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The Problem Next Door
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County zoning or land-use officials are an option and often an effective one if a neighbor is violating regulations.
"But if it's something that's just annoying, there's not much county government can do," said Susan Bell, Arlington County's director of community planning, housing and development.
Mediation groups can also step in at any stage -- even at the courthouse.
At the Conflict Resolution Center of Montgomery County, trained mediators accept calls, take complaints and then contact the neighbor to coax him or her to the negotiating table, said Patricia H. Lee, the group's executive director.
"Sometimes, the response is: 'What? Who called you? Is this the government? Is this the police?' " Lee said. "We explain that we're a nonprofit group that is making a request to get together on behalf of another neighbor. . . . It's voluntary and confidential."
It's also free. The center assigns cases to 147 mediators, some of whom focus on neighborhood disputes, and those mediators work pro bono. Some are retirees or trained specialists who want to give back to the community. Others run private practices.
But in mediation, the toughest challenge is bringing all the parties involved to the table.
If some of the players refuse to participate, exploring legal options may be the only thing left to do, short of giving up or moving.
But before hiring a lawyer, consider whether you want to use your lawyer as a weapon or as a resource to help you understand your rights -- and those of others.
You may learn from your lawyer, for instance, that you have no basis for legal action against the neighbor.
You also may find that filing a lawsuit would not be cost-effective and might only further damage an already shaky relationship. Plaintiffs need to consider how much money they are willing to spend to get the relief they're seeking, and defendants should think about whether it's easier to fix the problem than to spend money arguing about it.
"The best situation is when you can work it out neighbor to neighbor," said Martin D. Walsh, a real estate lawyer in Arlington.
