We all know that having a good neighbor is basically like hitting the real estate jackpot. You want someone who will sign for your packages and maybe wave at you while taking out the trash. What you absolutely do not want is a neighbor who treats your property like their own personal all inclusive resort. One renter recently took to the internet to share a wild story about a boundary crossing neighbor who decided free electricity was a fundamental human right.
The Original Poster is a young renter who recently moved into a small duplex. The other half of the building is occupied by a man in his seventies named Dale. Dale is a fixture of the property who has been living in his unit for twenty solid years. At first, everything seemed perfectly normal. They exchanged basic pleasantries about the weather and the mail delivery, keeping things totally cordial.
But the honeymoon phase came to a screeching halt when the electric bill arrived in the mail. The renter opened the envelope and was absolutely shocked to see a number that was nearly double what it should have been. This made zero sense because the renter lives entirely alone, is incredibly frugal with the air conditioning, and works outside of the house for ten hours a day.
Initially, the renter thought there was some sort of billing mistake or a power leak somewhere in the walls. But a quick lap around the property revealed a much more sinister explanation. Sneaking out from the side of the renter’s porch, carefully hidden behind a row of bushes, was a thick orange heavy duty extension cord. That sneaky cord ran directly from the renter’s outdoor outlet straight into Dale’s garage.
Most people would immediately start screaming, but the renter kept a totally cool head. They walked over to Dale’s place to ask him what was going on, genuinely assuming the old man had experienced a blown fuse or some sort of power emergency. But Dale was not experiencing an emergency at all, and he did not look the least bit embarrassed about getting caught red handed.
Dale casually explained that the previous tenant never minded if he used that specific outlet to power his heavy duty tools and his entire extra freezer. Yes, you read that correctly. Dale was using his neighbor’s dime to run a massive appliance twenty four hours a day just because the electrical wiring in his own garage was acting up. He felt completely entitled to a free ride.
The renter firmly set a boundary right then and there. They told Dale they absolutely minded paying for his frozen goods and told him to unplug the cord immediately. They also gave him the very logical advice to call the landlord to fix his finicky wiring. Dale offered a pathetic half apology and pulled the cord out of the wall.
Everyone thought the drama was over, but Dale was just biding his time. Two days later, the renter came home early from work and caught Dale right back in the act. The bright orange cord was plugged right back into the wall. So, instead of wasting breath on another useless conversation, the renter went straight to the local hardware store to buy a permanent solution.
The renter purchased one of those hard plastic locking covers specifically designed for outdoor outlets. It is essentially just a little box that requires a physical key to open. They installed the lockbox over the outlet, secured the power supply, and went back inside to enjoy their evening in peace. It was a flawless and completely nonconfrontational way to handle a thief.
Later that evening, the absolute meltdown commenced. The renter heard a bunch of frustrated shouting coming from the side yard. They peeked out the window and saw Dale furiously struggling with the new plastic lock, desperately trying to jam his giant orange cord back into the stolen power source. When he finally realized he was defeated, he marched over and started violently pounding on the renter’s front door.
Dale abandoned all pretense of being a sweet old man. He started screaming that the renter was being incredibly petty and disrespectful to their elders. He actually tried to claim that running a literal freezer only costs a few cents of electricity. He cried that being locked out of an outlet he does not pay for was a massive slap in the face. He even pulled the seniority card, arguing that living there longer means he gets to dictate how the property is managed.
The internet collectively laughed right in Dale’s face. Living in a duplex for twenty years does not magically grant you the right to steal utilities from your neighbors. Age does not excuse blatant theft, and calling someone disrespectful while actively trying to rob them is the height of boomer entitlement. This renter handled the situation perfectly, and Dale can pay to fix his own garage. Let us know how you would handle an electricity thief in the comments below!