What is the name of your state? Iowa
We live in a beautiful neighborhood with big houses but pretty small yards. We are located less than 3 blocks from a school/park. Our problem is that the neighbor behind us has a couple of boys that like to have lots of kids over to play sports and they are often in our yard. Not really a big deal until baseball season when play spans five yards and tennis balls constantly smash off my windows and wind up on my deck. The boys climb the stairs of my deck to retrieve the balls and my dog goes nuts and tears up the screens and woodwork. We also get balls in the gutters that cause ice dams in the winter. Last summer my husband got so fed up he cut up one of their balls and gave it back to the boys (not a great idea) causing the father to come over and violently threaten us. We filed a police report. This year they are back at it again. When I went out to tell them to stay off, I got the father again to tell me that they are entitled and I am out of line asking them to stay on their own property.
Am I out of line? If one of these boys gets hurt climbing my deck, aren't I liable? Are they really violating a law by doing what they are doing or are they just being rude? Is there any legal way I can make it crystal clear to stay off my deck?
We live in a beautiful neighborhood with big houses but pretty small yards. We are located less than 3 blocks from a school/park. Our problem is that the neighbor behind us has a couple of boys that like to have lots of kids over to play sports and they are often in our yard. Not really a big deal until baseball season when play spans five yards and tennis balls constantly smash off my windows and wind up on my deck. The boys climb the stairs of my deck to retrieve the balls and my dog goes nuts and tears up the screens and woodwork. We also get balls in the gutters that cause ice dams in the winter. Last summer my husband got so fed up he cut up one of their balls and gave it back to the boys (not a great idea) causing the father to come over and violently threaten us. We filed a police report. This year they are back at it again. When I went out to tell them to stay off, I got the father again to tell me that they are entitled and I am out of line asking them to stay on their own property.
Am I out of line? If one of these boys gets hurt climbing my deck, aren't I liable? Are they really violating a law by doing what they are doing or are they just being rude? Is there any legal way I can make it crystal clear to stay off my deck?