To complain to neighbours smoking in the garden?

Absolutely detest this as well..My neighbour did this in the summer / lockdown even worse when they smoke the dope ..God knows what the house smells like inside. tas well as her own daughter they have relations with children aged newborn to 10 in and out the house.

Personally I don’t think it’s a pergola or a parabola! I think it’s a gazebo! 🤣

i had the same - didnt smoke in the house because of the smell so would smoke out the back and the front so my house would stink! THe worse was kids bed time in summer - trying to get the kids to sleep when it's hot is not great but as soon as i got them in bed - slam goes the front door and they neighbour spends a good 30 mins smoking and hacking up his lungs under the kids window, the whole room stinking, then just as they doze off - slam the front door goes and wakes them up. Just as i got to bed later he goes out the back for a smoke before bed and stinks out my room and hacks up his lungs for about an hour. Tried changing kids and my bed times to work around the fag breaks but it always coincided. Summer was awful as the patio doors are open and the smoke just stinks the place up (he's out there for quite a few). But there's no rules about smoking in your own garden so bugger all i could do but i was really pissed off that he didnt stink up his own house or his own kids room but did stink up mine.

YANBU, we had the exact same issue with our downstairs neighbour. The smoke in the shelter seems to intensify it and was directing it into all our windows. The worst thing was he was smoking at all hours of the night so we would be woken up by it. We put up with it for 4 years and then when we had a baby my husband went and spoke to him very nicely and explained what was happening and asked if he could possibly smoke further down the garden (of course saying that it was his choice).

He was absolutely mortified and was so apologetic and has pretty much stuck to smoking further down the garden. I wish we had spoken to him sooner!!

I'm glad it was amicably resolved and that the OP recognised this in their thanks.

I'm glad it seems to be sorted now but I feel your pain. A couple moved next door to me who are heavy smokers. In the winter, when all their windows and doors are closed, the smell actually seeps through the floor into my living room. My housing association don't believe me (why they think I would lie, i have no idea) and actually asked me to send proof by way of a video of the smoke. You can't SEE the smell of fags ffs. If I could see smoke coming through my floor, I would assume their bungalow was ablaze and call the fire brigade....

I reckon you could probably sort it out if you approached it properly.
Could you write them a note and ask them if there was any way of putting the cover down if it wasnt raining, or having a fan to blow the smoke the other way. Tell them that you understand its their right to smoke in their garden if they want, but its only since this structure that it seems to be funneling the smoke towards your house and you wondered if there was any way they could think of to fix it

Light a big bonfire with old tyres on it and other smelly things.

I wouldn't say anything. Sounds a bit exaggerated to me and I'm a non smoker too.

We used to have neighbours who gathered with their mates in the garden next door, all smoking heavily (sometimes weed) and I can sympathise. It was horrible and we couldn't go out in our own garden or have windows open in the summer. It's no joke and you are not being unreasonable. We just put up with it because they were unpleasant aggressive people who couldn't be reasoned with. Thankfully they moved.

YABU it's not against the law to smoke in your own garden.
We are living in a situation where are freedoms are being compromised on an almost daily basis, so I don't think it's worth risking WW3 over this with your neighbours.
Incidentally I'm saying this as a non-smoker😉

I can sympathise. My next door neighbour smokes constantly in the garden and it seems to come through my daughters bedroom window whenever open. It also affects our enjoyment of my garden. I know there is nothing I can do but it is frustrating. If your neighbours are nice ask about the extra side!

It's awful, I lived next door to a smoker once and I was constantly getting it in the house. You shouldn't have to shut your windows. Ask them nicely, they might move it.

[quote Quickncjust4this]@snowplop horrid aren't they? Advice is usually to ignore people like that as it's clearly there issue not mine, but I do feel that makes it too easy for these people to feel they aren't doing any harm.
It's ok to disagree with a post, that's the whole point of aibu but nastiness is uncalled for.
Being nasty on the internet is as impactful as it is in real life, and I do hope that those who choose to be unkind on mumsnet consider how it harmful it can actually be.
You can be pretty sure that most won't be unkind to someone's face, they've probably been bullied at some point in their own life and it boosts their self esteem to come and be nasty here. I offer them my sympathy and hope they are receiving kindness in their real lives.
We need to call this behaviour out more on mumsnet though, it's become the norm and it's no better than playground bullying[/quote]
Couldn't agree more ! MN used to be a place for (mostly) women to support one another. Yes of course people are sometimes so blind to the obvious that they need a bit of a kick up the bum with a forthright reply - but 'telling it straight' never needs to be rude or bullying.

The reading comprehension levels of some posters is also deplorable. With people obviously posting to try and trip up or pick a fight with any small aspect of a post .. and some completely imagined ! Your post was another example of exactly that.

At no point did I read in your post your hatred of smokers, nor a belief that you had 'a right' to demand they change their garden set up. It could not have been more clear that you wanted to know if it would be 'reasonable' to bring this up with them - to which the answer is an equivocal yes of course if done politely . As you have discovered.
In fact your greatest concern seemed to be trying to get a result that kept a good relationship between you and your neighbours.

I honestly believe that MN is becoming more and more detached from real life. Egged on by people who belong to a growing section of the online community who can only really be described as the 'professionally offended.' looking not to 'support' but to criticise another poster to 'score points' at all costs. Really really sad.

I am so glad your rl is 'normal' and you sorted this problem amicably. As a smoker I too would be mortified if my choices were inflicted on others and would of behaved in the same way as your neighbours.. because that's errr normal !

The unpleasant posts on this thread are uncalled for - but also probably come from the same mindset as those who drop contact from parents for the smallest reason, never answer the door, can't cope with people popping round without a formal invitation- and refuse to let extended family so much as see a new baby until they have 'bonded alone' for three months (pre Covid).. a world of such incomprehensible self absorption, that thank god - I have yet to encounter in real life.

Enjoy your smoke free home OP and as you say - the mean posters have obviously got stuff going on in their lives that sadly reflects their attitude to 'giving advice' and should be felt sorry for.

Glad your neighbour is so thoughtful & full marks for tact!

Why don’t people read threads properly...
This has been resolved!!!!!!!!!

I don't think there's any harm in asking them, very politely

But I'd be prepared for them to not want to, possibly be offended or it not actually remedy the problem

God that would really annoy me, especially during covid

Approaching neighbours is always difficult OP. But I think in this instance there is absolutely no harm in nipping across to your neighbours and politely asking if they would consider repositioning the gazebo (whatever it is). As long as you don't approach them all guns blazing you'll be fine - you're within your rights to bring this issue up with them. I'm sure they'll understand

My point Vampire is the poster is not being unreasonable about not liking it but is being disingenuous when citing health issues. A neighbours fag wafting over the fence is not a health issue and they also say they have a PHD