AITA for Calling the City Inspector on My Neighbor’s Sketchy Deck?

A woman, concerned about her neighbor Tom’s dangerously constructed deck, initially tried to address her worries casually but felt ignored. After sleepless nights due to noise and anxiety about safety, she called the city inspector anonymously.

The inspection revealed that Tom lacked proper permits and had multiple safety issues, leading to project delays. Tom is now furious and has labeled her a “nosy neighbor,” while some other neighbors feel she overreacted. read the original story below…

‘AITA for Calling the City Inspector on My Neighbor’s Sketchy Deck?’

I (28F) live in a small, close-knit neighborhood where everyone’s pretty friendly. We do the whole wave-at-each-other thing, and sometimes even chat over the fence. It’s peaceful, which is one of the reasons I love it here.

Anyway, my next-door neighbor, Tom (mid-40s), decided a few months ago that he wanted to build a deck in his backyard. Cool, right? At first, I thought it was a great idea. He seemed excited about it, always talking about how he was going to host barbecues once it was done.

But then, the construction started… and things got messy, literally and figuratively. Tom and his buddies would be out there late into the night, hammering, sawing, and making a ton of noise, even past 10 p.m. It wasn’t just the noise, though. I’m no expert, but from the looks of it, this deck was wobbly.

I mean, you could see the slant from my yard, and I started imagining it collapsing during one of his parties. I didn’t want to be dramatic, but it genuinely looked unsafe. One weekend, I tried to bring it up in the most casual way possible.

While we were both outside, I said something like, “That’s coming along fast! Have you double-checked the measurements? It looks a bit off.” Tom just laughed it off like I was being overly cautious, saying, “Nah, it’s fine! I’ve built things before. Don’t worry about it.” So, I left it at that… for a while.

But the deck construction kept going, and it was loud. And lopsided. And the more I thought about it, the more anxious became. What if someone actually got hurt? What if a kid was on that deck when it gave out? I didn’t want to be the nosy neighbor, but I also couldn’t shake the bad feeling.

Finally, after another sleepless night of construction noise, I made the decision to anonymously call the city inspector. I figured, if everything was fine, then nothing would come of it. No harm done, right? Well, the inspector showed up a few days later.

Tom wasn’t home when they did the inspection, but when he got back, he was furious. Turns out, he didn’t have the right permits, and they flagged a bunch of safety issues. Now he has to make a ton of changes before he can finish it, and the project is basically on hold.

Tom’s been complaining to anyone who’ll listen, calling me (though not directly to my face) a “nosy neighbor.” He thinks it was totally unnecessary, and that I should’ve just minded my own business. I’ve heard him venting to other neighbors, and now I feel awkward anytime I’m outside.

A couple of my other neighbors said I overreacted and should’ve trusted Tom to handle it. So now I’m feeling conflicted. I didn’t mean to stir up drama, but I also didn’t want to ignore something that felt unsafe. AITA for reporting Tom’s DIY project to the city?

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

Kaynico −  NTA Permits and inspections exist for a reason – and not just for money gouging. The deck was unsafe or else it wouldn’t have been flagged for anything except improper permits. Yeah, it was a nosy neighbor move. But no, it wasn’t an AH move. You prevented others from being in unreasonably unsafe conditions

Trilobyte141 −  NTA  “Building codes are written in blood” is the saying that comes to mind. Ironically, safe construction has become so ubiquitous that it’s nearly invisible to us and people forget that there are real dangers associated with shoddy work.

If the inspector flagged a bunch of stuff, it was with good reason, and that’s reason enough for you to not be TA. People giving you s**t for calling because of the noise are off base. First of all, you can have multiple reasons for doing a thing.

Secondly, noise ordinances may not be written in blood, but they still matter too! Your neighbor had no right to make such a racket when people are trying to sleep. I’d say this was a two-birds-one-stone situation.

It wouldn’t have gone any better if you had made two separate calls for the building inspector AND a noise complaint. You actually did your neighbor a favor by not getting him in additional trouble, so how do people think that makes you an a**hole?

DueIsland2983 −  I’m torn. Part of me thinks you SHOULD want to report something that is legitimately unsafe and prevent injury to innocent guests, part of me thinks you should mind your own business and leave him to his personal d**th-trap.

The problem is that once you complained to him about it your “anonymous” call to the city is de facto not very anonymous, so you’ve permanently damaged your relationship with a neighbor. Whether or not it’s worth it is up to you.

If I have to judge, I’d say YTA because of the amount of weight you put on the construction noise in this post; it seems as if that’s what is \*really\* bothering you, and the code report is a mechanism to get back at your neighbor for disturbing your rest.

Aq_artisforever −  Let’s just be honest, you called because of the noise which sounds unreasonable at best. That being said, code enforcement would have gotten to him eventually anyway and it sounds like he and his probably drunkish friends are not master craftsman and

I’m sure the homeowners insurance claim would have been an even bigger problem when someone did eventually get hurt. NTS but kinda just because you didn’t ask him to keep it down first. But over all NTA

CapoExplains −  NTA. Building a s**tty cabinet it might fall off the wall and break some dishes. A s**tty deck with a bunch of people on it and a lit grill and patio furniture and whatever else? People could get injured or killed, and his house could burn down in the process.

Plus frankly I just have very little sympathy for the guy, youtube is free and building a deck correctly is not rocket surgery. If it was visibly lopsided that early on it wasn’t gonna get better as it progressed and it shows a lack of understanding or care for even the basics.

Plus, y’know, building a deck past 10pm? What an inconsiderate a**hole, he would’ve deserved having the city called on him for permits even if the actual construction was tip-top.

WatercoLorCurtain −  NTA. Tom could have injured people. Building codes exist so people don’t break their limbs (or worse) when unsafe structures collapse. Was it nosy? Yes. Was it wrong? No.

poeadam −  NTA While sometimes permitting processes are burdensome and annoying, there is a reason they exist. Clearly you were correct that the deck was unsafe and I believe you did the right thing.

TimeRecognition7932 −  YTA….you didn’t do it out of concern.. you called cause they were bothering you with the noise at night and it was unsighly…you know you did.

Jacques_Enhoff −  I’m sure I’ll get skewered for this, but YTA. It’s a deck. If he was running his own chimney ducting through a wall for a wood burning stove or half-assing electrical work that could result in a fire that could effect you/others, then I would say NTA.

However, it’s his property and any issues with that deck would only effect him and his guests, who can decide on their own if they want to go on it. This post reads like you didn’t like your neighbor to begin with. You say that you don’t want to be a nosy neighbor, while being a nosy neighbor.

You complained about how late he was working on the deck more than once. You admit that your not an expert, yet you are very opinionated on what he’s doing and how it looks. Having to stop when caught without permits is standard and has no bearing on the quality of work.

It also sounds like you’ve been talking to enough people about it for him to know it was you who “anonymously” reported him. You sound like you belong in an HOA.

Did she overstep, or was her concern justified? What do you think? Share your thoughts below!