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AIBU?

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Neighbour has complained about Portaloo

265 replies

Helenwalker2 · 10/11/2025 17:24

We are having some work done on our house which has required a portaloo to be placed at the front. This was a requirement of both parties who quoted if we weren’t to allow access to a toilet indoors for the various trades who will be on site (absolutely no chance with the horror stories I’ve read on here and from a couple of friends).

Our property is at the end of our street so we have only one direct neighbour. When it was first delivered the woman who lives next door made a comment about it being unsightly and hoping it won’t be there for too long - I confirmed the works are going to take up to 3-4 weeks but would keep her updated.

We are 2 weeks on, and this morning our neighbours husband knocked. He said they are unhappy with the smell and want us to move it to the back of our house in the garden. I confirmed we had previously asked and this wasn’t possible. Note we don’t believe there to be any smell albeit were away this weekend.

The woman then knocked this afternoon. Moaning about how bad it smelt at the weekend and how we are unreasonable to have placed it outside the front of our house and so close to their windows.

I said the work is still on plan and it will be gone in the next week or two. She then said she is going to complain to the council as they’ve had ‘advice’ that it isn’t permissible to place portaloos at the front of houses where there’s an attached house (as both ours is being semi detached).

AIBU to stand firm? We don’t believe there’s any truth in what she’s said and by the time the council get round to doing anything, it should be gone.

OP posts:
Helenwalker2 · 11/11/2025 17:02

vellichoria · 11/11/2025 16:53

I get that the neighbour complained about the smell but not clear on how the OP can empty it given that she seems to have bought the "service" on the basis that it would be emptied at the end when they pick it up? I've never had one of those, so don't know if there an optional payment you can make to have those things emptied more often? There is 2 more weeks to go, so I guess if there is an option like that, then maybe @Helenwalker2 you could consider it?

We can pay extra to have it emptied, but we won’t be wasting money on that now.

OP posts:
vellichoria · 11/11/2025 16:53

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:26

Yes I would make nice with my neighbour too with flowers etc, emptying the portaloo regularly if it wasn’t possible to move it.

I get that the neighbour complained about the smell but not clear on how the OP can empty it given that she seems to have bought the "service" on the basis that it would be emptied at the end when they pick it up? I've never had one of those, so don't know if there an optional payment you can make to have those things emptied more often? There is 2 more weeks to go, so I guess if there is an option like that, then maybe @Helenwalker2 you could consider it?

Nearly50omg · 11/11/2025 16:51

canklesmctacotits · 11/11/2025 16:17

God this is giving me PTSD. I had workers using my loo for 6 weeks while bathrooms were being renovated, one by one. I had to clean the most disgusting skidmarks off the toilet pans EVERY SINGLE DAY for weeks (except the weekends). This was over a decade ago and I still retch thinking about it. Utterly, utterly disgusting and I really resented that I had to clean up someone else's shit, someone who couldn't show a minimum amount of respect cleaning up after themselves in someone else's house, someone I was paying money to. Disgusting men.

YANBU OP. Just ignore her.

Why didn’t you tell the site manager to get the dirty bastards back in to clean the toilet themselves and show some respect to the householder??

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 16:47

Northernladdette · 11/11/2025 16:20

No, I wouldn’t I afraid, it’s not worth her kicking up a fuss about something that’s not going to be there for much longer longer. She’s just going to have to suck
it up. It’s November, not mid-summer. This is on the (unreasonable) neighbour.
Why would the OP lie about the aroma? If it stank she’d get it emptied 🤷‍♀️

Maybe she can’t smell it? Maybe it would cost her more to get it emptied 1 extra time? 4 weeks to empty a portaloo is pretty grim

Reallyneedsaholiday · 11/11/2025 16:35

Why wouldn’t you just let the workmen use your indoor toilet? It just feels like a lot of drama over a complete non issue.

No5ChalksRoad · 11/11/2025 16:29

CitizenofMoronia · 11/11/2025 15:01

decorate it with bunting and fairy lights... and one of them battery-operated air freshners that poof when you walk past.

I was thinking the same!

Put a Christmas wreath on it, perhap with some garland and blinking lights. Drape it in a tartan tablecloth. Or a Santa/elf theme with a wide red ribbon and giant candy canes. Turn it into a decoration. "Santa's Workshop." Put one of those artificial reindeer next it.

JillMW · 11/11/2025 16:26

Oh Helen! The smell is going to be the last of your worries when they come to collect it! If you look at guideline a portfoloo on average will hold enough sewage to last 10 men 40 gours. It is good practice to empty weekly. If that is not done you risk it overflowing the tank and coming out of the tip, your whole drive will be awash!

