I never thought my quiet neighborhood would be the setting for such a wild story. But when I discovered my neighbors had been secretly using my hot tub for an entire year, I knew I had to do something about it. What started as a simple suspicion turned into a full-blown revenge plan—and the truth I uncovered was even crazier than I expected.
Tom and I had always loved our backyard hot tub. It was our little escape after long days at work. But this past year, things got hectic. Between my travel schedule and Tom’s overtime, we barely had time to use it. One day, as I sat outside, I realized just how neglected it looked. I missed those relaxing evenings, so I told Tom we should start using it again.
Then, out of nowhere, our neighbor Lisa knocked on our door. She looked uncomfortable as she asked, “Could you guys keep the noise down on weekends? The loud music and shouting from your hot tub have been going on for months.”
The problem? We hadn’t been home.
Tom and I were stunned. If we weren’t using the hot tub… who was? We set up a hidden camera and left for the weekend, pretending to be away. When we checked the footage, our jaws dropped. There they were—our neighbors, Jim and his family, lounging in our hot tub like they owned it! They even brought snacks and drinks, laughing like it was their own private party.
We were furious. How could they think this was okay? Tom installed an automatic lock on the gate, and I came up with a little surprise—a harmless dye that would temporarily tint their skin green. The next time they snuck in, they got the shock of their lives.
As they panicked, trying to scrub off the color, we confronted them. Jim’s face turned pale when we showed him the footage. “You can’t just use our property whenever you feel like it!” I snapped.
But the story didn’t end there. After sharing what happened in our neighborhood group, others came forward with similar stories. Jim had been letting strangers use their pools, borrowing tools without permission, and even renting out his house illegally.
We reported him, and soon after, he moved away. Our hot tub was finally ours again, and our neighborhood became closer because of it.
Looking back, I’m glad we stood up for ourselves. But I still wonder—what would you have done in our place?
