A young woman in the US has shared her unbelievable experience with a 'Karen' neighbour who she says called the cops because she assumed the woman was "too young" to own her own home.
Taking to Reddit's popular 'Am I the Asshole' forum, the woman explained that her new Midwestern house only cost US$15,000 - a figure sure to make any Auckland resident cry.
It had previously belonged to an older man who had passed away, she explained, and she bought it under the proviso she would make some improvements like minor painting and renovating.
Three weeks after moving in, the woman says she was planting in the garden when her neighbour Jane*, a woman in her 50s, came to introduce herself.
"I explained that I just moved in and was preparing my yard for spring. She said it was nice that someone was doing some work for the old man and gave me a spiel about how it's a quiet neighbourhood and I shouldn't have parties," the woman recounted.
"I told her I don't throw parties but was planning on hosting a housewarming and Thanksgiving soon.
"She said it's weird to throw a housewarming when I was renting."
The Reddit user explained to her new neighbour she owned the house, but says Jane didn't believe her.
She didn't think too much of the interaction, but a week later was out the front of her home, painting her new front door.
Jane allegedly "stormed over", yelling she "better had permission to paint someone else's house".
"I again told her I own the home," the Reddit user wrote. "[Jane] started yelling that I was too young to buy a house and she was contacting my landlord.
"I told her to stop being a busybody and leave me alone."
Unsatisfied, the nosy neighbour is then said to have begun "demanding proof" of homeownership.
"I told her it was none of her business and to get off my property," the homeowner wrote.
"She walked to the edge of her yard and called the police saying I was a squatter. When they showed up, I showed them my paperwork and asked them to trespass her from my home.
"Jane is still angry."
It's a satisfying end to the tale, but the Reddit user then added her dad told her she was "an ass" for making enemies with a neighbour so soon after moving in.
She asked other Reddit users if she was acting out of line, with the post soon racking up almost 2000 comments.
Unsurprisingly, most were on the new homeowner's side and many thought she'd been more than gracious under the circumstances with the 'Karen'.
In a comment which racked up over 20,000 likes, one person pointed out the neighbour "made an ass out of herself in front of the police" and called her dad an "asshole" too for "having no sympathy".
Another Redditor made the point that showing Jane the papers she wanted probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
"Even if you showed her the deed, the way you painted her, she probably would've claimed the deed was fake," they wrote.
Others had more petty suggestions.
"Definitely throw a party and don't invite her. I'd also decorate for Halloween," one person advised.
"Tell her you are sure the cops would be willing to walk her off your property again if she has issues."
It's not the first time a note from a nosy neighbour has gone viral. Last year, a neighbour left a 15m long note detailing their issues with a neighbourhood kid's toys, and in the midst of last year's lockdowns, another neighbour left an abusive note for a nurse after seeing her leave for work every day.
