Helping your neighbours is a noble cause, but some people ask for too much.
Whether it’s handing over a few spare tea bags or feeding their fish while they’re on holiday, small requests that don’t inconvenience us are no problem when it comes to helping our neighbours. But as one woman is finding out, some people can be “entitled” with their demands and can demand things we just can’t provide.
The woman, who recently installed outdoor security cameras at her home, was taken aback when her neighbour approached her and asked her something she “wasn’t prepared for” – and even “threw a fit” when she refused his request.
In a post on Reddit, she detailed how her neighbour had knocked on her door to inquire about her new security system. After handing him a leaflet from the company that supplied her cameras, he made his true intentions clear.
She said: “He asked if I can change a few of my camera angles so that it can have HIS house in the view as well.”
Initially, she laughed off his comment, assuming he was joking. However, the man insisted it was the “neighbourly thing” to do and even demanded access to the footage.
The woman stood her ground, telling him no and advising him he should “purchase his own” cameras. However, the man was far from pleased with this response and “threw a fit”, threatening to complain to the neighbourhood’s Homeowner Association (HOA) unless she complied with his demands.
An HOA is an entity that oversees and implements rules in a residential community, predominantly operational in areas within the USA and Canada.
Concerned about the repercussions, she took the initiative to contact the HOA directly, whereby they confirmed she had not broken any community guidelines by denying her neighbour access to her security footage.
She further disclosed: “Another neighbour of mine texted me that my neighbour was so upset about the outcome of his inquiry that he apparently has decided to pull out of our Neighbourhood Watch.
“His reasoning being that he ‘doesn’t feel like neighbours are truly trying to look out for each other’ so he will only ‘watch his own back from now on’.”
The saga sparked reactions online, with commenters backing up the woman’s stance. The consensus among them was clear offering her neighbour access to her camera footage would compromise her privacy, and he ought to invest in his own security system.
One commentator expressed: “Ahhhh, the entitled neighbour. He wants the benefits of having home security but refuses to pay for it. I’d tell him to jog on and get his own.”
Another person warned: “Access to your system would definitely violate your privacy, the privacy of your household and any visitors.
“He could see when you have packages delivered, steal them, and then delete the footage. Your private business could even end up on the internet.”
