‘I’m at my wits’ end’: Florida woman faced fines of ‘$100 a day’ and a possible lien on her home over patch of landscaping stones — how to fight off code complaints from a prickly neighbor

What happened

The situation came about after Arlene Edwards, the Bayliss’ next-door neighbor, went to code enforcement to complain about the pavers and stones on the dead patch of grass.

Bayliss told Local 10 News that Edwards confronted her about the landscaping change, saying, “she doesn’t like it and I’m not supposed to have the pavers there.”

After Edwards made the call, Bayliss received a citation from code enforcement. Local 10 News reports that her pavers and stones were said to be too close to Edwards’ property line, creating water drainage issues.

To make peace with her neighbor, Bayliss removed the pavers. But Edwards went right back to code enforcement about the remaining stones.

“They come into my driveway and I got rocks in my tires when I come out of my driveway,” she told Local 10 News. “I have a Mercedes. I took it to Mercedes and they want to know why I have so many rocks.”

Despite Bayliss facing fines, Local 10 News saw lots of other homes in the area with rocks that haven’t received official citations.

In fact, Local 10 News discovered records of Edwards complaining about many things the Baylisses do, including the way they park their car and how they store things on their property.

“Nothing will ever be good enough. Nothing,” Bayliss told the news station. “No matter what I do, she just keeps calling code. All the time.”

Fortunately, after months of trying to appease her neighbor, Bayliss is now in compliance with the City of Lauderhill. After the Local 10 News investigation, the city relieved her of the possible lien on her home and the hefty fines that had been accrued. Her latest work-around to the dead patch of grass — flower pots sitting on a bed of rocks — has been approved by a code enforcement officer. Though, Bayliss believes this isn't the last she'll hear from her neighbor.

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How to handle — or avoid — a similar situation

As of August, the Baylisses could have faced fines from the City of Lauderhill, as well as a lien on their home if the fines went unpaid.

But families like the Baylisses may have some recourse, even without the intervention of a local news team. Bayliss could have chosen to request an Extension of Time from the city, which may have delayed the time period of when she needed to pay her code enforcement fines. It could have also given her more time to find a long-term solution for the patch of dead grass that the Baylisses and Edwards could both agree on.

And if you never want to deal with a neighbor who calls code enforcement every time you put a paver down on grass, there are ways to put your money into real estate without having to buy a home. Instead, you can invest in real estate investment trusts (REITs).

REITs offer individual investors a share of the profit for different types of residential and commercial properties that generate rental income, as well as mortgages that earn loan interest. You can choose to invest in anything from a shopping mall or office building, to a hospital or even an apartment complex.

It may go without saying, but if you do choose to commit to homeownership, assessing the neighborhood dynamic before you move in can be a real lifesaver.