How One Apartment Dweller Got Sweet, Smoky Revenge on a Lazy Upstairs Neighbor
Picture this: You’re enjoying your morning coffee on your balcony, ready to soak up the sun and maybe do a little people-watching. Suddenly, a smoldering cigarette butt drops from above, landing with a faint hiss on your outdoor rug. Annoying? Yes. Dangerous? Absolutely. Now imagine this isn’t a one-time fluke, but a recurring ritual courtesy of your upstairs neighbor.
That’s the maddening scenario Redditor u/Edna_Kemp found themselves in—and the petty revenge they served up became an instant classic on r/PettyRevenge. This isn’t just a story of neighborly warfare; it’s a masterclass in patience, documentation, and letting karma (plus building management) do the heavy lifting.
The Cigarette Butt Saga: When Courtesy Goes Up in Smoke
Let’s set the scene. Edna_Kemp lives in one of those classic apartment buildings with stacked balconies—a setup that’s great for eavesdropping, but terrible if you’ve got a messy neighbor upstairs. After weeks of flicked cigarette butts raining down onto their balcony, Edna tried the direct approach: a polite confrontation.
The neighbor’s response? An Oscar-worthy shrug and the dismissive, “maybe they blow over sometimes.” As u/2FatC perfectly put it, “When the neighbor wants to be a butt, fight fire with fire inspection. Well played!”
Rather than escalate, Edna got creative. Instead of picking up the butts (and risking another rug burn), they started collecting them in a jar—a jar that would soon become Exhibit A in a case for justice.
Documentation Nation: The Power of Petty (and Proof)
Community members were quick to applaud Edna’s restraint and strategy. u/Imaginary-Angle-42 congratulated them on helping prevent fires: “Smokey the Bear would thank you for helping prevent fires.” Edna’s response was classic: “Smokey would probably be less impressed with me and more offended that a grown-ass man needed a fine before he could figure out that burning stuff should (maybe, just maybe) stay on his own balcony.”
But it wasn’t just about fire safety. As u/Entire_Dog_5874 lamented, “It was so easy to do the right thing but instead he chose to be an asshole. I’ll never understand it.” Edna chalked it up to “tiny entitlement disorders,” where convenience trumps common sense.
The real magic happened when a building-wide email announced upcoming balcony inspections for fire hazards. Edna left the ash, the burn mark, and—most damning—the jar of butts right where inspectors would see them. When the property manager arrived, Edna presented the evidence with the flair of a seasoned detective. The manager was stunned, and within minutes, the neighbor upstairs was facing the consequences (and, for the first time, using a proper ashtray).
Community Chorus: Justice, Jars, and Jokes
The r/PettyRevenge community had a field day with this story. High-scoring comments ranged from poetic justice to practical advice:
- “You jarred his memory,” quipped u/mordecai98, earning a hearty laugh from Edna.
- Others, like u/Ok-Knowledge270, fantasized about even pettier revenge: “I was hoping you had filled up the jar then dumped it on his doormat.” Edna admitted they kept the jar as a “souvenir,” just in case the neighbor needed another reminder.
- Some smokers chimed in to distance themselves from the butt-flicking crowd. “I smoked for many years, I was never one of these asshats,” said u/allmykitlets. u/Blondelefty added, “It’s called courtesy… I know it’s a nasty habit, but at least be conscientious about it!” Others, like u/HideThe-Sun, detailed their own systems for safe disposal: “I always put my butts in a metal coffee can.”
- Several commenters pointed out just how common and dangerous the problem is. u/KGBspy, a first responder, shared: “I’ve responded to fires due to people flicking their disgusting butts out windows and off balconies to mulch below which caught fire and damaged the house.”
- And of course, there was no shortage of puns: “Great job on nipping it on the butt,” said u/Chancedizzle.
Not everyone’s building is so responsive—u/peppapony noted their friend had the same problem, but a property manager who didn’t care. But in Edna’s case, the combination of evidence and timing brought results. As the original poster summed up, “Funny how ‘maybe they blow over’ turned into ‘found the ashtray immediately’ the second management got involved.”
Lessons in Neighborly Justice (and Petty Satisfaction)
So what’s the takeaway, besides the satisfaction of a clean balcony? Sometimes, the best revenge isn’t loud or messy—it’s patient, methodical, and backed by proof. Money is indeed a “hell of a motivator,” as one commenter put it, and sometimes it takes a fine to remind people of basic decency.
This story also sparked a bigger conversation about smoking, fire safety, and courtesy—reminding us that a little respect for shared spaces goes a long way. And for anyone with a similarly inconsiderate neighbor, Edna’s approach offers a blueprint: document, report, and let the system work for you. Maybe keep a jar handy, just in case.
Have you ever had to get creative to keep your space (and your sanity) safe from a neighbor’s bad habits? Share your stories or tips in the comments—just don’t flick any butts on your way out!
Original Reddit Post: i let my upstairs neighbor's own cigarette butts get him fined