We've all had bad neighbors at some point. Maybe they are loud at night and it's keeping you up. Maybe their car keeps blocking the driveway and you can't get out in the morning. Or maybe they are leaving garbage out and it's starting to smell. It can be hard to deal with a bad neighbor the first time it happens. It's important to know what your legal rights are and what to do if you get a bad neighbor.

Going to court as often the last thing that you want to do. Going to court is the nuclear option and if you are intending to stay somewhere in the long run you may end up with a neighborhood maliciously complies with all your requests and never helps with anything.

Court is a more viable option if it's a short term rental. But if you own the house you need to be careful about making enemies when your neighbor. Try to talk things out and have a conversation before going to court.

However, if talking it out doesn't work then you might have to hire an attorney and go to court. There are many different types of ways to deal with a problem neighbor. The type of lawsuit you need to file will depend upon what the issues are. Some issues require additional leg work before you file a lawsuit.

If you are dealing with a neighbor who is blocking your driveway, there are two major ways to handle it through legal proceedings. 

The first thing you may want to do is to send out a trespass notice. These notices inform your neighbor that they are not welcome on your property. If someone gets a trespassing notice and still leaves their stuff on your property, they could face criminal repercussions.

The second option, depending on the severity of the situation, is to file a lawsuit to get an order from the court to stop them. Violating a court order can have even more consequences. 

Both routes lead to the same place. You can obtain either a no trespass notice or a court order preventing further problems. To make sure you choose the right one, make sure to get an attorney to help you when you are dealing with a bad neighbor. It will end up saving money in the long run.