I'm not really sure how to handle this situation, up until now we have kept quiet as we don't like the idea of falling out with neighbours but none the less these issues are irritating. How would you handle this?
So, we have lived in our house for nearly 30 years. All was fine with our previous next door neighbours, no issues at all. Seven years ago new neighbours moved in. They seemed a nice couple.
I am not sure if they are aware or simply don't care but ever since they have lived here they have been quite disruptive at times. This is our first house and so we don't have any other experience of neighbours so maybe this is the norm for a lot of people so as a result I have held my tongue and DH doesn't want to rock the boat either. Since they have moved in some of the issues we have had to endure have been....
Their three dogs barking. They have two large breeds and a yappy terrier. The terrier sets the others off. When they first moved in the dogs would bark all day when they were at work. They have calmed down over the years but if they go out for the night it starts again. A few months ago they went out on a Saturday night, the barking started at 7pm until they got home at 1am. We have not said anything as we also have a dog and she isn't mute but I would never let her bark as much as these dogs do. They have a monitor btw because the woman once told me she could see one dog tearing up a blanket whilst she was a work one day so I am sure they are aware of the barking when they go out.
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They have two dc. The oldest is quiet but the youngest would scream every evening from around 7p, until about 10pm until a year or so ago. I never said anything as I have two (now older teen) dc and understand the early years can be tough going and actually felt sorry for them all (although it was still very annoying though).
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They have chickens in the back garden and they make a lot of noise. We recently had issues with rats in our garden which DH had to deal with. We have never had a rat issue in all the time we've been here, even though we are semi-rural (DH worked on farms so knows how NOT to attract them). The neighbours back and front gardens are now a bloody mess. What were previously lovely lawned areas with flower beds and rose bushes now house 3 broken down land rovers and various other scrap paraphernalia. When he moved in the guy said he plans to do up but it's been years and they are just gathering grass around them. They have some other animals outside too, rabbits/ferrets/guinea pigs? Not sure but I am certain they are encouraging the vermin. We have mentioned the rats to them but they say it's nothing to do with them.
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Oldest child has taken up football this year and keeps kicking his ball over our garden (we have a six foot fence). We just throw it back over each time but it's been fairly continuous this summer and I worry about our greenhouse and summerhouse windows. I also have had to grabble the ball with our dog a few times as he thinks it's a plaything for him.
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The husband seems to enjoy having an evening fire pit sometimes. Not an issue if done correctly but the last two times it has stunk our house out with smoke, it was during the heatwave so all our windows were open. That did piss me off because they could have forewarned us and we would have shut our windows up. I also don't like the idea of any kind of fires when everything is so dry since the heatwaves.
Anyhow, we have not said anything up until this point, I admit I'm rather passive and hate rows and falling out with anyone but what boils my blood are the times the wife has had no issue What'sapping me over the slightest of things that come from our side. For example one evening my ds and his gf were in our garden sorting out his shed, the neighbour messaged me asking if I could have a word with them because they were having a big row outside and it had woken her youngest. I thought this was strange as I have never heard them argue...turned out to be a couple fighting in the park area which runs behind our property, I pointed this out to her but got no reply back.
Last week my dd's boyfriend was outside in his car waiting for my dd as she had popped back home to get something it was literally 10 mins. It was at 9pm on a Saturday night. The neighbour came out and told him off for having his music playing, I was sitting in the lounge and the car was just outside the window, it was not noisy and as I say, it was literally 10-12 mins.
She also once messaged me telling my our dog was barking and could we please quieten him down as yet again, it was disturbing her youngest. We were out in the garden trying to sort out the sodding rat issue and our dog knew they were out there (he's a terrier) and was getting restless.
I know it's easy to say this and I can't expect anyone to know this for sure but we are genuinely a quiet family and like our peace and quiet, I really don't feel we are bad neighbours at all.
I don't want to fall out with anyone but I am getting annoyed over the fact they seem totally oblivious just how noisy and disruptive they can be yet have no qualms contacting us over the slightest thing.
What would you do or say in the situation? Should I just continue to ignore and secretly seethe when they keep doing what they do?
DH says not to say anything, he says he is making mental notes of all the issues from their side and if they ever say anything out of the way to us he will hit them with a long list of their disturbances.