A situation has arisen that has left me stumped. Perhaps someone can enlighten me so that I'll have better understanding of the other side.

We moved into our present home 16 months ago. Atthe time, the previous owners took the refrigerator, the stove, the chandalier, the light bulbs, and the little thing that holds the toilet paper on the wall. I said to my dh, gam zu l'tova, we should just let it go - the people we bought from moved only 2 doors down from us - we are neighbors.

At sukkos time a year ago, the neighbor came to us and asked for the schach from the sukkah ( they had built a deck, added a sukkah and had schach that went to it for our house). So, I said to dh that we're neighbors - it's important to have good relations - let it go. So we gave them some of the schach that was meant for our sukkah which they had built for our house. At sukkos time this year they again came to us and told me that I HAD to give them more schach. At which point I told them that I didn't know and didn't understand so they should please speak with my dh. It turns out that they simply wanted ours because it was in better condition than theirs. (We kept it). Now they've come to us again (16 mo. later) and told us that they are taking the refrigerator in the garage (which has been used by us for the past 16 mo.). My dh told them 'hey, wait a minute, you left that in the garage 16 mo. ago. How can you come now and just take it? So they told him that it was theirs not ours and they had every right to it. At their behest we went and spoke to a rav who, in turn recommended speaking w/a second rav (who happens to be the av beis din here). Both rabbeim said that the fridge belonged to us and that they had no right to take it back. If they really wanted it (they don't, they want to give it to their ILs) then either it should have been written as an exclusion in our contract or they would have to pay rent to us for stoting it for the past 16 mo. plus electricity because if you leave a fridge off for so long, apparently, it will not work properly again.
Now, after following our neighbor's recommendation, speaking with the rav of his choice (two actually), he still wants the fridge and now wants to sit down in a meeting with the rav with us so he can get the fridge back.
I have a few questions.
1. i thought that one can't shop around for their shayla's to be paskened the way they wish.

2. Is this derech eretz?

3. Are we somehow in the wrong?

4. How can we maintain good neighborly relations with this family who's children repeatedly come over and tell my children that everything in the garage is not ours, but theirs (thus causing considerable angst to my boys who have toys and whatnot there)?

5. Should we attend further 'meetings' when the rav has already given a psach? will these meetings change anything?

They took all the furnishing which were part of the house, including the toilet paper role, and light bulbs, yet claim they forgot to take the 2nd refridgerator? Wow!

Was the succah sold as part of the house purchase? Was it even discussed as a selling point that the house came with a succah?

I might suggest sending them a bill or a sale price offer that clearly they have a sentimental attachment to things which they sold, and assess a price by which they could buy your succah (scach) and garage refridgerator.

You might also send them an invoice for the missing items which were part of the house, namely 16 lightbulbs and a toilet paper roll.

Have they done a single neighborly thing your direction?

Perhaps you might want to send this invoice and sale offer to the Rav they wish to meet with to have things explained, and your letter can speak for you about how you see things.

Just my opinion with complete ignorance, and sympathy. I cannot see any possible way that you could fathom being at all in the wrong.

I do not however believe that a refridgerator left unplugged, clean, dry, and with the door somewhat open, would fail to start right up in good condition after 16 months.... except perhaps for a water filter system within a refridgerator.

As far as causing your dear children concern about items in your garage, that's way bad.