Odd Neighbours / Neighbour Problems #2

[SoulDestroyer]

Just watched one of my neighbours (retired, curtain-twitcher) walk down the street and get the weeds out of another neighbour's area of pavement. Obviously must've been bothering her for some time. I've heard her moan about weeds before ... she'll be weeding my driveway before long ... with any luck
Seriously though, wouldn't have the cheek. They weren't even that big.

 

[honey&lemon]

The talk of weed ever becoming legalised really worries me. The smell is absolutely rank and people that smoke it seem to have no idea how horrible it can be for people around them to have to smell it. We had neighbours that smoked it every day indoors and I had to move my baby out of that bedroom until they moved out it was that bad.

I have a relative that lives in New York and they’ve said ever since it was legalised there the smell is EVERYWHERE and you can’t avoid it. I know a lot of people think it’s harmless but I’ve known a few people to get really messed up by it. I really hope we don’t go down that road here

 

[1001 others]

We have a funny new neighbour who reminds me of Margo from "The Good Life'.

She came over to introduce herself, with a basket in tow ... as I greeted her at our gate, she offered two potatoes, a bunch of beans and two lemons in exchange for something we'd like to offer. Um ... okay! It was quite funny but also a good idea. I was able to give her a dozen of our hens' eggs, which was great as we had too many. She's now got into a routine where she emails a few houses around us to see who wants to exchange what. I don't know why anyone didn't think of it sooner!

She dresses like she's off on a safari or something ... she's very, very nice but is very new to living in the country and it shows (for a start, she gets a lawnmower man in to mow her three acres).

 

[Jyhy1110]

I posted on here over a week or so ago about the smelly neighbour and her cats with fleas etc

well on Monday I was filling up littlens paddling pool etc and she’s just standing at her upstairs window with her kid just watching me! Then the kids are talking to one another babbling, and she’s still there after 5 mins just watching me pump the pool up, she then says can her kid come over to play I previously mentioned he has delays etc so can’t communicate, I’m on the spot and couldn’t say no as they can’t even use their garden as it’s filled with split cat shit bags, they come through the back gate and no swim stuff for her kid as he doesn’t have any so luckily I still had some from my little boy that he doesn’t wear as too small so said she could have them, then I see he is still covered in flea bites all over his legs!

they were only a couple of hours as her kid got chilly and was whinging so took him back home, the weather got so warm that the cat litter bags honked and I text her saying could she clear them and she said she didn’t realise it was bad and that she was going to do it this week but was so exhausted, those bags have been there since may!!

I did see the Tuesday she had cleared them which I was glad about but the cat litter tray in their garden still stinks so bad

then today I’m out in the garden just pottering and she’s at the window again! I just ignored her and then she got the message and we came inside then 5 mins later she texts me and said sorry if her kid was bothering us and she isn’t spying on us

I just can’t be in my own garden without her there! Fucks me right off

 

[SoulDestroyer]

Just had an awful encounter with a police officer who is supposed to be dealing with my complaint about the neighbour. Dragged me into a meeting to discuss things & then said he couldn't do anything about the harassment, which he could've just said on the phone. Made me so annoyed and upset and he revelled in me being upset and said I need psychological help. So upset now. Said I should shut my curtains if I didn't want to see the neighbour standing in front of my house. Said I shouldn't have a file on what's been going on, but then totally contradicted himself by saying I should keep recording incidents, take CCTV footage etc. I'm so confused. Felt like a total character assassination.

 

[Snowfairy08]

See I’m the total opposite, I am a single mum of 2 girls (5 & 7) so you can imagine the shrieking and squealing at times. I am sooo conscious of my neighbours that I am mortified even though they also have a little girl who’s 3 and not particularly quiet herself. I hate the thought of pissing my neighbours off and would be accepting if they came and aired any concerns, I would be embarrassed and guilty but would appreciate their feedback (there may not be an issue and that’s probably why they haven’t said anything). I HATE hearing my girls shrieking. I’m all for then having fun and being excited but turn the volune down!

