Neighbourhood children constantly outside my house

[georgebungleszippy]

My house is on a cul-de-sac. It’s not a new estate but a single dead end road with new build houses.

There is a tiny area of planting directly in front of my house and then the pavement.

Since the end of Spring a group of children, maybe mid primary age to young secondary school age, have been hanging around directly outside my house, talking loudly. I can hear them over my television. They are still out there now, even though it’s dark.

When they aren’t yapping outside my house they are cycling around the small area in front of my house and the eight or so houses in that area of the street. Recently they’ve started using their bikes and scooters to race up and down the street, across people’s driveways and across the entrance to the residents car park (for the houses without drives).

Cars driving up and down the street are now accelerating to indicate their annoyance at the street being blocked by the children and then speeding away once they have gone past.

I’m concerned that there will be an accident at some point and one of these kids is going to be seriously injured or worse.

Secondly I’d like them to stop hanging around directly outside my house. Today they have been outside my front room window since 4pm. All I can hear is them shouting at each other. At the weekend I’m having to keep my blinds shut as they keep looking in.

I know kids need downtime. I just want them to do it somewhere else occasionally.

The grumpy part of me wants to go out and tell them to fuck off somewhere else. But I don’t want to create an issue with my neighbours. Not sure how to deal with it. I moved to escape a noisy neighbour and now there’s this issue. Don’t really want to move again.

Oh leave them alone OP, they're not doing anything wrong. Poor kids just want to hang out together and have fun.

Annoying as it may be to you… you don’t own the streeet and they are just kids. Sounds like they r just playing and talking rather than causing trouble. Bit mean spirited to go out and have a go at them

I’ve not said anything to them yet. But this has been almost every day after school, the school holidays, and at the weekends since April. So, yes, I’m getting a bit fed up with it.

YABU it’s not your land. Unless they are on your land it’s not yours to say what they do (unless illegal and you can call the police eg taking drugs or dealing drugs). Get some ear plugs. Some double glazing. Some hobbies

Nah, this would piss me off too. You may not own the street, but neither do they…and yet their parents allow them to commandeer it.

Sit tight. Winter temps are coming!

Put a few barrow loads of manure on the planted area outside your house.

I don’t care that they are out getting some fresh air and social time. Kids need to go out more. I would just like if they could do it outside someone else’s house occasionally. They are maybe two feet outside my front room window and they can be there for hours, particularly at the weekend.

To be honest this is why i discounted any houses on greens. There is nothing you can do but rain should stop this temporarily

OP, the clocks go back on Sunday, after that not many children will be playing out. They will want to be indoors very soon.

Water your garden...

It would be lovely if there was a green. But it’s a bog standard dead end street with houses either side, a pavement, and the road. There’s not even a park close by that they could use, so I do get it. They need to get out of their houses for some social play and chat etc. I’d just like it if they would congregate on different parts of the street so it’s not directly outside my house every day.

Piss it. Quoted myself rather than the poster. Apologies @bababamama

I’d ask them to move from outside your house, the noise is intrusive

This would annoy me too OP and I have a child myself. It annoys me when people are directly outside my house talking etc, let alone kids, for hours on end. It’s akin to having noisy neighbours really isn’t it, because of the direct disturbance to the privacy of your own home. I guess you could go out and say something but not sure it would achieve much & may be antagonistic. When it’s happened to us with older kids outside I’ve opened the front door & let my little girl start asking them questions etc which she loves to do, and I stand there with her, and they soon tire of that and leave 😂

I sympathise with the not enjoying the congregation 2ft outside your window, I’d hate that too.
I’d let the cycling go through because its not your road and kids need somewhere safe to burn off some energy. Pick your battles.
Theres a mid way point before telling them to fuck off though! Most kids that age really don’t want adults gegging in on their ( probably daft) conversations. I’d use that. Leave the window a half inch open and listen carefully for ten minutes. Then go out and approach them in a friendly way - hello kids, look can I ask you lot a favour? It’s lovely that you all are friends here but do you think you could gather to chat somewhere else some of the time? I’m trying to watch telly/listen to the radio and all I can hear is you lot! You are really close to my window!

