A dispute between two neighbours has led to a man being charged rent for a tiny patch of land.
The man, who has not been named, asked for help on social news platform Reddit after being hit with a charge for $60 (£48) a month.
The neighbour threatened to charge him the amount to cover an area of land his back fence sits on or else the fence would be completely removed.
He claims that he had received permission from his former neighbour, an elderly man, to erect a fence between the two properties, paying for the work himself.
There has been conflict between the two (stock image)
WikiCommons
The property next door has a grass back garden, while his is concrete. He added that the property line sits about two inches on the neighbour's grass.
He said: "The fence posts are flush against the concrete, and so the posts are quite literally on the middle of the property line. I didn’t get a permit and am not sure if it is required?
"Sadly, the elderly neighbour passed away and the house was bought by a flipper who has been renovating the property.
"The two men have only met once - and during that exchange the flipper pointed out the issue of the fence. The man was in a rush but said he would look into it."
The conflict over the fence arose between the two
WikiCommons
However, he then suddenly received a letter from the new neighbour saying that he had had ample time to rectify the situation and that the police is now aware of the situation.
The letter said: "Either you agree to renting the property on which the fence is on for $60 a month, or I cut it down.
"The rent is not to be seen as a right of yours but is an indication that I want the fence moved, and want my property back. Till then you pay rent. (Besides, the fence is not build according to bylaw, and is too high, among others.)"
He said he had done some research and argued that the encroaching fence should be covered if he has title insurance on the property and that he would not be paying rent.
The man noted that he has dogs, so the fence is essential to keep them in, and that he is unable to monitor the situation during the day due to work.
He again texted the neighbour to let him know an investigator would be looking into the complaint and that he would be following the proper channels to get this resolved. He responded, "You lost dude, get over it."
In an update posted on Thursday morning, the man said: "The police phoned me first thing. The officer was calling to tell me they had received the case that was opened, offered a couple resources.
"[They] confirmed that I am entitled to have a fence on the property line and that I should call 911 if neighbour starts cutting, advised to install a camera ASAP and told me they would be calling neighbour next."