 

[Anna79]

I live in a row of terrace houses with separate garages. I rent my garage out to a company to store ladders. My neighbour rang the fire brigade out May 21 saying there were chemicals in the garage and he was being made ill by the fumes. Fire brigade looked in and said no. Two days later he broke into it. so i called the police and as he hadnt done any damage or stolen anything its not a criminal offence. Police woman went to speak to him and said he was obsessed and referred him to council environmental health . the fumes were from him painting his garage door. He was angry as he wanted me to rent garage to his mate. I found out April 22 the lock to my garage has been tampered with and none of the other 3 there had been either so I had to replace the lock. Whilst looking at garage I found hes got a camera facing the garages .
I had a bloke around to quote for new front and back garden and he asked bloke what he was quoting for . I feel like im being watched

 

[Avenged7Fold]

My noisy neighbours have been away since last Wednesday and it’s been so peaceful. No shite tv blasting through the open patio doors, competing with the cursing and swearing of the eldest child on his PlayStation punctuated by the gangta rap he listens to. No people knocking on the door and setting the dogs off barking til the early hours of the morning, no doors slamming every 5 minutes, no screaming the kids names and they shouting back ‘What’.
Anyone got a house for sale on a remote island ??

 

[DCICassieStuart]

We don't know her real name, but we've got Nellie next door. We've named her after the elephant except a real elephant would probably be less noisy.

She can't seem to just walk around the house. It's 'STOMP, STOMP, STOPM, STOMP, STOMP'.
She's come home numerous times at 2am and I swear she's started moving furniture around the bedroom.
That would be the bedroom that backs onto ours.
She's in there right now and has who I think are her nieces and nephews in, and they definitely take after their aunt because at the moment it sounds as though there's a warzone next door.

She's renting and I can't bloody wait until she moves out.

 

[Deeznutslol]

So unfortunately this is going to be a long and serious one - TW possibly for stalking and harassment.

For background, myself and my partner bought our dream house three years ago, we live in a small cul-de-sac of only 6 houses in a small village and we are a bit out of the way so it's quite a secluded area. When we moved in we had no issues with the neighbours until our direct next door neighbour sold the house and a new neighbour moved in. I would consider us to be good neighbours, we have socialised with all our neighbours, say hello in passing and chat for a few minutes and we have even helped neighbours grit their driveways in the icy weather and helped them with their gardens (cutting grass etc.) - most of our neighbours are elderly except a family with adult children and the neighbour we are having the issue with who is a single man around his late 40s, and we are a young couple with no kids. Our house is detached so there is no issues with noise and we have a driveway for both our cars so no issues in that regard. Apart from all this we really keep ourselves to ourselves, I'm quite shy and not interested in being friends with the neighbours aside from the usual niceties.

When our previous next door neighbour moved we first met our new neighbour as he was moving into the house while we were doing some work in the front garden, we introduced ourselves, chatted a bit and that was it. We both felt he seemed a bit odd, he had moved on his own across the country with no job to go to and it was a bit unusual that he had bought the house next to us which was a fairly expensive family home when he was living on his own and had no employment. We also found out that he was looking for jobs in the area that were generally minimum wage roles (bartending, shop assistant etc.) and he previously worked in a care home, to be clear, I don't think that there's anything wrong with that but it seemed very odd when we knew how much he had paid for the house. He offered all this information without any prompting from us. Myself and my partner both found it a bit strange but thought he likely had family money and a big deposit or something and never thought too much of it after that. In the two years he has lived there he has got a few jobs here and there and been sacked from every single one, he seems to rub a lot of people up the wrong way and I do find he comes across as a bit arrogant and patronising which is quite strange as he is also quite soft spoken and he definitely doesn't have a tough guy persona (he reminds me of Phil Spencer lol).