Northernladdette · 11/11/2025 16:20

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:31

The neighbour might be lying about the smell (or might not be) and they probably don’t want a portaloo near their house but for the sake of neighbour relations wouldn’t you try and find a compromise?
Lets be honest, an unemptied portaloo after a 2-3 weeks is going to smell a little bit (wouldn’t bother me but I have good relations with my neighbours and would accept it was a means to an end)

No, I wouldn’t I afraid, it’s not worth her kicking up a fuss about something that’s not going to be there for much longer longer. She’s just going to have to suck
it up. It’s November, not mid-summer. This is on the (unreasonable) neighbour.
Why would the OP lie about the aroma? If it stank she’d get it emptied 🤷‍♀️

canklesmctacotits · 11/11/2025 16:17

God this is giving me PTSD. I had workers using my loo for 6 weeks while bathrooms were being renovated, one by one. I had to clean the most disgusting skidmarks off the toilet pans EVERY SINGLE DAY for weeks (except the weekends). This was over a decade ago and I still retch thinking about it. Utterly, utterly disgusting and I really resented that I had to clean up someone else's shit, someone who couldn't show a minimum amount of respect cleaning up after themselves in someone else's house, someone I was paying money to. Disgusting men.

YANBU OP. Just ignore her.

Sofaflop · 11/11/2025 16:14

No5ChalksRoad · 11/11/2025 15:58

I find it weird too, that as soon as they get on the job they need to do that.

I mean, why not get up an hour earlier, go for a brisk walk & a coffee, and empty one's bowels before leaving home, if the pattern is that they need to do so X hours after rising/having breakfast? Don't just get up and out in the nick of time to be ready to evacuate in someone else's home.

And it's nothing to do with tradesmen or social status; I'd feel the same if anyone who routinely was in my house did that. But for most of us, the only people spending an entire day in our home, for sometimes weeks on end, are tradespersons.

I've worked with men all my life. They take much longer than we do (I've number got to the bottom of why that is) and they'd much rather do it on someone else's time!

Office men are just the same a builders in this regard.

JillMW · 11/11/2025 16:12

Romeiswheretheheartis · 10/11/2025 17:57

My next door but one neighbour has one outside the front of their house at the moment, and I can guarantee if there was the slightest whiff the neighbours joined on would be complaining, but they definitely haven't. It's been there quite a few weeks now.

Go ahead ignore them. You will have neighbours who dislike you. Had you been a little more considerate and put the loo out of the way of their front window you may have grown wonderful neighbours.

Sevenh · 11/11/2025 16:11

PastaAllaNorma · 10/11/2025 18:20

NDN has one right now, 6 feet from our front door. It's been 7 weeks so far.

It doesn't smell, it's a practical solution with a full building crew working on a house with only one toilet and a young family in residence, and we wouldn't dream of objecting or protesting.

YANBU and your neighbours are moaning fusspots.

Absolutely this.

BuildbyNumbere · 11/11/2025 16:10

Tell her to take it up with the builder who put it there. Likely by the time the council get around to doing anything they will be long gone.

No5ChalksRoad · 11/11/2025 15:58

runwithme · 10/11/2025 18:51

When we had workmen they would turn up at 8am, and take it in turns to use the toilet. I can't say I timed them but they were not in and out. Each and every time it was left dirty. The timing of it (just before the kids were going to school and DH heading out to work) was inconvenient, and the kids refused to go in straight after, because of the smell. This went on a few days and I had no choice but to complain. The boss thought I was being ridiculous and said "I will tell them not to use the loo all day then" , but all I wanted was a little consideration. If I knew it was they cheap to hire a portaloo I would definitely have got one

I find it weird too, that as soon as they get on the job they need to do that.

I mean, why not get up an hour earlier, go for a brisk walk & a coffee, and empty one's bowels before leaving home, if the pattern is that they need to do so X hours after rising/having breakfast? Don't just get up and out in the nick of time to be ready to evacuate in someone else's home.

And it's nothing to do with tradesmen or social status; I'd feel the same if anyone who routinely was in my house did that. But for most of us, the only people spending an entire day in our home, for sometimes weeks on end, are tradespersons.

LittleBitofBread · 11/11/2025 15:53

Whaleandsnail6 · 11/11/2025 15:50

You've never smelt a gross portaloo?!! I used to go to festivals every summer and by day 2 wouldn't use the portaloos, I'd take squatting in a bush for a wee over using them 🤮 (this was many moons ago in my 20's!)

