New neighbours complaining about our toilet

Have you checked your outside drain? If the angle (fall) from the toilet soil pipe is above ground or too shallow, waste can get stuck in or around the outflow, which will get very smelly very quickly. Also, how high is it? Soil pipes must extend above the roofline or be fitted with an air admittance valve (AAV) to release trapped air and gases. This stops foul odours and pressure build-up in your drains.

If vented above the roof, the top of the pipe should be at least 900mm above any opening window, door or balcony within 3 metres, to avoid smells drifting into your home - or your neighbour's.

If I was them I would light the barbecue or some sort of incense stick near to the window to neutralise the smell.

A smoking BBQ has surely got to be able to mask out this smell.

Yes made me laugh out loud too...

If it smells that strongly you should be able to smell it from the closest spot on OPs property (next to the boundary at the front or back)

But yes honestly it’s horrible and for someone to get over the embarrassment to let a neighbour know, it must be pretty bad. Most people wouldn’t want to approach a neighbour about the smell of their poo unnecessarily. I personally wouldn’t want to use a toilet where my shit smells are wafting over neighbours.

I know, put a box of matches on the cistern. A lit match kills pongs. Though if it's as bad as you say, there could be an explosion.

Come again?

That last bit has me laughing so much.

‘Lovely meal, Brenda, and what beautiful weather.’
sound of window opening
’BRENDA, GET INSIDE. JUST LEAVE THE WINE. QUICK!’

The issue as I understand it is that it’s not possible to do this, because the loo window opens out onto the neighbour’s garden, not the OP’s. Her house wall abuts the neighbour’s garden.

Yeah its gotta be noises. Keep the window shut when use the loo and open it after in deference to them...

I reckon this is a sewer issue with the flushing of the loo, rather than gas smells coming from the window. Suggest you stand outside as someone flushes and see for yourself if there is any issue.

We have a very similar layout with the neighbours loo. You can hear absolutely everything when you’re sitting on our patio. I bet it’s this, and not any smells.

How is it possible that someone can smell the inside of your bathroom when theyre outside ? I mean it would have to be a helluva stink that would linger for ages for someone outside to be able to smell it ? It would have to be on a par with a public lav with people using it all day for it to generate a smell that you could catch a whiff of everytime you went outside - like a blocked drain.

This.
If the smells or splashdown noises were really that much of an issue, the previous neighbours would have made OP aware. Unless that's why they moved...😂

It's weird all right. Too early in the day mind for the Poo Troll, he arrives when the Night Watch are on.

Our household has the same diet yet the smell that comes from the bathroom when DH has been there could clear a suburb.

I'm so juvenile, but this made me laugh.

We had a similar bathroom issue, but our opening window was at head height onto their driveway, plus they had their back door and kitchen window only a driveways width away.
We closed the window to use the loo as I was conscious they could potentially see in, but opened it to air. No one complained.

This whole thread is grim 😂
I would be really mortified and do poos upstairs tbh.
Also do you not have odour nutralising spray? Are you letting horrendous dump smell waft into your neighbours garden eating area.
If your outside eating area was next to that window, what would you do?
Have a think about it and then do that.
Imagine sitting down for your sausage in a bun with brown sauce then all of a sudden the window opens and a horrendous poo smell goes right up your nose.

They must have clocked you only open the window when it really stinks too, so they are sitting there eating a salad, hear the window open and just know the poo smell is on its way.

Whilst I have some sympathy for them having your toilet window open to their garden, they can't control how you use your home. My neighbours have an upstairs bathroom that is near our back patio, but set back maybe 6 feet from our property. We've consider growing something up to give us both privacy but it's turned out not to be a problem. It's a solution we'll keep in the bag for any changes in circumstances though.

I agree. I mean there must be a smell rather than it all being in their heads.. how else would they know that that room has a toilet in??

Strike a match to burn off the smell. Briefly set a piece of twisted loo roll on fire for good measure. Drop both in the loo to extinguish.

...it satisfies the arsonist in me, but also genuinely works.

For goodness sake, how close is your loo to their collective noses?

It is either exceptionally close and therefore, very badly designed, or they are massively unreasonable and prissy.

I would not discount their complaint if you are living on top of one another as these new builds are designed to do, and developers don't give a fuck about.

It seems extreme to me to be able to smell it from outside. Surely it’s dissipated enough that you wouldn’t smell it out in the garden and fresh air unless they’re stood right outside the window waiting for a sniff. This is so weird.

Everyone on here seems to be obsessed with their rights, so because legally they CAN go to the toilet within feet of their neighbour eating outside, they will. People joking about curries and getting people to do it more often etc...

What about being a good neighbour? I'd be embarrassed if someone sent me a note like that.

The glass has to be obscured yes