Woman's Receives Letter From Neighbor Asking Her To Close Her Curtains — 'I Would Prefer Not To Have A View Into Your Home'
Welcome to the neighborhood!
fizkes | Shutterstock A woman posted to Reddit for advice after receiving a complaint letter from a neighbor right after they moved in. The neighbor claimed she could see directly into the woman's home and advised her to get curtains. But, as the new homeowner noted, why should her neighbor be entitled to open curtains but her windows had to be drawn?
There's a reason Robert Frost said "Good fences make good neighbors." Sure, more often than not neighbors are great, but one bad one can make life incredibly difficult. Instead of a warm welcome, this woman was greeted with an edict, and it doesn't sound like she's about to roll over and play nice.
A woman said she got a letter from her neighbor asking her to closer her curtains.
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The letter, according to the woman, was so outlandish she decided to type it out word for word. "Dear Neighbor, congratulations on your new home!" it read. "Although our homes are not very close to each other, I can see directly into your home from my living room and backyard." When she said "not very close," she meant it. According to the new homeowner the windows in question are 210 feet apart.
The neighbor, "Carol," then wrote that she could see the woman walking around her kitchen and getting things from her refrigerator. This sounds a whole lot more like I'm looking at your house through my binoculars than just woops I saw you one morning making breakfast. She then wrote, "For your privacy, you may want to consider some blinds or curtains."
Here's the weird part: Carol could just as easily close her shades or simply stop looking! If she really wanted to block the view, she would have plenty of options, like putting up a fence, planting trees to obscure the view, or just stop looking, maybe close her own blinds... It's not like she could see inside her bathroom for goodness sake.
The woman was understandably upset and everyone agreed she should be.
"[Expletive] you, Carol," she wrote. "My curtains will be open, and I think some naked dancing in the kitchen is required." That's a bit wild, but if the woman feels comfortable doing so, she's in her own house after all. Her main argument was that she shouldn't have to leave her curtains closed just so Carol can have hers open.
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One commenter suggested putting a note in the window that read, "Carol, if you can read this, you are rudely staring. Go get a hobby." Another shared a more tactful approach. "Write back as politely as she wrote to you, express concern for her situation, and ask if she's considered putting up privacy curtains so she doesn't have to look into your house when she's in her living room or turning a different direction when she's in her backyard."
The woman doesn't seem to be too concerned about Carol and her peeping tendencies, however. For now, laughing it off might actually be the best plan. Escalating the issue could cause more issues than simply pretending Carol doesn't exist. If Carol doesn't simply quietly start looking away, and sends more letters or gets other neighbors involved, it might be time for a sit down.
There are other ways to maintain privacy.
While it's nice that the woman didn't let the letter bother her too much, most people would prefer not being observed without their knowledge.
If you prefer letting light in and not using curtains or blinds, window installation experts advise using obscured glass windows. It's glass that has a pattern, similar to how glass looks when it's wet. But changing your entire window can be difficult and expensive, so if you're trying to save money, there's another option. You can add a window film on the glass. It's much cheaper and you have more variety in options. You can choose from the many different films available online, allowing you to maintain your privacy while still having a pleasant window to look at with sunshine coming through.
If Carol truly doesn't want to look into her neighbor's home, then she can find ways to cover her own windows or privatize her backyard. Sending a letter and asking a new neighbor to do it instead was rude and presumptious. At least this woman has a good sense of humor about it.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
