What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? South Carolina
I have been dealing with 7 neighborhood children from three different families, ages approximately 3 to 11. They are largely unsupervised children who, for some reason, think that my front yard is their front yard. I have no children at home. I am all for children playing outside (in their own yards or the yards of consenting neighbors). I've been nice for months, I've asked them not to play in the yard, not to pull on the branches of my young maple tree, not to ride their bikes through the yard, not to hit my house with their basketballs or throw the balls into our yard, and not to climb or bang on the large metal electric box from the electric company, which is on my property. I think that the last straw was when I caught them climbing the young maple tree which has already been damaged. I then put gel on the tree to discourage them from climbing and told the mom of three of the ones whose yard is next to mine nicely that if she doesn't want it on her kids, to keep them off the tree, and that also I did not want them in my yard because I have no privacy anymore. Her response, although she was nice, was that kids have to play, and that she works from home and can't watch them all the time. I have already informed the electric company of their climbing on the box to try and get some protection in case they get hurt on that. I am going to finally give in and inform the HOA since unsupervised children are against the by-laws. Don't know how much good that will do me. I will deal with the constant noise of the basketball dribbling till late at night right by my living room window, and I have no problem with them playing in their yard. I do not feel that I am being unreasonable to ask them to play elsewhere. I don't want to be a witch, I just want my privacy back and I want to be able to open my blinds and not have kids out there in my yard watching.
Do I have any rights in the trespassing of children? What about if one of them gets hurt on my property? What measures should I take to protect myself? I'd put up a fence on the property line but it's against the HOA by-laws. If the HOA doesn't follow their by-laws by sending a letter to the owners, though, I will put up a fence. But in the meantime, I want to protect myself. Thank you.
I have been dealing with 7 neighborhood children from three different families, ages approximately 3 to 11. They are largely unsupervised children who, for some reason, think that my front yard is their front yard. I have no children at home. I am all for children playing outside (in their own yards or the yards of consenting neighbors). I've been nice for months, I've asked them not to play in the yard, not to pull on the branches of my young maple tree, not to ride their bikes through the yard, not to hit my house with their basketballs or throw the balls into our yard, and not to climb or bang on the large metal electric box from the electric company, which is on my property. I think that the last straw was when I caught them climbing the young maple tree which has already been damaged. I then put gel on the tree to discourage them from climbing and told the mom of three of the ones whose yard is next to mine nicely that if she doesn't want it on her kids, to keep them off the tree, and that also I did not want them in my yard because I have no privacy anymore. Her response, although she was nice, was that kids have to play, and that she works from home and can't watch them all the time. I have already informed the electric company of their climbing on the box to try and get some protection in case they get hurt on that. I am going to finally give in and inform the HOA since unsupervised children are against the by-laws. Don't know how much good that will do me. I will deal with the constant noise of the basketball dribbling till late at night right by my living room window, and I have no problem with them playing in their yard. I do not feel that I am being unreasonable to ask them to play elsewhere. I don't want to be a witch, I just want my privacy back and I want to be able to open my blinds and not have kids out there in my yard watching.
Do I have any rights in the trespassing of children? What about if one of them gets hurt on my property? What measures should I take to protect myself? I'd put up a fence on the property line but it's against the HOA by-laws. If the HOA doesn't follow their by-laws by sending a letter to the owners, though, I will put up a fence. But in the meantime, I want to protect myself. Thank you.
