Feuding residents driving each other plant potty

You can’t pick your neighbours, but you can pick your battles and between these feuding beachside residents on the Gold Coast there is certainly no shortage of them. 

What started as a simple dispute over a light left on has spiralled into an all out war involving police calls, court orders, and a total breakdown of peace.

Elvira, who moved into the complex around three years ago, claims her neighbours have shown a special interest in her windows.

“He comes at night with a torch,” she alleged, claiming Mark points the light directly into her bedroom. When confronted about the incident, Mark insisted he was simply checking on his garden.

“I’m looking at my plants!” he shouted during one recorded argument. 

Elvira claims all of this started when her neighbours covered up her windows when she went away and left a light on.

The warfare escalated when Elvira claimed Mark was loitering near her bedroom window.

“It’s like he’s next to my bed, standing. That’s how close he can come.” Elvira said.

Elvira argues that the area outside her windows should be considered common property due to shared utilities located on the patio and for privacy reasons.

A major sticking point for Elvira is a safety rail she insists should exist between her window and the patio.

She believes it was removed and wants a new one installed. “The neighbours are claiming that my windows belong to them,” she said, frustrated that the police are saying it’s a matter for the Body Corporate.

On the other hand, Melissa and Mark say the railing Elvira wants never existed, claiming they’ve gone as far as installing privacy screens and plants in a bid to block out Elvira, and stop her from spying on them.

But things really ramped up when Elvira crossed the boundary line and started cutting Melissa and Mark’s plants, claiming she was pruning what was hanging over common property, resulting in police being called after a screaming fight and scuffle occurred.

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With both sides expressing their frustration, A Current Affair contacted the body corporate.

They confirmed the patio is entirely Melissa and Mark’s.

While the committee may consider a request for an improvement to the lots, the installation of any divider would fall to the owners, meaning only Melissa and Mark can approve a safety rail to be built around Elvira’s window. 

For now, battle lines are firmly drawn, and despite attempts to broker a peace deal, this saga appears far from over.