However, they ignored my requests. I then reported the issue to the residents’ association, but all they did was issue a reminder about hygiene and cleanliness,” she said.
Beyond sanitation concerns, Maisarah explained that her family had begun experiencing nasal issues due to the persistent odour.
“I do not want to wait for the situation to worsen, so I am exploring legal options. From my research on legal websites, I found that I may be able to file a tort action against my neighbour for an injunction based on private nuisance,” she said.
