Man plots revenge on neighbour who complained about Pride flag in garden

Daily Mirror

a day ago

A man is plotting revenge because his neighbour wants him to remove his Pride flag from his garden. It's been claimed the flag "doesn't exude the luxury experience" they're trying to promote
A man is trying to plot revenge on his neighbour after it was demaded he remove his Pride flag from his garden. Furious with the request, he's now asking people for advice on how he can try and stop the situation from getting out of hand.
The anonymous man opened up about his property ordeal on Reddit as the issue seems to have esculated recently. In the post, he said his neighbour is trying to move, and they think the flag will have an impact on their efforts to sell the property, but he doesn't feel he should move it just because of their personal thoughts.
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In the post, he explained: "I live next to a house that is currently on the market. It has only been on for two weeks, but the owner is panicking that he won't be able to sell it.
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"I have a few political banners hanging on my fence, nothing outrageous, and a Pride flag hanging from my porch. The other day, the realtor selling the house came over asking if we can take the banners down because it 'doesn't exude the luxury experience they're selling'.
"Whatever. I said 'fine' to not escalate things and took some of the banners down, just leaving the Pride flag. The realtor then came back, angry, wanting to know why we didn't take the Pride flag down too.
"We told her it's not coming down and, because of that demand, put the banners back up. She came back and tried to bribe us with a $200 (£145.89) gift card to take the banners and the Pride flag down. I said no.
"Today they complained to my landlord, who just called me and said that the banners and the Pride flag have to come down. I looked through my lease and there is no stipulation on outdoor decor whatsoever.
"I'm not really worried about the landlord though, he's pretty hands off and wouldn't risk losing tennants, but what do I do about this realtor who keeps harassing me? I'm assuming the fact that it's a Pride flag they're going after is a big deal?"
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The story left people floored, as many don't seem to think he has to remove the flag. There are a few rules people tend to have to follow though.
One person said: "The realtor can't legally force you to remove the flag." Another added: "In terms of legality, you have no problem. You just have to decide how much friction you want to risk with your landlord."
A third suggested: "There are many municipalities with sign/banner prohibitions but political speech, including signs and flags, are supposed to be exempt."
Experts say that displaying flags on properties have the potential to decrease their value, especially if the flag is seen as controversial or offensive by a hefty portion of potential buyers. However, not all buyers are bothered, but it can turn some people off.
Generally, people are allowed to have flags in their garden, as long as they stick to certain guidelines. When you don't have planning permission, there are often restrictions on the size of the flag, the height of the flagpole and what kind of flags you can fly.
If you have any concerns about flags in your garden, or someone else's garden, the best thing to do is seek advice. You can speak to your local council if you have any concerns about flying a flag, particularly if it's a large flag or one that might cause a safety problem.