AITA for putting “ugly” one way mirrors on the windows facing one of my neighbors because I saw the husband looking in my windows?

After a Reddit user observed their neighbor’s husband frequently gazing into their apartment, they put up unattractive one-way mirror film on the expansive windows that faced the neighbor’s lot. The neighbors voiced their displeasure with the mirrors, mentioning visual appeal, unease for their adolescent children, and glare interfering with their yard.

The user, convinced that their actions were warranted because of the husband’s conduct, presented the wife with photographic evidence of him peering into the residence, yet the neighbors remain displeased. The user now questions whether fitting the mirrors was an excessive response.

‘ AITA for putting “ugly” one way mirrors on the windows facing one of my neighbors because I saw the husband looking in my windows?’

I reside in a ground-level apartment within a converted house. My neighbors, who live one street over but whose backyard faces mine, have a clear view of my entire backyard, and the reverse is also true. My apartment features a full wall of windows at the back, which is a major selling point for me. I adore plants, and the windows provide abundant light. The view from my windows overlooks my neighbors’ large backyard, which extends close to my property line, perhaps only 10 to 15 feet away.

Once the weather warmed up, I began to notice the husband from the family who owns that house frequently peering into my apartment. There are times when I glance up and spot him; I’ll look away, then look back a few minutes later, and he’s still watching. Because of this, I’ve started closing the blinds during the day, but it’s a bit irritating. My apartment is a small, dark space, and it feels cramped without the windows open. I can’t keep the blinds closed for extended periods because the plants need light and were starting to suffer.

I purchased some window treatments that transform windows into one-way mirrors. In daylight, the windows now appear as mirrors. Inside, the view remains largely unchanged, with a slight darkening tint. However, from the outside, there is no visibility into the house; the windows have a mirrored appearance. The treated window area measures approximately 8 feet in height and 20 feet in width.

Following the installation of the window treatments, a week passed before both parents from the neighboring residence appeared at my doorstep, seeking a conversation. The wife voiced numerous grievances regarding the windows.

1. They were ugly.
2. It was uncomfortable, especially for the teens and their friends, to have a huge mirror adjacent to the swimming pool. It’s at a time that they feel insecure about looks and they have lost interest in hanging out by the pool.
3. In the afternoon and evening, it was reflecting a lot of extra sunlight into their backyard, they couldn’t enjoy eating dinner on the back porch with the sun in their eyes.

I apologized for the trouble, but I needed it for discretion. They both resisted that a bit, and I explained that I required privacy due to the husband’s behavior. He began to deny it in front of his wife, so I pulled out my phone, where I had taken photos, and sent them to my group of friends, showing her a couple of pictures of him staring at my apartment and the texts from then.

He became angry, asserting he just happened to glance over and that the massive mirror was an absurd overstatement. I responded that I wanted to keep it and apologized, but stated bluntly that it was preventable. I believe they are both upset because they contacted my landlord, who dismissed them. Am I the unreasonable one for applying the mirrored film to my windows?

These are the responses from Reddit users:

[Reddit User] −  NTA. You proved that you needed the privacy because her husband is a c**ep and they’re upset for being called out. You don’t owe them anything and if your landlord hasn’t contact you about it then you don’t need to do anything that you don’t want to.

Hazeru1001 −  NTA. You only put it up because he was staring into your window. Whatever his reason, that’s pretty creepy, especially since it seems to be happening a lot. Tell them you’ll only consider taking it down if they put up covers on their property which stop the husband from being able to see in your window. If they don’t like it then too bad. Any complaints from any other party who doesn’t like it should also be directed to the peeping husband.

EmpressJainaSolo −  NTA because of why you did it, but mirrored blinds that increase heat and confuse wildlife don’t sound ideal. Have you tried Magical Blinds? They are also one way but don’t give off a reflection. I would argue that since the neighbors are the ones being bothered they can pay for your new blinds but that would obviously escalate the situation.

rantiok −  Eh….. I know this isn’t the popular opinion here but I’d say ESH only because there are other types of privacy window coverings you could have picked that aren’t mirrors. You’re punishing the entire family for something the husband was doing. Having a whole 8ft by 20ft mirror shooting sun into your yard would be incredibly annoying.

gemskiy −  You had a privacy issue, you have proof, you took steps to protect your privacy in a temporary, non damaging way to the apartment youre renting (in my experience privacy film on windows literally just peels off, please correct me if this is not the case). The above makes you NTA. I would have done the same.

DrNeady −  This is brilliant! NTA. Even without the creepy staring you are entitled to do what you like to the windows (with your landlords permission).

ostrichesonfire −  INFO: if you were able to take pictures of this neighbor staring at you, and multiple times at that, isn’t it likely he couldn’t see in the windows and was looking at the reflection? Perhaps just staring off into space instead of being a c**ep? It sounds like a very large percentage of a very small yard is covered in your wall of windows.

TheButcherOfBaklava −  Hrm. In terms of just the mirror issue (not going into the husbands behavior), I think it’s NAH. The first two points made by the neighbors are dumb. The final point has merit. Putting up a mirror that shines light at people’s houses is a bit of an AH move, though this seems an unintentional side effect. since you are not specifically Angling the mirrors at them, and you put them in as a result of their behavior, I think the onus falls on them to adapt to your mirrors as you have adapted to their ogling.

There may be local ordinances regarding this issue, but I am unaware of them. Reflecting light onto a neighboring home could* create a fire hazard, like using a lens to focus sunlight. It would be prudent to investigate both the legality and safety implications for your own protection.

HoldFastO2 −  ESH. You’re no AH for wanting your privacy, that’s understandable. But not wanting a 20 x 8 ft mirror streaming sunlight into their backyard is also a reasonable request that you should be accommodating. Are there no non-mirror window covers that you could use instead? We have something with a flower pattern on our bathroom window to keep unwanted eyes out, and there’s no mirror effect. Maybe look for an alternative solution?

[Reddit User] −  INFO: Are you sure the husband could see in from there during the day? At 15 feet in broad daylight it’s pretty difficult to see inside a house because the windows are reflective.