By-Laws

[pianoforte]

It seems to be that time of year when bully neighbours like to call by-law officials and complain about petty nonsense. Just want to hear other peoples stories, in particular the "good-neighbour" by-law.

[gardengirl]

Deleted by Trip.

[Ken7]

It seems to be that time of year when bully neighbours like to call by-law officials and complain about petty nonsense. Just want to hear other peoples stories, in particular the "good-neighbour" by-law.

I guess it would depend on what one perceives as nonsense. This topic has been rolled over and over.

Bottom line is the laws are for a purpose, and further there to protect others. Post a picture of your nonsense, I'd love to see it!

[psychprof]

What does the good neighbour by-law stipulate?

[1Westside]

HMMMMM, people complaining about petty nonsense. Well the bylaws as someone had posted are there for a reason. I as a homeowner am amazed at "good neighbors" who deem it perfectly ok to pile up old mattresses, derelict vehicles, old snowmobiles and boats, campers, motorbikes and general rubbish in their yard.

Now I am going to make a generalization here that some of these Fred Sanford clones are renters and have no vested interest in the property they occupy. If there are those that are owners that contribute to the seemingly downward trend to pride in their yards, I say shame on you. For many people their home is the only tangible investment they have, and to see neighbors allowing their property to become an eyesore without care for their neighbors is a shame. that is where Bylaw comes in. FYI, bylaw enforcement is driven on a complaint basis only. that is to say that the bylaw officers do not patrol and look for violations they only react to complaints which can pit neighbors against neighbors.

If any of you were to drive around Glenrosa you see what I am referring to. The star of this show is that little gem of a home at the bottom of Webber, what an eyesore. What is wrong with people that can look at their yard and deem it to be OK. Imagine their neighbors thoughts. There are other examples that I won't mention but I may start a page with pics that shows these "good neighbors" lack of respect for their neighbors and their neighborhoods.

[Ken7]

HMMMMM, people complaining about petty nonsense. Well the bylaws as someone had posted are there for a reason. I as a homeowner am amazed at "good neighbors" who deem it perfectly ok to pile up old mattresses, derelict vehicles, old snowmobiles and boats, campers, motorbikes and general rubbish in their yard.

I'm with you, the word neighbour has a different meaning to me.

A neighbour is someone who is not self centred and is considerate of those who reside next door to them. Neighbours used to have a common ground, if something was asked of you it was not questioned.

A example, I grew up if the neighbour said, you have your music too loud. It wouldn't matter how loud it was, I'd shut it down right then. Today the word neighbour is almost lost, along with the word respect!!

Your example is why By-laws had to be created as some people care less, and do not consider what anyone else would think of pilling debris in front of thy neighbours home or near their property line!

[mexicalidreamer]

It seems to be that time of year when bully neighbours like to call by-law officials and complain about petty nonsense. Just want to hear other peoples stories, in particular the "good-neighbour" by-law.

Just remember, you started it.

It's usually the bully neighbors whose properties are a shambles and they see nothing wrong with it. They are offended when others point this out to them and then the bully steps up and the by-laws step in.

I have lived in my neighborhood for more than 20 years and a once clean street with decent neighbors has been forced to the side with the influx of many who simply don't care. whether they be renter or not is not the issue. Pride is the issue.

I am sick of people who want to live by the mantra "live and let live" "why worry"? That's BS spewage from those who want a free pass to be a pig.

Someone posted that this topic has been beaten to death. I disagree. If it was dead, there wouldn't be a need to resurrect it every other week because it's still a hot topic and there are many angry people out there.

The solution is simple. Take some pride in where you live, both inside and out. Respect your neighbors and try to see the world through their eyes as they should for you. If you are persistently being labeled an ass....le, maybe accept that you have been one and try to become a better person.

Teach your children to respect others and to take pride in who they are and what they do. Stop blaming everyone else for all your problems and your neighbors for being bullies and grab some sack and grow up.

I agree with Westside1; lets start taking some pix around town, publish them here, on their own thread with no addresses or street names and sit back to hear what others have to say.

