The homeowner asked if they were 'overreacting' to the neighbour's behaviour choices14:12, 29 May 2026Moving into a new house should be an exciting time for any homeowner, but when a neighbour regularly treats your new front garden as their own, it can lead to awkward conversations. Posting on Reddit's 'Am I Overreacting' page, a user called @_Pheebz explained the problem they're facing with their next-door neighbour.‌They said they recently bought a home in the UK, but are not living at the address full-time yet because they are currently renovating it. But cameras have caught their neighbour red-handed in an awkward act.‌The Reddit post continued: "As we’re an end of terrace, we have a corner plot with a front lawn and also some land to the side of our house where our driveway is also located. Our next-door neighbour has a couple of dogs, and we’ve picked her up on our cameras using our lawn as a shortcut to the public path, and also allowing her dogs to use our lawn as a toilet.‌"Just yesterday, we saw her on our back camera, allowing her dogs to defecate on our lawn. She actually crossed from the public footpath onto our lawn so her dog could use the bathroom. It seems she’s intentionally using our grass, and in doing so, is consistently trespassing on our property."The new homeowners claim the plan is to build an obvious boundary around the garden so the neighbour might think twice about their actions. But, @_Pheebz is not sure this will work.‌They said: "Our intention once we’ve properly moved in is to add a low fence around our land to try to deter her from doing this. However, I have my suspicions that this behaviour will continue as she’s clearly not someone who has any respect for others and their property."I do feel as though I would have to say something if this behaviour continues. It’s our first property, and already I’m feeling a bit negative based on what we’ve seen of our neighbour."Fellow Reddit users suggested starting the fence "ASAP". In the comments, one said: "If she says anything, say innocently that you've been finding dog poop on your grass and you don’t own any pets."‌Another put: "If you're planning on putting a fence up anyway, make it high enough that one can't just step over it. You don't need to say anything at all unless she violates that. If she does, then you have a real neighbour problem."What the law says about dogs pooing on your propertyIn the UK, dog fouling on private property is usually treated as a civil matter, so the police will usually not intervene. However, there are several legal solutions if your property is being repeatedly fouled.Article continues belowDog owners can be fined up to £100 fixed penalty notice (FPN) in England and Wales, rising to £1,000 if unpaid. In Scotland, the FPN is £80, rising to £100 if unpaid within 28 days, according to Money Supermarket.Report repeated fouling or non-compliance to your local council, providing details of the incident and, if, like the Reddit user, there is evidence like a video, that helps too. For issues on private property, councils can investigate, but aren’t required to clean it up.