to NOT back down to my elderly neighbour.

[AbstractApple]

She is winding me up more and more and I can feel my heels digging in. My friends have told me they think I am in the right (they would wouldn't they?)

A bit of background- we've had two break ins and two attempted break ins in three years. We were advised to take extra precautions, including security lighting to the back of our garden which backs onto a fairly busy road.

Over the last couple of months we?ve had the wrath of an elderly neighbour- it started off with a letter saying could we turn off our light as it shines (when activated by motion sensor) into her bedroom.

I dropped a note back mentioning the burglaries and the advice from the police etc and said that I would chop back the tree (which sometimes moves in the breeze setting it off) I also bought her a blackout blind when I was shopping but didn?t give it to her because the following day she came whilst we were having breakfast and started screaming at us! So the blind is being stored in our garage gathering dust!

She regularly walks over to my house and if I haven't left in the morning she gives me a rant and a sermon for a good ten minutes and it's starting to drive me mad.

I'm not going to turn the light off, we've had no problems, no break ins no vandalism for over a year and I think the light has helped. Does anyone have any ideas? She is threatening to take me to court because it violates her human rights and I have sarcastically suggested she closes her curtains- which of course she didn't like- but I am fed up and would rather my energy was spent elsewhere :-).

I would understand if a neighbour did this- in fact all three of my neighbours have done the same and it is a pain when the light shines through a window and the council putting a streetlight to the other side of my house is a pain but I understand it is necessary to improve the security in the area, oh blah, blah blah I am even boring myself now.
Thank you if you got to the end.

If you back onto a main road how is it shining in her window? Surely the light points downwards over your property? The people over the back to us had a faulty light which was a nightmare and had it continued i would have had a word but it is fine now.

YABVU.

I think you need to make sure the light doesn't shine into her bedroom. Very rude/inconsiderate of you.

having been broken into i know what its like so i would welcolme the light.

Does she not keep her curtains closed?

You are under an obligation to consider her I'm afraid to say, you are obliged to take all possible steps to prevent it from affecting her. If it's pointing at her house then you are being unreasonable.

I would give her the blind.

YABU, those security lights are really invasive, possibly even worse than a light on all the time with the on - large blast of very bright light, off some relief, back on

Mine's from a legal perspective, I had to do stuff like this at uni.

I think it was good of you to buy her the blackout blind - I would take this round and offer to help her fit it, so that you have a clear conscience and know that you have tried to be reasonable. If she refuses this, then I think she is being unreasonable and whilst you should obviously be polite to her, you shouldn't back down. Sometimes elderly people can be incredibly rude and unpleasant and I personally don't think you need to back down to this just because she is elderly!

You really need to alter the angle of the light so it only shines onto your own property - buy the light a hood.

How come it points into her bedroom? Surely it points down into your garden?

Just give her the blind and stop being so petty.

I would give her the blackout blind, then she will have very little excuse to moan.

I would also be armed with information re if there are any guidelines for these lights - i.e. how bright they should/shouldn't be, how many lights are necessary/recommended for that space and how sensitive the sensors should be. Being objective, some of them are a pain, when they are very bright and come on if a mouse so much as sneezes in the direction of the house. I would see if there is anything you can do to minimise the impact this has on her, then ignore any further moans.

D

I don't understand how a security light for your property is shining into her bedroom window. Does it need adjusting?
TBH it would annoy me if a neighbour put up a light which was activated by movement and which shone into my bedroom.
Is the fact that you bought the blind an admission that actually yes, you know the light is affecting her property?

Having said all that, she does sound slightly mad.

I would ensure that the light isn't shining into her property. You should be able to deter burglars from your property without affecting anyone else. If she then continues to be difficult, at least you know it's her with the problem not you.

When I still lived at home, the back of my parents house used to be woods and fields (sigh, those were the days...) a housing estate was built behind them several years ago and the house that is directly behind my parents house had a light that shone directly into my old bedroom, proper nightmare especially since they used to leave their patio doors open all night so that their dog could wander in and out the house at all hours of the night.
I can see why she is going mad, even with curtains closed it is horrible.

Our neighbours have a light which shines into our bedroom window...so we shut the curtains. It isn't difficult and would rather that than risk neighbours being burgled or tripping in the dark etc. Your neighbour is BU, but maybe you could resurrect the blackout blind idea, as that sounded thoughful, especially if you put it up for her and try to smooth things over? Presumably, the light also adds to her own security too, maybe suggest that if you haven't already done so.

Why should the neighbour alter her property to suit the OP? OP needs to ensure that the light does not shine into neighbour's window as Loshad says you could hood the light, change the angle, lower it all sorts of things.

I am pretty sure you can be forced to change/remove it if it does impact her property. Or do councils work differently here?

I hate security lights. If it's motion sensitive it shouldn't be triggering that often if properly calibrated and should be pointing at your property not hers. Do you need a shade to stop it shining in all directions? They are usually designed so they can point at the house and I'd expect it to point downwards.

Thanks for that.

The light is mounted on the back of my garage and I have tilted it downwards(it is not angled to shine directly into her room FGS)- it shines onto an 8 foot exposed back wall of mine (which backs onto the main road)

I asked her neighbours either side and they said it did not disturb them in anyway and if anything the neighbour to her left has a more direct shaft of light than the elderly lady. They said that she has always caused trouble and they welcomed me getting the heat for a bit as their lives were fairly peaceful right now thanks.

She will not close her blinds because she likes to be woken up by the sunlight (she says) so if anything if I give her the blind she will not use it anyway.

My neighbours light is on all the time and drives me mad! It must be so sensitive. It's on the side of their house so doesn't bother them but it floods light right into my house (even with blinds closed) and is really annoying. I can understand your neighbour being pissed off - and acting mental as she is probably really tired on top of being really annoyed.

I think she is ranting away so often as when she told you how it was bothering her you did absolutely nothing.

Well you are either going to have to change the light in some way or get used to her being annoyed by it/ranting at you. Doesn't sound like she is willing to adjust her room/sleeping arrangements.

It sounds as though it needs adjusting if there are shafts of light affecting the neighbours both sides.

At the end of the day, it's her decision if she wants to be woken by sunlight.

I also think it's probably quite easy to say 'we want it and it makes it safer so tough', and less easy to understand how she might be feeling if she is having broken sleep every night because of this light. Perhaps this might be some excuse for her ranting?

As others have said, sounds like it needs adjusting in a number of ways to make it suitable for the location.

D

YABU she may not want to have a blind on her windows, she may want to have some natural light coming in, hench the reason she doesnt close her curtains

having a security light beeming in your room is another matter enirely, you are very inconsiderate and i can see why she is angry

get a burglur alarm instead

Am a little though about how anyone who likes to be woken by sunlight, gets any sleep at all during May, June and July! But still, it's unreasonable if it's shining in other people's houses.

D