The first incident happened a few months later when my partner was away for the weekend on a stag do, I was doing some work in our back garden and he popped up over the fence and started talking to me while I was obviously busy. He talked to me for 2 hours and I felt completely trapped, no matter how much I tried to politely leave the conversation he kept on going on going and asking me all manner of personal questions, he then asked me if I wanted to come over to his for dinner as I was on my own for the weekend, I hadn't told him this and I felt sick at his words, I made an excuse and left and didn't go back out again. For the whole weekend I was scared to leave the house in case I saw him. I told my partner about this and he said I was probably worried for nothing and that the guy was probably being over friendly as he doesn't know anyone in the area. I hoped that this was true but unfortunately not... over the next few months he managed to corner me multiple times when I was outside doing anything - always when my partner was not home. I chatted politely and for too long because he honestly was scaring me and I wasn't sure how he would react if I was rude or fobbed him off. The things he would try to talk about were deeply personal, asking me where I work, how much I earn, whether I work from home, he even asked me about medical issues that I have after he saw my partner bringing me home from the hospital after a surgery.

Then things started to escalate further, a few days after an incident where he had approached me while my partner was actually home and I managed to hurriedly make an excuse and dash into the house where my partner was waiting at the door for me, I got a knock on the door from said neighbour. It was on a weekday in the middle of the day when I was working from home and my partner was out at work and wouldn't be home for several hours. The neighbour told me he wanted to see a tree in our garden that was overhanging his fence as he wanted to prune it and walked into our house and through to the back without invitation to look out of the window at the tree. He then sat down at our dining room table and started questioning me, he told me that he thought my partner was abusing me as I was always nervous around him and because I wouldn't speak to him when my partner was there. I told him I was fine and there was no issue, he stayed in my house for around 45 minutes and made comments that I was "cute" and "pretty" before I eventually convinced him to leave me alone because I was working, at this point my anxiety was through the roof and after he left I had a full blown panic attack and actually had to finish work early because I was so shaken up. Since then he has knocked on the door multiple times when I am home alone, I have managed to ignore him most of the time but our door is right next to a window into our downstairs which is all open plan so if I'm downstairs he can see me through the window and he stands there until I answer. He has done various things which seem like excuses to come over and try to get into the house and on some occasions he has brought me gifts, luckily I have managed to keep him out.

Things escalated even further last week, he knocked on the door and as I was expecting a parcel I went to the door without thinking. I opened the door and he told me he wanted to "clear the air between us", he said that he thought my partner was jealous of us speaking to each other and being friends because he is a "single guy" and he seemed quite agitated and forceful I managed to get rid of him and I immediately left the house and went to work from the office instead, since this has happened I have been working in the office a lot more as I am scared to be at home on my own in case he comes over and I have noticed that he has been watching me leave and come back. I have purchased and installed a ring doorbell today and I'm hoping this will deter him from coming to the door.

As if the whole situation couldn't get any weirder, my dad called me today to say that a family member of my neighbour who he knows as they work in a shop he goes to, had warned my dad that my neighbour had been talking about me to his family saying that my partner was jealous of our friendship etc. she told him he is a real weirdo and that he is also a drug user and drug dealer! Bear in mind that my dad barely knows this girl aside from him visiting the shop that she works at (he has had parts invoiced to me at my address before so it is in their system which is how she must have known he was my dad), but she was able to provide details of who me and my partner are to my dad which makes me think that the neighbour must talk about us/me a lot.

Genuinely I'm worried that this guy is obsessed with me, I'm scared for my safety and I'm not sure if there's anything I can do about it. I'm reluctant to go to the police as I don't think he has committed a crime and I don't have any evidence. I think they would go and speak to him I'm worried that this will make things worse. Has anyone had a similar situation and what did you do?

He is taking advantage of the fact you are a polite woman, it’s proper weird and creepy and you should not have to put up with feeling like this in your own home. Tell your partner to go round there and tell the cunt to fuck off, who the hell does he think he is coming into your house uninvited???

 

[50sGirl]

I written on this thread a few times about my neighbour and their child (filthy flea ridden house and family)

Anyway it’s the child’s bday in a couple weeks and she’s asked if me and my son would like to go and go to some aquarium place and down the seafront, I really don’t wanna go and also the Aquarium is £20 an adult and £15 per child I can’t justify spending that atm due to everything rising in costs, but she’s saying she’s going to book it and if me and my child couldn’t make it that day she would do it on a different day and it would make her child’s bday really special if we was there and then adds at the end of the message only if you want too though

That now makes me feel guilty, my parents are going away that week so I’m dog sitting on my days off and then working the rest of the week and I have said this and she just keeps saying she would change the day but I don’t want to say I don’t wanna go and also it’s fucking expensive for a quite small aquarium too

Just tell her you can’t afford it. There is no shame in that.

