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The holidaymakers next door

532 replies

mindutopia · 17/04/2022 19:55

Just a rant really, I know I’m not being at all unreasonable. We live in a very rural area that is somewhere people like to visit. It’s pretty and remote and lovely. The only house within about a mile or more is a holiday let. Owners are lovely and actually bought the property back that their grandparents used to own 60 years ago. We have no issues with them. We also have no issues with 95% of their guests. They are usually very quiet and respectful and all that.

We had a family arrive yesterday for the week, with a 5 & 10 year old (we have a 4 & 9 year old, so great we thought!). They came over to play yesterday afternoon, fine.

I woke up this morning to their 5 year old in our lounge (we have like 5 doors, it’s a big old farmhouse, we don’t lock them usually at night as literally no one bothers us down here). I returned him to his family. Hmm

They attempted to come over several times today but I sent them back as we were having an Easter egg hunt in the garden and also having lunch. They finally came over again in the afternoon (I was in the house tidying up after lunch). We live on a farm so I can’t really see much from the kitchen, or else if I’d seen them, I would have intervened.

The 5 year old got into our chicken pen, let all the chickens out, threw about £5 worth of food and grit everywhere, and then appeared in my lounge (I was tidying up toys) and chucked 4 eggs on the floor (thankfully didn’t break!). I’m over it. Hmm

I only discovered the chickens let out (for foxes to eat) and food thrown everywhere just now as I went to tidy up outside for the evening. I went to knock on holiday let’s door but was dark inside downstairs and I could hear kids in bathroom upstairs so they are obviously doing bath and bedtime now.

I’ll speak with them tomorrow, but I just needed to rant. We’ve had so many people traveling to our lovely part of the country the past couple years and it does provide income for many local people (not Dh and I, we work in careers totally unrelated to tourism). But these are the first CF we’ve had in a long time and it just irritates me. Every time I’ve returned their children to them, they’ve just been in the kitchen, drinking, and oblivious. We had a bonfire burning today. We have a river with deep fast flowing water. We also had our puppy out this afternoon, who is lovely but very big and jumpy, which is why we are careful to only have her off lead on our own farm. She definitely could have injured one on these kids in excitement if we hadn’t known they were wondering around our land. And also just the damage and expense to our livestock. I’ve had to clean out the duck and chicken houses because they filled them with pellets and they can choke without access to water. They’re here 5 more days! I will go have a word in the morning, but in the meantime, just arghhhh!

OP posts:
DrCoconut · 18/04/2022 15:56

I couldn't sleep knowing my door was unlocked. Anyone could just come in. I keep the front door locked at all times other than when I'm going through it and the back door locked unless I'm in the kitchen and it's daytime. I realise some of that is area dependent and you need stronger security measures in some places than others but the house open at night would completely freak me out. That said, people should not have their children wandering unsupervised or coming onto your property either.

bumblefeline · 18/04/2022 16:05

I can imagine loads of burglars now driving round rural houses and breaking in now they know people don't lock their doors.

VanGoghsDog · 18/04/2022 16:07

@SoupDragon

I'm uk too, I always presumed its natural to always lock locks, ect regardless of type, as you never know, plus it's odd the times when you don't lock that x happens,

You can't lock a Yale lock.

Yes you can. You can click the "latch" inside so it's locked in place and can't be opened even with the key.
TheMamaYo · 18/04/2022 16:15

I'd have been seriously p'd off if I were you! Did they sort it out now?

ExMachinaDeus · 18/04/2022 16:21

Thing is, that the crime in rural areas is of the sort the OP states: stealing expensive farm machinery, stealing fuel, stealing livestock sometimes.

In urban areas (according to my local friendly PCSO on the beat) most house breaking is opportunistic burglary - a window left open, a door unlocked or easily forced, and so on. Those sorts of low-life criminals are unlikely to be roaming around rural areas trying to pinch large bits of heavy machinery etc.

Where I grew up, if we went on a holiday (not often because our horses needed daily care...) we had security patrols - not really for the house, but to stop our tractors etc being pinched.

Scianel · 18/04/2022 16:25

It's what one is used to. Not crazy - just different

You'd need to be either very thick or very sheltered not to realise that the whole world isn't exactly like the bit right in front of your nose though.

LakieLady · 18/04/2022 16:36

Bloody hell when I lived in rural Lincolnshire I went out for the day once and accidentally left my keys dangling in the front door. Got back and they were still exactly where I left them. Some places are that safe to live!

I've left mine in the front door overnight before now, when I've had to make several trips to the car to unload stuff. I did it not long ago, but my neighbour sent me a text around 9pm, asking if I realised they were in the door.

Littleorangeflowers · 18/04/2022 16:42

I'm only on page 8 and I'm lmao at the locking doors and now it's opportunist thieves Vs masked gunmen - earlier it was people locking the patio to go to the loo 😂

Littleorangeflowers · 18/04/2022 16:43

If someone came into my house my dog would think yes! This is me! It's my time! Because nothing ever happens here 😂

Oatsandstuff · 18/04/2022 16:44

@LakieLady

Bloody hell when I lived in rural Lincolnshire I went out for the day once and accidentally left my keys dangling in the front door. Got back and they were still exactly where I left them. Some places are that safe to live!