My personal wish would be that the hillbilly's will recognize their own hovels, read what just about every non hillbilly really thinks, get really embarrassed and do something about it.

Lets put the neighbor back in neighborhood. Like it used to be.

[zookeeper]

" lets start taking some pix around town,"
I don't live in your town, but every town has this problem. Sadly, taking pics does not work. People who live with their crap outside their home for everyone to see doesn't really care if you photograph it or not, chances are they may even pull the shades for you to pic inside as well. We tried the pic thing, sent them to the proper authorities, and still looking at garbage and crap. Apparently it is a huge, drawn out legal process to "make" someone clean up their place. No one can just go in and remove it because that infringes on privacy and possession laws (or some dumb response like that). Someone can have mounds of old mattresses and tv's piled in their yard, but taking it without proper legal documentation is trespassing even if you just want to heave it to the dump! People who don't care what their home looks like inside or out (insert pig pic here) certainly aren't going to care what you or anyone else thinks.

[KtownCouple]

It seems to be that time of year when bully neighbours like to call by-law officials and complain about petty nonsense. Just want to hear other peoples stories, in particular the "good-neighbour" by-law.

So what did you do to get the visit? :dyinglaughing:

[MattJ]

HMMMMM, people complaining about petty nonsense. Well the bylaws as someone had posted are there for a reason. I as a homeowner am amazed at "good neighbors" who deem it perfectly ok to pile up old mattresses, derelict vehicles, old snowmobiles and boats, campers, motorbikes and general rubbish in their yard.

Now I am going to make a generalization here that some of these Fred Sanford clones are renters and have no vested interest in the property they occupy. If there are those that are owners that contribute to the seemingly downward trend to pride in their yards, I say shame on you. For many people their home is the only tangible investment they have, and to see neighbors allowing their property to become an eyesore without care for their neighbors is a shame. that is where Bylaw comes in. FYI, bylaw enforcement is driven on a complaint basis only. that is to say that the bylaw officers do not patrol and look for violations they only react to complaints which can pit neighbors against neighbors.

If any of you were to drive around Glenrosa you see what I am referring to. The star of this show is that little gem of a home at the bottom of Webber, what an eyesore. What is wrong with people that can look at their yard and deem it to be OK. Imagine their neighbors thoughts. There are other examples that I won't mention but I may start a page with pics that shows these "good neighbors" lack of respect for their neighbors and their neighborhoods.

Operative statements in bold...it's THEIR yard. I, personally, don't give a rats behind what my neighbors do in their yard, because it's their yard. If I cared, then I could move to a trailer park, or somewhere else that has a strata to deal with that. As it is, I bought my own property so I can do whatever I want with it (an no, I don't have crap all over, I have a green lawn that I mow regularly, and all of the vehicles in my driveway are insured and driven). If my neighbor decided he wanted to park an RV trailer against the property line, or tear apart a car in his front yard, I couldn't care less. It's his yard, he works, pays his bills and he owns it. It's nobody else's business what he, or I do, in my own yard.

The problem with the world today is everybody is so worried about what everybody else is doing, and not paying attention to what they themselves are doing. If you don't like what someone else does with their own property...then DON'T LOOK. Build a fence. The only time it becomes your problem is if they are piling garbage and it becomes a health issue.

[bobblehead]

What if you decided you wanted or for other reasons you had to sell your house, I bet you would give a rats _ _ s what your neighbors yard looked like then. If you had your house listed and all you received was negative responses from potential buyers, I think your attitude would change very quickly.

[MattJ]

If I was getting negative feedback from potential buyers, then I would ask my neighbors to fix the problem. However, the negative feedback from the potential buyers is part of the problem as well. What my, or their, prospective neighbors do in their own yard, should have no bearing on the value of the neighboring property. Everybody is worrying about something that, in reality, has absolutely no effect on them. I can still enjoy my property regardless of what my neighbors do on theirs...again, as long as it's not a health hazard due to rotting garbage or other stink, rodents, birds, etc. A pile of scrap steel doesn't stop me from going out in my yard and doing whatever people are supposed to do in their yards. If everybody was more concerned with things that are actually their business, then trying to sell a property beside someone who collects junk should make absolutely no difference. It's not hurting you, so what's the problem? If I wanted to be dictated to how high my grass can be, what I can't park in my driveway, how many visitors I can have parked on the road in front of my house, and for how long, whether I can have an RV or boat at my house, or a project vehicle, or a fire pit, or a BBQ, I would have bought something in a strata. I didn't, so what my neighbors do, or what I do, is nobody's business as long as it's contained to the owner's property.