 

[Orphan_Black]

I live in a block of flats, with a young family living above me, they have a little boy about 2 or 3
One of them, not sure who it is, likes to jump about a lot! I assume it's the little boy, but who knows it was so bad on Saturday night, I made a note of it, that it felt as though my whole flat shook! My furniture does shake when they are jumping!I
Not for one minute do I think there shouldn't be noise from the other flats etc, and living in a flat you have to expect noise etc, but at times it's just ridiculous!
I've just phoned my local Council, yet again!
Spoke to my Housing Officer, explaining the situation etc, and that I do expect noise etc, but its getting beyond a joke at times! He said he'll look into again, as there does have to be some consideration etc for other people in the flats!
I know what will happen, all will be fine for a while, then it'll get just as bad again!
Don't think I'm bring all that unreasonable, just want the jumping to calm down!

As much as annoying noise is so bloody stressful, it's the complete lack of consideration that makes my blood boil. Why do people care so little nowadays?! It's selfish ignorance and I want to give all of the offenders a good head wobble.

I still think all noisy people should only get to live amongst the noisy and all the quiet people can have our peaceful home lives back.

 

[LaurieLaurie]

My neighbours daughter keeps parking an inch away from my garden gate and completely blocking me in so I have to go out the back instead. Would it be rude to put a note on her car telling her to leave the gate clear? She’s taking the fucking piss but im never able to catch her in person to say anything..!

 

[Heidi88]

What is it about this good weather that brings out shitty behaviour. The house next to my next door neighbour has a few teens in the back garden with a fire pit (at least i hope its a fire pit...i can just seem the flames from a back window). They are pumping dance music so loudly. It's almost midnight on on of the hottest days of the year so far and i've had to close all the windows at the back of the house to drown it out.

 

[justhavinganoseynow]

I can empathise with this. I have a retired couple opposite me, they're still active, have a car etc, but they're at home loads of the time. Whenever someone comes to my house, I have a delivery, or have a workman here etc they stand at their window and watch everything. Not just people turning up, but, for example, the whole transaction with a delivery driver. When I come home with shopping they watch me get out of the car and get the shopping out. It's really weird. I doubt they mean any harm but they are so nosey it is unbelievable.
They've never been friendly so I've discounted waving friendly like, but after 5 years of the same it's getting a bit annoying now

I had to reply to this. My nan watches everyone in her street all day. She has Alzheimer’s and it’s her entertainment/ routine. She seems to have stopped listening to the radio and having the tv on of a day because I think it’s a bit of sensory overload for her. When I go there she will tell me all the comings and goings and count the number of kids in the steeet on her fingers. She’s lived in her house for 40 years so most people know her and have witnessed her decline so I doubt they’re annoyed by it.

Anyway what I’m trying to say is she’s not weird or creepy she’s poorly.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

The "lady" next door has now started to cut the tops of my climbers as soon as they peek over her side of the fence.
Honestly, I must live in her head 24/7 for her to still be doing all this crap.

I'm going to state tit for tatt now. putting cams up so she can see them, she is paranoid everyone just watches her all day so now will play in that. This person has moved so much, always due to bad neighbours, but seems to like it here and that's because I'm very quiet and don't complain about anything. That's going to change. I'm taking note of everything that is pissing you all off and going to do that

 

[Tanne1999]

This might be a bit long winded, but I’m at the end of my tether and I need a rant!

Our neighbours are fucking awful.

They have two cars and a huge work van. We live in a tiny street where it’s a rule you park outside your house, if you can’t fit your car(s), then you need to park in the car park in behind the street.
Do they follow that rule? Course they don’t! They park wherever they see fit - including outside our house/blocking us in!