I've left mine in the front door overnight before now, when I've had to make several trips to the car to unload stuff. I did it not long ago, but my neighbour sent me a text around 9pm, asking if I realised they were in the door.

Yes but did you live near a holiday let? And in the daytime you’d had to return on multiple occasions roaming and destructive children?
Clymene · 18/04/2022 17:00

And in the daytime you’d had to return on multiple occasions roaming and destructive children?

@Oatsandstuff if you have to result to hyperbole and exaggeration to make a point, you've got a weak argument

whenwillthemadnessend · 18/04/2022 17:03

I in a 2000 population village. Not rural as such but a close community.

My back door is never locked (unless
I'm in bed) or my back gate so I could
be hoovering upstairs and masked gunman could ransack my home at any point and I'd be non the wiser. Lol.

Mirw · 18/04/2022 17:08

Hang the 5 year old on a fence nearby... That happened to my nephew when he broke out of the caravan and went roaming on the farm that was next door to the caravan park. Parents were really careful after that!

balalake · 18/04/2022 17:11

I hope that the person renting being an employee of the owner has the desired effect. I'd be wanting the owner to get his employee to leave, and also offer to provide a written statement if needed (hinting that this may be needed to support the owner dismissing his employee).

XingMing · 18/04/2022 17:20

IMHO the OP is absolutely within her rights to be angry with the AirBnB tenants/parents. In areas like ours, because I can't be a million miles away from her, kids play with anyone around. New faces are always genuinely welcomed. But farms are hazardous and livestock are valuable, so there is a duty of care to monitor what 5 year olds do.

Nanny0gg · 18/04/2022 17:28

[quote Hawkins001]@Nanny0gg
Are these front doors or internal doors ?[/quote]
Front. They're often steel core with special locks (or ours was anyway)

You can have ones that need a key from the inside to lock or not (don't like them as you can't leave on the 'latch' when you want to pop outside)

WimpoleHat · 18/04/2022 17:31

Bloody hell when I lived in rural Lincolnshire I went out for the day once and accidentally left my keys dangling in the front door. Got back and they were still exactly where I left them. Some places are that safe to live!

To be fair, I once parked my car at a London Underground station and left the door open. Went on the tube, went out for the evening and returned some hours later to find everything still as I’d left it, including the pile of loose change I kept for car parking machines!

AllOfUsAreDead · 18/04/2022 17:33

Surprised at how many people who are shocked that op doesn't lock their doors. Seen other threads where it's the opposite, people almost offended that you don't trust them not to rob you and all doors should be unlocked. Grin

godmum56 · 18/04/2022 17:37

where's the OP? I want to hear the end of the story.

EvenPhilip · 18/04/2022 17:41

Fair play to the OP if she returns to this thread after the torrent of ridiculous comments.
If it was me I'd be laughing my arse off, whilst simultaneously thinking f**k that and not bothering.

IntricateRhyme · 18/04/2022 17:44

We used to live in a quiet rural village. The elderly neighbour on one side used to boast about how safe it was on our lane, that she never locked her doors. We didn't either, until one day she got burgled and the burglars made their escape past our house. The Police searched our garden because of all the outbuildings they could hide stuff in. We locked our doors for a few months after that. Bit of a scare. We live in a bigger village now. Wouldn't feel happy leaving doors unlocked here.

JudgeJ · 18/04/2022 17:44

@Bunnybingesoneggs

Lots of private land signs.

What about this one?

I like the one in the fruit and veg place I use 'Badly behaved children will be sold to the circus'.
LBFseBrom · 18/04/2022 17:46

@billy1966

Contact the owners and tell them that their guests are an absolute nuisance.

State clearly that they are allowing very young unsupervised children wander around your property.

They are CF and you need to tell the owners that their guests need telling to respect your property.

If that 5 year old fell into the water it would be your responsibility as it's on your land, when it really isn't your responsibility.

Don't allow this to continue.

Please do that; if you don't the owners could allow them to book again! Nip it in the bud now and I hope this week passes quickly for you. Disgraceful behaviour from these visitors.
middlingnot · 18/04/2022 17:55

Those parents aren't parenting! Completely complacent and irresponsible and possibly either thick or entitled. Did they take your playdate suggestion as an open-ended offer of holiday time childcare? Unfortunately with some people you have to spell things out very clearly and leave no room for misinterpreting. They have no idea of the dangers and risks clearly. Ridiculous but some people leave their brains at home.
Interesting that it's their employee showing themselves up, that won't create a good impression with the boss, will it?

Trudij123 · 18/04/2022 17:58

@Littleorangeflowers

If someone came into my house my dog would think yes! This is me! It's my time! Because nothing ever happens here 😂
Mine would make a lot of noise and then offer to hold their bag for them. “She’s not got any jewellery, but I can take you to the tv if that helps? “ Easter Grin
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