Page 13 | Neighbours kids keep looking over our fence

DaveGroh · 07/04/2026 15:17

I’ve just moved into a new house op and we have those stupidly low fences and I’m on edge so badly all the time when I’m in the garden because we have zero privacy, luckily the neighbours seem nice but we’re the ones with kids and I’m constantly on the look out for them being annoying

Macaroni46 · 07/04/2026 15:16

You could just chat to her and be friendly? She’s probably just a bit bored and lonely.

DaveGroh · 07/04/2026 15:16

StripyGirl · 07/04/2026 15:15

I’d just tell her to piss off every time. If her parents don’t want her repeating your swearing, they’ll have to stop her peering over.

🤣

DaveGroh · 07/04/2026 15:15

Advicefor10 · 07/04/2026 11:58

Gosh we had this! I’m so glad we moved from the old house. It was a boy around 11 and his sister around 8 at the time. I had my own kids and always thought it was so rude as I wouldn’t allow my kids to do the same. The mother actually encouraged it and I would hear her saying “are you spying on the neighbours? What can you see”. I wrote about it so much under a different username I was at my wits end with them. The only thing that worked was getting a higher fence (it was our fence side so not sure if this would work for you). There’s no talking to people that allow their kids unsupervised in the garden as they wouldn’t be the type to explain concept of boundaries. On another note I’m so glad people are understanding and seem to be with you on this thread as I was often told on mumsnet that I should put up with it as they are kids!

Just remembered the dad would bounce on trampoline and shout over hello to me and my kids! 😂

I am so glad we moved I hated summer because of them

Edited

The dad wtf 🤣🤣

StripyGirl · 07/04/2026 15:15

I’d just tell her to piss off every time. If her parents don’t want her repeating your swearing, they’ll have to stop her peering over.

Brightonkebab · 07/04/2026 15:15

pinkyredrose · 07/04/2026 11:22

Get a bigger fence!

People will suggest anything but setting boundaries to children. This is nuts.

Happyjoe · 07/04/2026 15:14

Get the hose out ready.

MyLimeGuide · 07/04/2026 15:12

You will have to get fence toppers. Something i also need to do as I have annoying nosy neighbours too :-(

user1476613140 · 07/04/2026 15:12

lilybit2025 · 07/04/2026 11:18

As the title suggests. Young girl around 5-6 keeps looking over at our fence. Did it a handful of times yesterday until I turned around and said 'hello can I help you?' And she's doing it again today. It sets our dog off and drives her insane yet she still does it.
I find it incredibly intrusive and I don't know if our neighbours know she's doing it and she's only a child but we do not have children and aren't particularly fond of them either.

Just give her a 👋 and a crazy batshit smile 😃 she'll get fed up.

Can't stand these wee brats in the spring holidays hanging about. Schools should be back already!

OnGoldenPond · 07/04/2026 15:12

StephensLass1977 · 07/04/2026 12:24

The problem these days are some parents absolutely refuse to discipline their kids.

You should get a set of those rubber spikes you can put on the top of your fence to deter birds.

We had so much of this in our last house. I was so happy to leave. Huge gang of 4-6 year old girls would come up to the living room window (so standing in my front garden) and would all peer in. Honestly, nothing at all worked. It was a nightmare as their parents sided with the kids.

I feel your pain. We have grown adults doing this at our house! They also take photos.

Ophy83 · 07/04/2026 15:09

Bonkers that they say she wasn't doing it.

I'd be tempted to water the plants along that fence- if she isn't looking over she won't get wet

notacooldad · 07/04/2026 15:09

Why are you on Mumsnet if you don't have children, and you don't like them?
This old chestnut.
You do know mumsnet is not just about mum's!
Theres probably nearly 100 threads about why non mum's are here.
Whether op has kids or not is irrelevant.

littegi08 · 07/04/2026 15:07

Ive had alot worse. We had neighbours kids looking over fence, kicking balls over and calling us racist names. This seems quite tame. Why dont you grow a bush if possible?

Fabfabfab · 07/04/2026 15:06

Why are you on Mumsnet if you don't have children, and you don't like them?

dentalflosser · 07/04/2026 15:03

It’s not worth moving house to get away from a nosey kid. You could have the same again unless you buy a detached house with a massive garden.
Could you extend the height of your garden fence with trellis and then get creative with sheets of fake ivy and a staple gun?

It might be worth a try. I’ve got kids but I wouldn’t be letting mine do something deliberately annoying like this. If the kid can’t see anything apart from fake ivy then she might not be tempted to keep doing it.