I’d then throw in a couple of quotes from the aforementioned conversation. As a kid I’d have been mortified. I couldn’t have stayed far enough away from you after that.

if all else fails, pray for a hard winter 😆

This. They're just playing out. It used to be normal and still should be. I live in a similar cul de sac, children play outside and it's fine.

Thanks everyone. I really don’t want to say fuck off, and I’m not going to say that. It’s just really getting me down.

I had a noisy neighbour at my last house, loud music until the early hours every weekend and screaming matches between the neighbour and his partner, so when I moved here I thought it would be more peaceful. And generally speaking, it is.

But, for example, last Sunday I was ill. I just wanted to sit on the sofa and watch telly in between being sick. They stood outside my house more or less all day from 9am until it got dark. I shut my blinds at midday because I got fed up with it. I’ve got those perfect fit blinds so I can’t tilt them. And I could still hear them as they sort of shout over each other.

You have my sympathy. I have a not dissimilar issue with kids kicking football directly in front of my sitting room window. I don’t have a front garden and all I can hear is bang bang bang when they’re at it. I just want to watch TV in peace. One idea for you would be to putter about outside when they’re there and make small talk and become a bit of a harmless nuisance yourself. Keep a window open so they think their conversations are being overheard and listened to. You could even join in. They might be more inclined to move on if you’re always hovering about.

I do need to weed my front ‘garden’ so if it’s not raining on Sunday that’s what I’ll be doing. It’s not a garden as such. Just a 2ft strip of plants in front of my living room window but it’s getting a bit untidy. That should put them off. I’m out all day on Saturday so I’m not fussed if they are hanging around.

Hi op. I fully empathise! Exactly this happened to me 6 years ago, and I have to say we moved house because of it.

Two girls, maybe aged 10, took up residence on my private front garden (which, as with a lot of new builds, wasn't fenced). After a full week of them sitting in my garden, yabbering away from 4pm to very late, (with darkness making no difference as they both lived a few doors down) I went out and asked them to move to one of their gardens. That was it. Five minutes later, there comes the mum, hammering on my door, screaming obscenities. They'd lied and told her that I'd screamed at and threatened them. Absolutely not. I was very polite. Then, the dad came by later on and did the same thing. Banged on the door, screaming that he was going to kill us. All because I asked the kids to move to one of their own gardens!

Oh and by the way, it wasn't just these two girls. They had the brass neck to invite other kids into MY garden! Literally became the kids park.

Everyone turned on us after that, as the neighbours were all in a clique (they all had young kids but we don't) and that's what led to us selling.

Sorry op. Until this has happened to people, they have absolutely no idea what it's like. They look into your windows, laugh at you, scream, shout, electric bikes, the lot. It's nothing short of harassment.

As PP suggested I'd actually engage with them. So open the window, talk to them ask them inane questions about school or other boring things. If you do this on a regular basis they will get bored and move on elsewhere for so e peace and quiet

I’m so sorry that happened to you. This is exactly why I’ve not even politely asked them to move. I live alone with my two cats and I don’t want any aggro. I just want to have some peace and quiet in my own home. If I have to move again then so be it. I’m just annoyed because I spent a load of money landscaping the back garden and building a catio.

Thank you. And I totally hear you. It is miserable, and then when you finally (politely) say something, they see it as an invitation to wreak havoc and make you a target. And some of these parents... Ugh.

Same with us. I loved that house and I'll never be able to afford one that big again. We bought that one when houses were relatively reasonably priced. (2014)

I hope for your sake they give up soon. It's hard to deter kids like this, especially when they appear to have the full support of their parents.

Playing out - absolutely. Hanging about by your windows day and night, yelling and screaming - no. There needs to be better rights for homeowners.

This is a super idea. When DDs friends were round DH tried to have a conversation about classical music with them, they literally ran to her bedroom (he was being genuine, for some reason he thought they were interested). In fact I would start playing classical music when they go there and talk about it with them.
(this could backfire and they might be interested of course).

@LondonLass2026 Thank you. I have never had problems in previous houses, other than these last two. Unfortunately my circumstances changed and I can’t really afford to move again at the moment. I was so happy when I got this house. It’s tiny but I really do love it. I’m starting to feel how I felt in my last house, anxious and on edge. I moved specifically because of my neighbour and I’m in a similar boat again. I’ll have to suck it up for at least a year and save up to move, because I don’t want to put up with this next year when the clocks change in the Spring.