# Should this bother me? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785 "2016-03-12T20:09:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/21 "2016-03-15T06:48:52Z")
> [@InsomniaMama](#): > > That has to be a code violation. I’d call the city. +1 I assume the neighbor has what is called a “life estate”, meaning she can live in the property as long as she wishes. Depending on the terms of the will, it’s quite possible that she is responsible for the maintenance and cannot afford to do so, or there may be some cognitive issues at play that keep her from having the repair made. The owner might, in theory, use this lack of maintenance as a way to force her out. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 9:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/22 "2016-03-15T09:04:56Z")
Yikes. Yes, code violation for sure. Call for a City inspection asap. You may not want to cause her trouble, but you don’t know right now whether she’s responsible or the estate. Time to find out. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/23 "2016-03-15T16:29:49Z")
Thank y’all for the answers. I’m going to call the city. I’m a very big believer in what you do on your side of the fence/wall is not my business unless it starts to affect my side. I don’t know construction well enough to know if this could affect my side. However, I do know water runs all over the place and you never know where it’ll come out. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/24 "2016-03-15T17:57:38Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > How the HELL can you own _half_ a building? 😕 > > This whole deal sounds waaay fishy. Where do you live that you’ve never heard of a duplex? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/25 "2016-03-15T20:15:03Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > I really like my neighbor, she’s in her 70s, very quiet and nice. Is it possible she’s not capable of dealing with this due to her age? No slam on the elderly, my dad is a very gung-ho 80 year old, but she may be out of her depth here. We had a broken window in our garage and it drove me crazy until we got it fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/26 "2016-03-15T21:38:05Z")
> [@Sahirrnee](#): > > I’m a very big believer in what you do on your side of the fence/wall is not my business unless it starts to affect my side. Yeah, squirrels don’t play like that. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/27 "2016-03-15T22:04:06Z")
Just go board it up. If she can’t be bothered to replace the plastic, I doubt she’s going to stop you from boarding it up. Hunk of wood + four screws = problem solved. (Or at least you’ve bought enough time to complain to the landlord/city without your house falling down or being eaten by critters/mold in the meantime.) ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/28 "2016-03-15T23:14:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Where do you live that you’ve never heard of a duplex? To be fair, my first thought when I hear “duplex” is more like a two unit apartment, not a two unit condo. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785/29 "2016-03-17T03:53:45Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Just go board it up. If she can’t be bothered to replace the plastic, I doubt she’s going to stop you from boarding it up. Hunk of wood + four screws = problem solved. (Or at least you’ve bought enough time to complain to the landlord/city without your house falling down or being eaten by critters/mold in the meantime.) No. Tacking a sheet of plywood over a hole in a wall is not waterproofing. It could make the problem worse, as water gets trapped behind the wood and can’t dry. You need flashing and a real window. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-this-bother-me/748785.md?page=1)