Dear Urban Diplomat: How do I get my neighbour to clean all the dog poop off his balcony?

My husband and I live in a condo, and one of the owners below us (one floor down, one door over) lets his dog do his business on their balcony. He rarely cleans it up, so there’s usually a week’s worth of number twos festering at any given time. Whenever we go out for a smoke, the view and stench are atrocious. I’ve already left a note on his door to no avail. What should my next move be?

—Whine of Doody, Liberty Village

Face-to-face conversations generally make a stronger impression than passive-aggressive notes. Pay your neighbour a visit and politely explain that turning his balcony into a giant litter box ruins your al fresco experience. If that doesn’t change anything, file a complaint with your condo board. While some boards are notoriously inept, many have rules about exactly what items are allowed on residents’ balconies—and a mountain of poop isn’t likely to be one of them.

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