They didn’t realise I was home the other day and could hear them slating us in the street, saying it’s ridiculous we won’t move our car when it’s not in use and that their son has to park around the back car park when he visits. Apparently he has more right because they’ve lived there longer than we have…



The Dad drink drives in the van. He comes home in it around midnight every single night, sometimes falling over and vomiting in the street. We’ve called police, they won’t do anything because they have ‘no proof’ he’s driven once he’s home.

Their dogs CONSTANTLY bark. The slightest noise triggers them. You open your front door, they bark.
They have a 9 month old cocker and an older westie. The cocker needs two decent walks every single day. Most I’ve ever seen them walk it is to the corner shop and back (which is approx two mins away, if you walk slowly.)
There’s been nights where they’ve barked until 3am. We’ve knocked on the door, ignored. We’ve asked them in the street to please put a stop to it because it’s unfair we have to listen to it all night. They haven’t done anything.

I’m very poorly at the moment, so sleep is very valued and important. I’ve had maybe four hours sleep, all broken, because of those dogs barking. Again, tried banging on the door. Nothing. I don’t know how they can cope being in the same house as it!

They’ve now gone and got eight chickens and two roosters. Meaning even more noise pollution

They have their teenager living there as well, and he blares his TV with his window wide open at all hours. Again, ignores all reasonable requests to please not do this at gone 1am on a weekday.
Their daughter is one of those children who just screams constantly. High pitched, long winded, and ear piercing. She’s nine years old. Absolutely no need for it.

We are looking at moving soon, and they are a big factor as to why. I just don’t know what to do in the meantime. I’ve reported to the council once before but not heard anything. Is it worth reporting again, or is there other avenues to take?

Just feel like I’m losing my mind. I’ve not had a solid nights sleep in months because of their noise

 

[Avenged7Fold]

This might get me barred ….but we dealt with extremely noisy neighbours who were having there music on between 12 midnight until 3/4 am every bloody night waking about 6 of us neighbours and all of us had work we all complained to the council and sadly london borough council were unable to do anything after writing to the family they weren’t interested and it carried on so we all decided that it was a waste of time even complaining to the council anymore, one of us knew some extremely unpleasant ,heavy built,hard as nails gentlemen who one night when the music was at full blast smashed the front door to open it ( they did knock but obviously couldn’t of heard through the noise) went straight into the lounge with the residents who were now in total shock unplugged the stereo picked it up took it outside smashed it with a mallet and advised the noisy neighbours if they ever make that sort of noise again the mallet will be over their head !!!!!!!!! They moved out 3 weeks later. I’m not bragging I’m just saying that ppl like that there is only one way to stop them making countless neighbours life a misery

It’s the only language some people understand. Not so easy to do when someone owns their house.
I would have done the same thing !

 

[Kofi Annan]

Just wanted to comment on the anxiety some of you mentioned about making noise when you have been the victims previously.
We're 11 years post-move from the most horrendous, antisocial neighbours. I still now cannot tolerate loud bangs, dread bank holidays and sunny days. If I hear music, and I don't know where it's coming from, I stop what I'm doing and try to find the source immediately.
I tiptoe up the stairs and have only just recently arranged to have new carpets fitted, fearful that the noise of this will encourage it all to happen again.
It's debilitating and horrible but I deploy coping strategies and am learning to manage. You're not alone

 

[SoulDestroyer]

Please tell me all your nightmare neighbours stories. Might make me feel better about my own absolutely horrific neighbours! We are currently battling over bloody parking! They have 9 vehicles (they run their maintenance business from home) they only ever use 2 at a time but move all the rest every single morning so theres not enough room to park between them just so they can park when they get home if they move all the vans up again. Its driving me mad, the other day the left a space so i parked there and they then decided to completely block me in and send threatening letters through my door telling me to move it. I couldnt of moved it if i wanted to as they were on both bumpers.

If they're running a business from home they might need planning permission. Report it to the council planning office (it can be done anonymously) and they should look into it. Stress how much grief you're getting from their inconsiderate parking of business vehicles.