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!

Some people seriously need to unclench about others drying clean clothes on their own property.

And some more
Decorating years are where they state it has to be decorated every 7 years

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Imagine being triggered by clean clothes 🤯

@Mariell

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I love that!

I live in a row of terraced houses with another row behind me. On a sunny day I can see at least 6 houses of washing. There is nothing grim about clean clothes!

Op hang your washing out on a sunny day!

If you're not doing anything wrong as per the lease I'd crack on and smile sweetly and walk away when she complains. She sounds nuts.

@NotMyCat so you can’t stick a small drawing of a rainbow (that your child drew for the NHS last year) in your window???!!!

[quote Stath]@NotMyCat so you can’t stick a small drawing of a rainbow (that your child drew for the NHS last year) in your window???!!![/quote]
Nope
Or shake a rug out
Or hang washing up in my garden
Or do anything immoral
Or decorate every 8 years instead of every 7
Or clean the windows inside every 5 weeks instead of 4
It also says they have the right to inspect and will carry out annual inspections

I haven't seen anyone from the management company in 14 years. Did I mention it's not rented, I do actually own the damn place?!

Do you watch "Why women kill" drama series? The neighbour who looked down her nose on Alma's gardening skills and flowers ended up looking up at them. From underground where they buried her

@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

Grim? Really?

I stayed in a holiday let complex which also had full time residents. Nowhere did it advise that I wasn't allowed washing outside. I draped some wet towels used after the beach on an outside bench. As I was stood at the sink looking into the communal courtyard a full time resident walked over in full view, took my towels and dumped them in the bin. My Husband also lost a pair of walking boots that weekend, pretty sure the dickhead resident put those in the bin too.

If she'd simple knocked on and said shoes and towels weren't allowed outside I'd have understood.

I hope you peg your washing out now at every opportunity now OP.

You could even go as far as ::shudder:: using different colour pegs for one item. Like using a green peg and a pink peg for one T shirt.

Or is it just me who absolutely cannot do that?

Thanks for the belly laugh at some of these replies: the t*at photo, the phrase ‘unclenching’ as well as the bonkers lease agreements! I must dig out mine but they’re tame in comparison (and yes, I’ve checked them through ).

@AvoidingNextdoorNeighbour I not only use different colours, I often use different types of peg on one item - even on occasion to the extreme of a wooden spring peg on one side, a plastic slide on peg on the other though I do try to avoid that if I can

@BewareTheBeardedDragon you animal!!! Have you no shame????

[quote BewareTheBeardedDragon]@AvoidingNextdoorNeighbour I not only use different colours, I often use different types of peg on one item - even on occasion to the extreme of a wooden spring peg on one side, a plastic slide on peg on the other though I do try to avoid that if I can [/quote]
I used to live next door to my Mum. If I used odd pegs she'd come into my garden and rehang everything with matching pegs. Bonkers.

Can you do a message in Morse code with tops for dashes and socks for dots....

Ooh, ds has been on at me to learn morse code. Maybe I'll try it and see if he notices...

Though I'm more inclined to try the writing shadows (nicer words obv 😂)

@Wrongsideofhistorymyarse

Didn't she have anything better to do

Today’s outlook

@Flatwhitewhiner

Today’s outlook

Mine is on my neighbours driveway My neighbour is fuming but can't do anything about it

Dear god she ought to be pleased that is all she has to complain about! Hang your laundry out OP. It is your apartment, your patio.

I'm upset by the elderly lady being bullied. What is wrong with people?

Nice one OP.

The proud flags of Contentious Laundry are fluttering in the breeze :)

lets club together to get op some (cheap & bright coloured)sexy bras & g strings or old lady knickers to hang on line -or both!

You've got a nice space outside. Hope you enjoyed this sunshine too.