Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce aren’t very popular with some of their new neighbors in Ohio – and the renovations planned for their $5.35M lakefront estate are reportedly to blame!
This isn’t the first time the couple have caused a stir this year, either. Their lavish Madison Square Garden wedding over the Fourth of July weekend sparked backlash after road closures disrupted local residents and businesses on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. There were also claims that residents were asked to conserve energy during a heatwave while the couple’s celebrations went ahead. And now, it seems their new home is causing controversy too…
Women Are Swapping Their Boring Water For This Ice Pop Electrolyte Mix!
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce's Ohio Mansion Renovations Spark Complaints From Neighbors
According to the Daily Mail, a planning board meeting was held last month in the village of Bratenahl, just outside Cleveland, where plans for a six-foot privacy fence were unanimously approved despite objections from some nearby residents.
One neighbor, Katherine Bolton, reportedly told the Architectural Review Board that the couple's arrival was a "tremendous blow" to "the peace and quiet in Bratenahl." Another neighbor raised concerns about the fence's pointed top, suggesting it could pose a danger to wildlife. Although the fence has been approved, the couple's landscaping plans have faced further scrutiny, with revisions reportedly still required.
Bolton also took issue with the fact that the famous couple reportedly won't be living at the property full-time, questioning the disruption caused by homeowners who may rarely be there. "There's a new owner, who is an absentee owner, who is not going to be here," she said, according to a record of the hearing obtained by the Mail. Bolton also raised concerns about plans to plant 50 evergreen trees near an aging clay sewer pipe shared by her property and the couple's mansion...
"Planting 50 evergreen trees just ten feet from a 100-year-old clay sewer line is virtually guaranteed to cause severe root intrusion, pipe structural failure and catastrophic sewage backups," Bolton said, adding: "This applicant may decide to sell her house next year. What am I going to do when I have 50 evergreen trees on my sewer line, and they're gone?"
The couple's construction team defended the plans, explaining that they had already made adjustments to address neighbors' concerns while ensuring the couple had sufficient privacy and security.
"The house was one of the largest sales in Cuyahoga County, so the homeowner is looking for privacy and security," said Tiny Construction's Jacob Kutz, who is overseeing the project.
The Internet Is Divided
The controversy has also sparked quite the debate online, with some people siding with the frustrated neighbors and slamming the "Patient Zero" singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end as "rich" and "entitled," while others defended the newlyweds and even suggested their presence could increase nearby property values.
"They're rich and they will do whatever they want and that will be the end of it," wrote one person. "They're rich and don't care what anyone thinks," agreed a second. "Neighbor is 100% correct. Putting pines anywhere near a clay sewer line is going to be a disaster. She's correct to fight them all the way, especially on a shared property line," commented a third.
"These two are overrated and it's annoying to see them on the internet so much," complained a fourth. "The lady has a right to complain, these Pine Trees will cause serious problems being planted bear a clay sewer line!" exclaimed a fifth. "If they want 'privacy' buy a forest in Nebraska or say Montana. Don't move into a heavily populated community. Go country... go mountain...leave the country..." suggested a sixth.
"Totally entitled we want it and we want it now couple. If they are so concerned about privacy, Russia is a country with the most vast, largely undeveloped land. They could build whatever they want. Buy up 200 acres and you won't bother anyone. Room for your own airport, helicopter pad, etc. Plant all the trees you want," added a seventh.
Others, however, defended the couple and argued that they should be allowed to make changes to their own property. "Omg! Leave them alone! The trees were passed," wrote one supporter.
"It's their property, they can do what they want," agreed a second. "There will always be someone complaining. Pope Leo could move next door and there would still be a neighbor unhappy," quipped a third.
"Absentee 'owner'? Wish I had one - stop complaining!" wrote a fourth. "Lady, they just doubled the value of your home just by moving in. Not many Cleveland neighborhoods can say that. Well, none," added a fifth.
Taylor Swift's $1.7M Rhode Island Mansion Renovations
And Ohio isn't the only place Swift has been renovating! In January 2025, it was reported that the "Cruel Summer" singer was planning a $1.7M expansion of her $17.75M beachfront mansion in Rhode Island's exclusive Watch Hill neighborhood, with an insider suggesting it could become the couple's permanent home.
"This is going to be her main home base and where she and Kelce will hopefully raise a family one day," an insider reportedly spilled to The Post in 2025.
According to building permits, the renovations included an additional bedroom, new bathrooms, and a kitchen remodel at the sprawling 11,000-square-foot property.
And the Rhode Island property has caused controversy with neighbors before, too! Back in 2014, some locals reportedly complained that construction work on a seawall was restricting access to a public beach popular with surfers and fishermen.
"I don't think any celebrity should have the right to do that with such a historic area," one resident told Good Morning America. However, Swift maintained that she had the necessary permits, and local authorities reportedly had no objections to the work.