[Fancy]

If I wanted to be dictated to how high my grass can be, what I can't park in my driveway, how many visitors I can have parked on the road in front of my house, and for how long, whether I can have an RV or boat at my house, or a project vehicle, or a fire pit, or a BBQ, I would have bought something in a strata. I didn't

Those that buy into areas with bylaws in place or see how the general area is maintained knows what is expected of them.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent,

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."

And so it is with life. What we see when watching others
Depends on the purity of the window through which we look.

[OnTheRoadAgain]

" lets start taking some pix around town,"
I don't live in your town, but every town has this problem. Sadly, taking pics does not work. People who live with their crap outside their home for everyone to see doesn't really care if you photograph it or not, chances are they may even pull the shades for you to pic inside as well. We tried the pic thing, sent them to the proper authorities, and still looking at garbage and crap. Apparently it is a huge, drawn out legal process to "make" someone clean up their place. No one can just go in and remove it because that infringes on privacy and possession laws (or some dumb response like that). Someone can have mounds of old mattresses and tv's piled in their yard, but taking it without proper legal documentation is trespassing even if you just want to heave it to the dump! People who don't care what their home looks like inside or out (insert pig pic here) certainly aren't going to care what you or anyone else thinks.

COMPLIANCE ORDERS
5.8 If, in the opinion of the Bylaw Enforcement Officer, the owner of real property or other
responsible person fails to comply with a requirement of this Bylaw, the Bylaw
Enforcement Officer may issue an order requiring that the owner or other responsible
person bring the real property into compliance with the provisions of this Bylaw within
such time as the Bylaw Enforcement Officer considers appropriate in the
circumstances.

http://www.districtofwestkelowna.ca/Mod ... mentid=729

5.9 Service of an order referred to in Section 5.8 will be sufficient if a copy of the order is:
(a) served personally or mailed by prepaid registered mail to the owner of the real
property as shown on the current year’s real property assessment roll; and;
(b) either posted on the real property or delivered or mailed by regular mail to the
occupier of the real property.
5.10 Notice issued under section 5.8 herein must state:
(a) the civic address of the subject real property;
(b) the legal description of the subject real property;
(c) the particulars of the unsightly nature of the real property or other noncompliance with this Bylaw to be remedied;
(d) that the unsightly nature of the property or other non-compliance with this
Bylaw must be remedied within 14 days of the date of delivery of the notice, or,
in the case of snow, ice or rubbish on a sidewalk or footpath, within 24 hours
from the time the snow, ice or rubbish is deposited thereon.
(e) that if the owner or occupant fails to comply with the notice, the District may,
without further notice, proceed to carry out the work required, and the cost of
such work will be added to the taxes of the real property, and the owner or
occupant or both may be subjected to prosecution for an offence under this
Bylaw.
5.11 Notice issued under section 5.8 herein may give specific instructions to remedy the
unsightly nature of the real property or other non-compliance with this Bylaw including,
but not limited to, any one or more of the following directions:
(a) remove unsightly accumulations of materials or rubbish from the real property;
(b) remove snow, ice or rubbish from sidewalks and footpaths;
(c) clean, stack or cover any material;
(d) clear the real property of brush, trees, noxious weeds or other growths;
(e) cut grass or weeds present on the real property;
(f) prune trees or shrubs;
(g) remove rubbish, or cut grass, weeds or other growth from adjacent boulevards
or laneways
(h) otherwise remediate, maintain or repair the real property as specified in the
notice, so as to bring it into compliance with this Bylaw