I do think one portaloo would not smell like festival portaloos (I'd hope!) however I do think even clean ones have a certain chemical/plasticy smell to them and I think not having it emptied for a month is pretty grim.

They smell once you're in them, but I meant when you're walking past or standing even quite near them.

sidebirds · 11/11/2025 15:52

CitizenofMoronia · 11/11/2025 15:01

decorate it with bunting and fairy lights... and one of them battery-operated air freshners that poof when you walk past.

Outrageous homophobia 😉

Whaleandsnail6 · 11/11/2025 15:50

LittleBitofBread · 11/11/2025 15:28

They can jog on. Portaloos never smell IME, even banks of them at things like festivals and fetes in the summer.
You're right: even if the council were bothered, nothing would be done until after it's gone.
If they say anything again I'd just assume a bored expression and say, 'Take it to the council.'

You've never smelt a gross portaloo?!! I used to go to festivals every summer and by day 2 wouldn't use the portaloos, I'd take squatting in a bush for a wee over using them 🤮 (this was many moons ago in my 20's!)

I do think one portaloo would not smell like festival portaloos (I'd hope!) however I do think even clean ones have a certain chemical/plasticy smell to them and I think not having it emptied for a month is pretty grim.

Butchyrestingface · 11/11/2025 15:38

Helenwalker2 · 11/11/2025 14:41

If it smelt then we would - thankfully it doesn’t.

Team Neighbour.

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:31

Northernladdette · 11/11/2025 15:26

I doubt it smells, the neighbour just doesn’t want it there 🙄

The neighbour might be lying about the smell (or might not be) and they probably don’t want a portaloo near their house but for the sake of neighbour relations wouldn’t you try and find a compromise?
Lets be honest, an unemptied portaloo after a 2-3 weeks is going to smell a little bit (wouldn’t bother me but I have good relations with my neighbours and would accept it was a means to an end)

LittleBitofBread · 11/11/2025 15:28

They can jog on. Portaloos never smell IME, even banks of them at things like festivals and fetes in the summer.
You're right: even if the council were bothered, nothing would be done until after it's gone.
If they say anything again I'd just assume a bored expression and say, 'Take it to the council.'

Northernladdette · 11/11/2025 15:26

I doubt it smells, the neighbour just doesn’t want it there 🙄

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:26

Yes I would make nice with my neighbour too with flowers etc, emptying the portaloo regularly if it wasn’t possible to move it.

vellichoria · 11/11/2025 15:23

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:15

Would you have been ok with a portaloo outside your house for a month without getting emptied? I fully understand why people don’t want numerous tradespeople to use their inside toilet for a month but the consequence of that is making sure the portaloo is emptied regularly. I don’t know why that is an issue? The homeowner and their main contact says the portaloo doesn’t smell yet the neighbours say it does. Who is to know who is right in this situation? I can smell farm land being fertilised from miles away yet my neighbour can’t 🤷🏽‍♀️
Just get the portaloo emptied, offer neighbour flowers and enjoy the work once it has been completed. Really not hard.

I don't know if I would be ok with it or not. I've never had used one and never had one outside my house, so can't comment on the issue by imagining the problem. If my neighbour complained, I'd value the relationship more than winning the argument and would definitely do what was suggested above, i.e. a bottle wine, chocolates, cup of tea, apologies etc.

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:20

Even just 1 workman having a shit in the portaloo daily - does it really need to be left there for a month? 🤮

IAmKerplunk · 11/11/2025 15:15

vellichoria · 11/11/2025 15:07

He did tidy the general rubbish after himself (e.g. packaging etc) but it's not realistic to have asked him to mop the floor in the toilet for example. And to be honest I wasn't that keen on asking him to open the window after his number 2. Yes, I can be judged for that but I am just not comfortable having the conversation, and I can see why others just would feel the same about asking adult s to clean the toilet after themselves etc. Especially, if there isn't an established habit to do that and you may have to repeat yourself more than once. It would have been worse if there are multiple people working on your house.

Would you have been ok with a portaloo outside your house for a month without getting emptied? I fully understand why people don’t want numerous tradespeople to use their inside toilet for a month but the consequence of that is making sure the portaloo is emptied regularly. I don’t know why that is an issue? The homeowner and their main contact says the portaloo doesn’t smell yet the neighbours say it does. Who is to know who is right in this situation? I can smell farm land being fertilised from miles away yet my neighbour can’t 🤷🏽‍♀️
Just get the portaloo emptied, offer neighbour flowers and enjoy the work once it has been completed. Really not hard.

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