To be upset at my neighbour using my garden area?

I haven’t read all of the comments but this would irk me too. Could you pop a note on your kitchen window saying that he should use his garden instead of yours as you’re working in it? Good luck ☘️

Would you plonk your wet washing directly outside a neighbour's window? How could he not know? OP has already stated that he knows.

Even if he does, putting his washing right in front of her window is a passive aggressive act and he's an arse.

How does he have access to your bit? think we need a diagram

Its been mentioned a few times and OP has not answered the question but everyones helpful suggestions many not be relevant if the divvying up of the garden was only ever an informal arrangement
If that is the case then OP can ask her neighbour to stick to his own agreed area but it may well be that he has every right to access the whole thing.
She needs to check this first so she knows where she stands

Can you ask - in writing if need be - your landlord? Is it the same landlord for all flats? I’m assuming you do rent rather than own.

You do need to confirm whether it was a legally binding change or an informal agreement with previous owners/tenants. If it was informal then sadly he has every right to put his airer there, albeit it’s v inconsiderate.

tbh I think I’d just put a sprinkler out

We don't know. All we know is that "the previous tenants had got together and had asked for, and been granted, permission to portion off the garden into 4 individual gardens and to take responsibility for them themselves.". Permission from who for how long, in what form?

Once again, they could all be paying rent to the same landlord, with nothing in the lease except it being a communal garden. The fact that that landlord said, years ago to different people, "Yeah, fine, do that if you all agree" means very little. If that's all it is.

HE KNOWS !!!!

You don't need to have conflict. He presumably doesn't know that he's using your garden. Just tell him nicely.

Lots of people being very ‘he might not know’. He knows. He was told last year with the football. It’s incredibly obvious since his clothes airer has been moved that it’s not his space. Also, right in front of his neighbour’s kitchen window? This bloke knows. He’s manspreading/gardenspreading. He’s a massively entitled cheeky fucking fucker.

I’d pop a note on the dryer and just say tried to knock but no answer (if you know he’s out!) so looks like you didn’t go straight to note rather than face to face. Not sure if you were made aware when you moved in but the gardens aren’t communal, they are split into 4 this one is yours, thought you might want to know so you can use it how you wish

@AutiAngst if the areas are fenced off then buy a chain and padlock!

He's a cheeky fucker. You're not being unreasonable, and I totally understand your angst. Is there a possibility you could buy/put some stuff of your own there so he can't just come and use that space? Maybe table and a few chairs. garden containers or a bit of garden ornamentation?

Also, sorry if I missed it, is your garden fenced or partitioned off in some way or is it all open? Could this be done or altered as a way to stop him just sauntering in and plonking his stuff?

When we are conflict adverse, Op, we can become overly worried about asserting our own boundaries. We may experience other people’s assertions as evidence that they feel negatively towards us, or something that we have done. Therefore, we imagine a similar thing playing out when we need to have a word with someone, about something that feels important.

Similarly, some of us find it difficult to separate ‘what we know’ from what others may or may not know. This can lead us to feeling resentful or annoyed about something that may be a genuine mistake. For example, it is not clear if your neighbour knows for certain that the garden areas have been allocated.

In reality (as you can see from the responses on this thread) trusting people with the truth and offering them information is a kindness and empowers them to make full use of their new information. In this case, it will also mean he is more able to respect your private space and ease your distress.

As others have said, you can speak to him using kind and helpful words:

“Hi Bob, I have been trying to clear my patio, after a spell of ill health, and I’ve noticed you have been making the most of the sunshine [this is factual and helps his to understand it has been taxing on you].

Then I realised you might not be aware that you have your very own garden area, just there. I’m so sorry I didn’t mentioned it sooner, I presumed you knew that each space was privately allocated.
[This shows concern for him, acknowledging that he may not have known, gives him
wiggle room to redeem himself if he did know. It also re-highlights that this is your private space].

Does your son like growing things? I saw packs of sunflower seeds in the supermarket the other day.” [A helpful bit of information which connects him to his space, and allows him/his son to feel though of].

Good luck, remember information is power. How very kind of you to offer this to your neighbour.

Because you don’t like confrontation, I would write stating that your garden is not communal and you are politely requesting that he respects your space and right to privacy. Advise him that you have sole use of this garden and will not be liable for damage to property he chooses to leave in your space.

Make sure you keep a dated copy of this letter in case he continues to be a space invader.

If you categorically own your garden - it's on the lease or on the deed (no idea if you rent or own) which it sounds is the case based on the fences you describe, then you must stand up for yourself and your peace. If you don't, you may as well simply accept that you've allowed him to take over the garden, expect to see him, his friends, and his underpants outside your windows daily through summer and put it out of your mind as the option you chose to avoid conflict. If that's what you want to do, that's fair enough and your decision considering your circumstances.

Alternatively - write a letter, take a photo of it on your phone so you have time and date evidence and put it through his door if you don't want to speak to him face to face. And take a photo every time something shows up in your garden.

I'd also suggest rather than wrestling with heavy items just take the washing off, wet or not, and pile it and deposit in his garden. It sounds as though you have been facilitating and assisting him drying his laundry at physical detriment to yourself. Providing him with a wet pile of clothes would be more sensible and impactful and might make him less inclined to use your space.

You don’t have to be brave to stick a note through his door telling him that you are clearing your patio for your use and he needs to stay off it.

You really should have collapsed the dryer and propped it against his wall, but just put s note through.

This. I am ND and feel your anger at the annoyance and unfairness. I live in a similar set up. A polite letter through the door or even attached to his dryer, then you don't have to worry about speaking to him. If he's a tenant and not a home owner he might not realise.

"2) this my garden, and I pay the rent for it"

I mean, you don't know any of this to be true. It is perfectly possible, from what the OP has said so far, that they both pay the same landlord, the leases say the garden is communal and this is what the landlord has told him. It's also possible she owns the garden and it's marked on her deeds. We just don't know yet.

OP, you have answered a few posts but if you want anyone to say anything useful at all you have to answer the questions of ownership.

Are you all owners, all renters, or a mixture, and if so what?
What was the nature of the agreement to split the gardens? If it was only an informal agreement between previous tenants, and you are all tenants, it may not have any standing at all.

In what world is such polite language 'conflict'?

How rude. It was a perfectly clearly written OP.

He is an utterly cheeky fucker. He waited until you had cleared it to use it. Not cleared himself or offered to help. It must be bloody obvious it is YOUR area.

I would write a note saying what you need and put it through his door. DO NOT apologise - just say - this is MY private garden please do not use it again. Your garden is X

Agree that as you struggle with face to face communication under pressure, a note through his door is the way to go. Like the idea of including a little picture/diagram showing which is his garden.