RottenNeighbor.com is part online therapy, part trashy paperback novel. The year-old site singles out neighbors for offenses ranging from shoddy lawn upkeep ("They have garbage all through their yard") to alleged violence ("He has tried to run us down with his push lawnmower").
Users are invited to post advice on dealing with neighbors who fight and yell, who let their animals defecate on other people's property, who neglect their septic tanks -- even those who cook foul-smelling food.
Using Google Maps, the site zooms in on homes of the accused, represented by structures colored red (for the rotten) and green (for the good) that resemble plastic pieces of a Monopoly board game.
Type in Redondo Beach, for instance, and the site brings up a bird's-eye view of the city, a patchwork of trees and rooftops. Click on one of the houses to see comments from agitated residents, like the one complaining about a neighbor who says she can hear them use the microwave and toilets and even cough.
"Whenever we set foot in our apartment, she goes ballistic and starts cussing and stomping on our ceiling. She makes an extra effort when we have guests over to show them how crazy she is. My mom came to visit me one night around 8 p.m., and I was showing her my room, and sure enough, the neighbor stomped around and was yelling to protest my guest's visit. IT WAS MY MOM!! NOT SOME HOUSE PARTY!! I'm so embarrassed to even invite people over. That's not a home, it's a prison!"
A commenter chimes in: "I have the same neighbor above me. ... Everybody here is just waiting for them to be evicted anytime soon."
Most of the postings are anonymous, which is just fine with site co-founder Brant Walker, 27, who came up with the idea when he moved and noticed a rotten smell coming from his neighbor's door.
Walker, a Web site designer from San Diego, said the site averages several hundred thousand hits per day. He said it is a good resource for people moving to a new neighborhood because it offers a glimpse behind closed doors -- "things that a real estate agent won't tell you."
But he admits the site was forced to add a "flag for removal" option after people complained that they were unfairly targeted as bad neighbors. If a post gets flagged a certain number of times, it is now removed.
Positive comments can also be found, such as the "new here but very nice" post from Torrance: "Young and fun, great to have them."
But red houses dominate, especially since Walker added a new feature: Posts showing the homes of registered sex offenders.
And there's more: Site co-founder Thomas Adams said RottenNeighbor.com is pitching ideas to major networks for a reality show based on the site.
"The goal would be to find a way to reconcile neighbors' differences," Adams said. "We're trying to showcase the beautiful side of what neighbors can be like when they help each other."
-- The Associated Press and staff reports
