Can I ask my opposite neighbours to remove their reflective window film?

[fartotheleftside]

any time there is sunlight it just reflects directly into our house and somehow always directly into my eyes :(

would I be wrong to let them know and ask if they can find a different solution? I’ve never spoken to them

I put up reflective film that ended up causing issues for one neighbour so ended up putting a cheap IKEA paper blind on the outside of the window, covering the part that was causing the reflective issues. It looks a little unbalanced (it's just a paper blind randomly covering part of a window) and next year I will probably get a better solution (like install proper shades) but for the time being my house isn't hot and they aren't annoyed and it's obvious it's for the sun.

So yes, it's worth nicely mentioning it. They are allowed to put stuff on their windows but there could easily be a solution that works for both of you.

I think you need to show them the impact it’s having. I’d take photos or if it doesn’t fully show it invite them round to see. A reasonable neighbour shouldn’t expect you to not be able to open your curtains due to their window covering. If a modification that required planning permission caused so much reflection into a neighbours home then the council would require the plans to be modified to avoid this prior to permission being granted. Window film doesn’t require planning permission but the principle of not causing light pollution into a neighbours home is the same. If the neighbour refuses to alter or remove the film then you could ask for advice from environmental health at your council

I know right... My neighbour opposite got a doorcam last summer, (on her front door) after we had had a strange man wandering about in the area who was trying side doors and back doors, and also trying car doors. It faced my front garden and driveway and house, and whenever I was in the garden weeding and planting and digging, and cleaning the car, and tootling around at the side of the house, going in and out of the garage and so on, I was acutely aware that the camera was on me. No matter where I was in the garden, the camera was looking at me LOL.

I became so self conscious, especially when one of the kids told me their mum was watching them on the drive from work on her break, and they said that she could see them on the lawn of the people who live next door (to me) when they were playing on the front lawn with the little girl who lives there. The camera had quite a wide view on it. I thought 'if she can see them, and watches through the webcam when she's at work/not at home, she could be watching me too.' Or 'the whole family could be sitting there watching me and laughing at me.' And they have footage too, so I was effectively being filmed.

May sound like I'm paranoid, and I know I probably am a bit, but I HATED that bloody camera being there pointing at me, watching me, my every move, everything I did...

Fortunately, it broke around March this year, and they never bothered getting it fixed or replacing it.

I really dislike cameras being everywhere, and especially when one (that belongs to someone else,) is poking its face into my house, garden, garage, driveway, lounge window, front doorstep, etc.... and I don't have any control over the footage.

They are handy for security, but the invasion of privacy (when they are on the front - or back - of people houses,) is a massive drawback.

We had to put a drop arm canopy ( basically a massive outdoor roller blind) on our front window due to the reflection from my neighbour’s car on their drive opposite, it bounces the sunlight right in the centre right opposite my sofa so we used to have to keep curtains fully closed. Best £150 ever spent, the blind comes down just far enough for us to still be able to see outside
Other new neighbours have just had black film on their front window and it looks bloody awful but at least it’s not mirrored.

Ah missed that bit sorry! I still reckon it’s worth mentioning it to them but being prepared for them to not do much about it. I really hope for your sake that it improves when it’s not peak summer.

Come off it. It's not wrong to inform a neighbour that they are causing a beam of concentrated sunlight to flash directly into your house.

Whether or not they will do anything, depends on their set up and whether they're reasonable and empathetic enough, but telling them is not 'wrong'!

There are other solutions to stop people seeing in your windows.

I had internal film put on as I live on a footpath = £60 minimal light reduction.

Get some light sheer voiles, lets the light in but diffuses it

You can get blinds made out of the same material if you prefer that

But if they own their own house then they are “allowed” to put a window film on it. I would definitely ask as you have nothing to loose but they must have a good reason for putting it on and therefore probably won’t want to take it down. Especially if that incurs cost and hassle.

Do you know if they own or rent? I’d definitely be talking to someone, it would drive me crackers too! You shouldn’t have to sit being blinded, or in the dark to enjoy your own property because of someone else’s actions.

If it’s not your problem, then why are you complaining?

your neighbours have a hot room, so to lower the temperature they’ve applied window film - which should reduce the tempering 5 +degrees

this is now affecting you, that’s what you’ve written - so people are coming up with suggestions for you

you don’t want to use any of the solutions available to you

all you want if the film to be removed from the neighbours windows, that’s not going to happen as they don’t know it’s affecting you - cis you haven’t spoken to them

but it’s highly unlikely that they’ll remove it anyway as it’s hot and reducing temperature is something people are striving to do

I am interested in this film. We used to have it on an office window at sub-street level. You couldn't see through it from the outside however, one evening I was dropping into the office to pick up some paperwork, it was dark outside as I passed the window to enter the office. A colleague had the light on inside and I could see her as plain as day through the film and she was picking her nose.

Once in the office I pointed out that it was possible to see through the film from the outside if it was dark there and the light was on inside. She blushed somewhat!

Does this film work the same way as it used to or have things moved on since then?

It's also about magnitude of detriment. If the film is removed the detriment to the neighbour is a huge wasted expense and their house is 5 degrees hotter which can be an intolerable heat level. If the film stays the detriment is that OP needs to pop on a pair of sunglasses if she looks in one particular direction, or could choose just not to look in that direction so much. These detriment are not remotely comparable

We’re all bloody hot on this street, it’s not like the film is the only way to cope with it

How do you suggest they mitigate the sun heating their room through the glass?

blinds inside the room allow the sun to enter, so don’t work anywhere near as well

shutters are a decent measure but more people’s windows open outwards not inwards

This is genuinely one of the most batshit things I have read on MN and I have been her a loooonnnngghhg time.

Honestly @fartotheleftside you are being ridiculous.

I have the one way reflective film on my front windows, I live in a terrace house with a hus stop smack opposite and I got fed up of people staring in. I wouldnt be taking my film down and I very much doubt the council would force me either.

Window shades as in the mini awnings like you see in front of old fashioned shops but smaller. They don't cover the windows but shade them and stop the sun heating the glass and the room inside. However, they are more expensive to install than reflective covers.
Or window covers that aren't as reflective but still block light

Ha…..no. Blinds is your answer

It's not, but the film is a valid choice that they are allowed to choose. It isn't their problem that you are sad about something they have done with their own money to their own property if it doesn't contravene building regs or planning permission regs. If you have a problem then it's for you to find a way to mitigate the problem that's within your power, making them reverse their legitimate decision is not within your power. Your arrogance in claiming (yesterday @14:57) that this shouldn't be your problem to fix is astonishing.

If you aaked me id tell you to get lost. Get your own film or blinds or something to block it out.
What would you do if it the sun was reflecting off something that wasn't on a person's property.
Its your problem not theirs!

I would go and chat to them in a friendly approach. If they don't change anything, voiles may help you - lets most light in but diffuses direct light. I had a local curtain shop make me some, inexpensive and very useful.

If the shiny stuff is genuinely on the inside you could point out how dangerous that can be: it can shatter your windows by concentrating heat in thermal stress.

Tilt your blinds upwards?

My blinds are not Venetian blinds. They’re completely closed or completely open, there’s no in between.

to others who have commented, I wouldn’t give a crap what they do with their windows if the exact angle on one of them wasn’t shining a concentrated beam of light directly into my eye. Honestly it’s on one of their smaller windows, they could keep it on the big windows no problem.

Quite a big difference between a literal mirror and a light reflection off any other surface…but I’m sure you knew that

Not really my problem…we are also very hot, we air the house out with the breeze at night and also bought an air conditioner