Hell no to taking an Easter egg round! Parents should be more mindful of what she is doing as it is aggravating OPs dog!

Original poster

lilybit2025 · 07/04/2026 15:01

Trusttheawesome · 07/04/2026 14:55

Did you actually tell them that she was doing it right at the moment, climbing up on stuff, looking over and barking at your dog? I wouldn’t have just walked away after they denied it. We’d be having a conversation and I’d also be standing in my back garden and shout on them every time she did it.

Show quote history

Yes, I said she's done it a handful of times today, barked at the dog minutes before I came over and it's very intrusive of my privacy. Dog goes AWOL etc etc. please don't let it happen again.

Also just to add - the dad wakes us up every morning at 4am as he converted his garage into a gym a few years back and the garage part of our brick wall in our garden. So I don't think they particularly care for others. So we've put up with a lot over the years. It is what it is, if she does it again when I'm next out there I'll just tell her to bluntly to stop. Regardless if she's 5/6, I never did that as a child as my parents would throw a frenzy. We found it funny at first her just peering over but now it's actually very annoying.

OP posts:

EmeraldShamrock000 · 07/04/2026 14:59

Tell her firmly to stop, if it continues buy a water pistol.

MyGammyEye · 07/04/2026 14:58

Can you get off the fence please, we don't want it to break. Thank you.

GET OFF THE FENCE, YOU'LL PAY FOR IT IF YOU BREAK IT!!

Used to suffice in my day.

StephensLass1977 · 07/04/2026 14:58

deserthighway · 07/04/2026 13:58

I'm lucky to have nice neighbours too - I always make sure to take an easter egg at easter and a selection box at christmas for the kids - it's a very small gesture which helps oil the wheels of neighbourlyness - some of these mumsnetters wouldn't give their neighbour as much as a mince pie christmas morning lol!

Show quote history

Actually, when we all moved into our new build houses a few years ago, my partner and I spent a small fortune on Prosecco and wine, and took them round to every house in the vicinity (those which we could see from ours), introduced ourselves, and said we were looking forward to getting to know them, etc.

Didn't stop the guy next door letting his girlfriend's kids run absolute riot all over the shared courtyard, smear our living room window with their hands, kick balls at our door and car, etc etc. Went on for 3 years.

The woman on the other side of us spoke to their mum about another issue they caused - the kids destroyed her outside light and plants - she was promptly told to fuck off, and given the finger by mother AND daughter (daughter is about 12). This neighbour herself is a pain but didn't deserve that. We ourselves would let this woman use our then-spare parking space and she never once said thank you.

Thank God the neighbour bought his girlfriend her own house so she rarely comes here anymore.

Catching more flies with honey doesn't always work.

Trusttheawesome · 07/04/2026 14:55

lilybit2025 · 07/04/2026 14:52

Hi all - she did it again whilst I was upstairs. This time barking at the dog and making our dogs lose her shit. I've just gone round to the parents and asked them to stop her looking over. They of course have said she isn't doing that. Time to move 😂

Edited

Did you actually tell them that she was doing it right at the moment, climbing up on stuff, looking over and barking at your dog? I wouldn’t have just walked away after they denied it. We’d be having a conversation and I’d also be standing in my back garden and shout on them every time she did it.

Original poster

lilybit2025 · 07/04/2026 14:52

Hi all - she did it again whilst I was upstairs. This time barking at the dog and making our dogs lose her shit. I've just gone round to the parents and asked them to stop her looking over. They of course have said she isn't doing that. Time to move 😂

OP posts:

notacooldad · 07/04/2026 14:45

I think she'll soon get bored. She'll be back at school next week.
Like you said, uts the first time she's been out able to do this so probably be a novelty and you've made it into a game.

TeaDrinkings · 07/04/2026 14:44

I'm with you OP. I had the same. Kids over the back of me looking over. We had 8ft fences. We were at the bottom of a hill so their garden was higher. They'd do the same, stand on chair. In the end, after asking very nicely numerous times to please stop looking over. I resorted to "Just fuck off with looking over my fence!!!". Never did it again.
It's rude and intrusive and you shouldn't have to put up with it. Dog or no dog.

LoftyPlumLion · 07/04/2026 14:44

5 or 6 is teeny tiny, have you thought about being nice? If your dog got to recognise her and want strokes it’d probably calm down.

Onleemoi · 07/04/2026 14:42

Funny how we all see things differently. I’d get increasingly wound up by this and no way would I try and train my dog out of barking if and when a face suddenly appeared over my fence! There shouldn’t be faces appearing there! 😂

If you think it’s acceptable, what age would it not be?