Washing woes - it’s a neighbour one…

[Flatwhitewhiner]

I live in a ground floor apartment in a block that’s popular with holiday makers and second home-owners. It’s my first property (exchanged only a year ago) and it has a little garden and patio area - both of which are part of my boundary lines according to my lease. This is important!

Recently I had a run-in with my neighbour who is directly upstairs from my flat. She uses her properly maybe for half of the week, if that, incase this is useful info. It’s not the first time she has leaned over her balcony to impart wisdom to me but her complaints are as follows:

1. She doesn’t like the fact that I hang my laundry outside on my patio area to dry because it spoils her view from her balcony (and others). She believed that I was breaking the terms of the lease and threatened to tell the management company. I have received a series of round robin emails from said company that inform people not to use their balconies for hanging washing etc. Now I believe I know the source! My flat is directly below hers so I don’t quite understand what view it is that I’m blocking, only that she doesn’t like looking at wet clothes…

2. She commented that I would need to be careful if I wanted to do anything in my garden because ‘some of the residents like to look out over grass’. Last time I checked, though, it’s definitely my bloody garden. In the same conversation she informed me that I ‘wasn’t a natural gardener’.

Needless to say I put her in her box about the terms of my lease and did tell her that I was wise to her mean comments and emails. I told her that I wasn’t prepared to be bullied. Since then no emails but I have been on holiday!

Anyway, it’s a warm day and I’d like to hang out all my holiday attire in the fresh air but I feel totally sheepish doing so. I’m also angry that I’ve been picked up in for something so petty as it would never occur to me to be remotely bothered by someone else’s bedsheets hanging in the breeze! I’m also annoyed that she’s literally and figuratively looking down at my space that I’ve paid for.

What should I do, ignore her? Continue my washing war? Get the landscape gardener in? Or kill her with kindness?

Wisdom welcome!

Actually as someone who’s lived in a similar situation I’d have to agree with your neighbour. Looking at someone else’s washing is grim. Lots of places have clauses in the lease to say you can’t hang washing on balconies etc. Ours did.

She can’t tell you what to do with your garden though

I'd suggest checking the terms of your Lease very carefully. If there's anything you don't understand or isn't clear then go back to the solicitor who did your conveyancing for you and ask them for advice. If there's nothing set down in writing about your right to put washing out then they're in the wrong.

@VanishingWitch I did check with the leaseholder who said that as it was within my demised premises I was fine to hang laundry. It did say not to hang it on balconies but I don’t own one of those!

You do need to follow your lease re. Washing however I would personally be inclined to challenge any clause that prevented outside drying from an environmental viewpoint. Dunno if it would succeed but putting peoples desire not to look at washing over saving energy by using free sunshine to dry is utter madness imo.

@HermioneKipper thanks. I’m not being snarky but I’m genuinely interested in what you find grim about seeing another person’s clean washing.

I don't see what's 'grim' about clean washing on a line! She's not hanging turds on it.

I'd carry on, OP. It's not a balcony, it's your garden, and unless there is something in your covenants to say you can't hang washing out, then you're perfectly entitled to do so.

Cross post. In that case just ignore her, she sounds horrible

I’m not in the same boat as I have no restrictions but a neighbour told me not to hang out my knickers as “her husband can see them”.

I told her where to go and save them all up to wash before festooning the whirligig.

You need some ugly gnomes in your garden op..

Imo.
Some flats say you can't hang wet washing inside either!

@SylvanasWindrunner thanks for making me laugh out loud. I was so tempted to find some lewd outfits but alas, I’m too boring…

@Brollypackedforscottishholiday Why didn’t I think of gnomes? They’d be perfect

@HermioneKipper

Actually as someone who’s lived in a similar situation I’d have to agree with your neighbour. Looking at someone else’s washing is grim. Lots of places have clauses in the lease to say you can’t hang washing on balconies etc. Ours did.

She can’t tell you what to do with your garden though

Get a grip. Fucking hell.

What’s grim about wet clothes? Are dry clothes grim too?

Mental behaviour. Crack on with the gardening too.

I bet the management company just love her and her emails.

Not hanging out washing on balconies is a common term on flat leases - it can look quite messy and spoils the outside look of the building.

I would double check the terms of my lease. Although if the emails are originating from the management company then its pretty clear that you shouldn't be hanging your washing out.

Ignore her and if she intervenes again kill her with kindness. Re the washing, you don't have a balcony and you have checked the lease and asked the management company. The garden, do what you want, if you patio it and she complains just say that you are not a natural gardener and smile sweetly! Basically continue as you were.

I've never heard of a flat where you are allowed to hang washing out.

Who wants to look at other peoples knickers and bras

@ActonSquirrel

I've never heard of a flat where you are allowed to hang washing out.

Who wants to look at other peoples knickers and bras

I had a HA flat and it already had a line there when I moved in.

@Flatwhitewhiner just seen you've checked your lease and its not on a balcony - sounds like you are ok!

OP, you need one of these!

We had a lovely block and it really spoiled the pleasant view if anyone put out all their knickers/bras etc out for all to see.

But generally everyone always stuck to what was in the leases. Fairly standard I think.

But if you don’t want to get along with your neighbours or prepared to risk emails telling you off from the management company then 🤷‍♀️

@HermioneKipper

We had a lovely block and it really spoiled the pleasant view if anyone put out all their knickers/bras etc out for all to see.

But generally everyone always stuck to what was in the leases. Fairly standard I think.

But if you don’t want to get along with your neighbours or prepared to risk emails telling you off from the management company then 🤷‍♀️

Why do you stare at other people's balconies all day? How the hell would someone's washing spoil anything. How mad!

@ActonSquirrel

I've never heard of a flat where you are allowed to hang washing out.

Who wants to look at other peoples knickers and bras

But have you heard of a garden where you can? Because this is in the garden, not in the flat or on a balcony.

I would totally ignore the comments about the garden though - its your space you can do what you like!

Maybe you can pull her leg and suggest that you are going to remove all the grass and lay decking or paving slabs across the entire thing, especially you are "struggling" with gardening

For what it is worth, we have a flat with its own garden and we hang washing out there nearly every day! Never had anyone ever complain.

Outdoor-dried washing is one of life’s little pleasures. I’m quite surprised at so many people getting sniffy about how ‘untidy’ it looks. Get a grip. If your lease specifically prohibits it that’s one thing (though like PPs I would be contesting it on environmental grounds) but otherwise let your pants flutter free!!