To be annoyed at neighbour

[Sparrow234]

We live in a bungalow - our neighbours are unsurprisingly a elderly couple.

They moved in about 8 months ago - just before I had DS.

They were friendly enough but seemed very forgetful and a bit of a liability - for example leaving all their car doors wide open in the late evening (winter) with car loaded with stuff. It’s not a great area, of course we popped over and let them know etc.

Anyway from speaking to them they are newly (ish) married and this is their first house together. They had A LOT of stuff. There has been all manner of comings and going sorting out their stuff, discarding lots ( lots of skips etc) and tradespeople around as they doer house. We’ve been totally fine with this as it’s to be expected although it had been an inconvenience due to them blocking our shared drive constantly often delaying us getting to work.

The last couple of months the bloke goes out to his garage around 0800 and there is constant garage door slamming, sawing, banging general noise all day until around 2030. I’ve no idea what he’s doing. The other day he just wondered into our garden whilst we were having a BBQ / dinner outside to ask DP if he could borrow a drill as he was selling furniture and the person couldn’t fit it in the car. He proceeded to walk up to me and DS, I was feeding him in the high chair and try and engage DS in conversation. Then he started looking around our garden behind our garage so I asked what he was looking for and he was saying he was looking at rear access to his garage as he wants to replace the felt on the roof and he can only do it from our garden.
DP interjected he’d need to ask permission and let us know who / when someone was coming in our garden.

The noise from his constant garage stuff inevitably wakes DS during naps and the coming into our garden uninvited and looking around is really pissing me off now.

I’m BF and at the moment often in the garden with DS. I’m starting to avoid it or go inside to incase he just walks into the garden and which is really annoying - I should be able to feed my baby in my garden without worrying about my elderly neighbour seeing my boob!

Another thing - were about to put the house on the market (thank god) but they have a constant pile of junk on the driveway or a skip that attracts people looking through / taking stuff.
It looks shit and I don’t want anything putting buyers off.

They’re a nice couple but my patience is wearing thin.

I’m aware if I wasn’t on maternity then I’d be at work all day and probably wouldn’t be so bothered.

Am I being unreasonable to say something to them?

[Goingunderground2]

Leave it, don't start a dispute when you want to sell your house.

[therealkittyfane]

What do you want to say to them? Can you prioritise?
You have a long list of complaints there.

As neighbours you live incompatible lives obviously.

[Perch]

How does he enter your garden? Fences, gate and lock!

[Sunnydayshereatlast]

Lock on the gate?

[blue25]

They just sound a bit scatty. I wouldn’t get so worked up about it. Believe me, in terms of neighbours, you could have much worse!

[Skyliner001]

Seconding what is being said about not starting a dispute.

[Sparrow234]

There’s no lock on the gate currently - we’ve only recently put a gate up. It’s just a simple gate with latch. Would be quite difficult to put a lockable full length gate in the gap due to extension and garage joining the gap into the garden (side acsess from drive) there’s a 6ft fence than runs half way down the drive way to separate ours from theirs - also recently installed our house is side access and wanted a ring doorbell (had an attempted break in) but we didn’t want to film anything on their properTy.

There’s no need for them to come to our side of the fence and certainly not to go to the back of the house (beyond our front door).

Reluctant to spend money changing much when we’re selling up.

Yes we live ‘incompatible lives’ we’re moving on anyway. I can’t see an elderly couple enjoying the constant noise whilst they enjoy their garden?
We’ve always got on so well with neighbours and it’s such a friendly street. We pop in to check our other neighbour is okay / needs anything and he always makes a fuss of the baby etc - he just doesn’t wonder into our property uninvited whenever he feels like it. Everyone makes noise - I’m sure neighbours hear DS playing etc and our other neighbour does the odd DIY / general life but it’s not all day everyday.

Just fed up with it. It’s not like o ever get to be anywhere else right now.

[Perch]

Potplants in the gap? Expandable trellis? Dig a flowerbed and pop a few cheap mature shrubs in. Something like choisya is evergreen and grown like a weed (i hate it!) There are ways of creating a barrier without it being an actual fence. Can you divide the shared drive with planters? If it bothers you that much you can find a way to do something about it.

[Serin]

Are they furloughed? Hopefully they will be back at work soon.

[Sparrow234]

There is a fence to separate the driveways. There is a gate with latch on the single entry point to our garden. Obviously can’t block this up or we wouldn’t be able to get into our garden without going through the house which we don’t want to do.

[NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite]

I would have a word and ask them not to have skips on the drive or block it with junk. (Surely if you share a drive you have the skip on the road or obtain the perrmission of whoever you share the drive with?) No need to make it into a dispute.

Other than that, I wouldn't bother raising the other issues if you are planning to leave anyway. Presumably you have a boundary fence/ hedge and gate? If so, put a padlock on the gate so he cannot enter your garden.

[Sparrow234]

They’re retired so they won’t be back to work. Can’t lie I’m looking forward to lockdown being over so I can not be here all the time.

[NotEverythingIsBlackandWhite]

I think we need a diagram.

[saraclara]

All you need is a simple bolt on your gate, surely? If you're in your garden, just bolt it from your side.

[TinyPigeon]

Has this happened once? Or multiple times? If once YABU. Have you spoken to him about the noise?

[TwoKidsStillStanding]

Definitely bolt on the gate - and if it’s low enough for someone with no boundaries to attempt to unbolt it, a padlock will solve that problem.

[Ravenclawgirl]

Was it just the one time he came into your garden? He may have tried your bell and you didn't hear him as you were in the garden.