Are we the nuisance neighbour or are they? Long one, sorry folks.

[thatisall]

Right I could get flamed for this by anyone who has had a nuisance or negligent neighbour and thinks that I am one of those, but here goes.

The background to this is as follows.
We moved into a new build village in February.

We rent because (not that I should feel the need to explain I know) my dh has his own company and needs another year of accounts before we can buy.

We and our neighbours moved in at the same time and through the same letting agent/manager, they are lovely.
We are the middle of 5 houses who have dogs.

We did not have a dog when we moved in.
This is a very noisy street.
Next door the other way (owners) have very very screamy babies ( I think they're using some form of self sooth technique which clearly isn't working) and a yappy dog who goes mental every time I go into my garden.
I have NEVER complained about their noise as the lady seems to have alot on her plate with the dc and dog etc and I figure they must hear us living our ives so let them live theirs.
Next door (owners) have complained to letting agent about next door (tenants) parking and got them in trouble. (my reason for pointing out owner rentor will become clear lol)

The man next door makes me feel uncomfortable as he comments on everything. 'There's a smudge on your windscreen' 'Your living room curtains were left open last night' 'there have been alot of different cars on your drive this week haven't there' I feel watched. I try to be friendly but as a couple hey just seem awkward, but I figure thats just the way it is. The lady next door 'accidently added me on Facebook after searching for me (how I don't know) and then deleted immediately.

ANYWAY back to the issue.
We recently got a puppy :-) The puppy trainer had concerns that we weren't leaving her enough or for long enough as I work from home atm, but i will be going back to the office.
He pointed out that so long as she had food, water and toys and was safe, we should try leaving her for a couple of 3 hours stints a day, ready for when I return to the office. So we did, for a couple of days and all was well. Life officially back!!

At the weekend my dh and I were child free and left her for around three hours in the afternoon from 12.30, returning to find her asleep. We had a nap (getting old) and a wash and decided to go for a drink with friends around 9.30 returning at 12.30 am, again finding her asleep. During the evening while we were at home a dog was barking round the back of the houses, ours was playing with us!

Our letting agent has forwarded a complaint to us which states that we
'left at 12.30 pm and returned at 12.30am.' (we returned mid afternoon until 9.30pm.
'That our dog was barking for 12 hours straight and prevented them from eating in the Garden at Dinner time' We were home with her at that time, she certainly wasn't barking.
'That they are sick of having to complain about tenants and the homeowners association will act if they cant find appropriate people'
'we have discussed this with other neighbours' (it wasn't discussed with our other direct neighbours who rent)
'what sort of normal person would leave an animal in such warm heat'
'we are considering calling the RSPCA'
'yours, a frustrated homeowner'

Now my husband just finds this laughable, but I think its more serious. We are in the process of adopting and I worry as to what a report however unfounded to the RSPCA will affect this.

We have a clean, tidy home, we don't do anything that would disturb them or ruin the look of the street, their home, we don't have parties or listen to loud music. Goodness we are boring!! In short, we are not nuisance neighbours.

Its really upsetting to think that we have been 'discussed' with anyone.
Of course the puppy will have barked for a few minutes when we left, but no more than anyone else's does on that street everytime a car pulls up or in the case of their dog, someone pegs their washing out!

Its worrying that he know the time we initially went out and the time we ultimately came in.

What do I do?
What if this escalates into bigger complaints? I don't want to be reviled by neighbours, this was not our dog barking and we do not neglect anyone in our home.

Could you set up a camcorder to record your dog when you go out so you have evidence that it isn't your dog barking?

I would tell the letting agent that much of what is written is complete lies.

They're stalkers! I'd write back to the letting agent, explaining that you are being targetted by obsessive stalkers and asking them if they can find out if they have previous form for this sort of thing. Ask the letting agents not to facilitate their habit, as you are gathering evidence to take to the police. Copy your email/letter to the letting agents and post through their door - I think you can guess who it came from!

send a letter back to them telling them to go ahead and call the RSPCA and have your trainer write a letter stating the techniques you have been using. Tell nighbours to get a life of their own.

You only have a year left anyway.

My dh thought that too, but it doesnt stop the suggestions to neighbours, only gives us proof to show the letting agent.

I second what geegee says!

If your puppy was indoors then They are being unreasonable and in my view are taking advantage of the fact that you are renting as if you owned the house they would have to behave in a normal manner and speak to you if they had a compliant or problem.

To be fair the letting agent is the only person you need to prove this too...Your neighbours can go and fuck themselves to be honest.

cansu thats how I feel. I didnt know until I got here but it turns out this 'homeowners association' has a bee in its bonnet about tenants. There is a community association to which everyone is welcome, but the homeowners is something of an exclusive club.

There are comments on forums and things about rented hoes dragging down the community and tennants spoiling things for everyone else.

Its like Hot Fuz

I keep being reported to the RSPCA. Their officers are lovely and investigate!! They do not just take the word of some random!! They can report me again if they like, last time I was due to buy my dogs frontline and was skint. I mentioned it and they gave me six months worth, saving me a fortune.

My dog has a skin condition, which waa reported as an untreated skin condition!! A call to the vets verified that.

You have your trainer to back you up. As suggested, film the dog, so you know for sure what is going on. You will be fine.

I would ask for a meeting with the letting agent to nip this in the bud straight away.

I once left a complaint by my crank neighbour, thinking that as it wasn't true it wouldn't matter and it got bigger.

I would then put my answer in writhing and post it through the neibours door.

Keep it polite and to the point about them threatening you with the RSPCA and challenge their lies.

Don't engage with them and challenge anything to the letting agent that they accuse you of.

The adoption won't be affected and surely it won't be happening until after your move?

Tell the letting agent exactly what you've said in your Op, thatisall.
It won't be the first time that the letting agents have heard compaints about their clients that are exaggerated or complete bullshit.
Keep as calm as you have in your OP - don't resort to calling the neighbours 'stalkers', just explain that there's been a misunderstanding.
Your letting agents might be able to advise you if the 'complaints' continue and if you do end up having to defend yourself more.

Its like they have some sort of power now. I find myself worrying about leaving her at all now. What if we come back and theres an RSPCA van in the driveway?

I feel like a second class citizen because I don't own this poxy house and I think thats what they or he wanted.

Its the Summer holidays and Im stuck next to them all day with my dd, listening to babies screaming and dogs barking all the while telling dd to shhhh. its ridiculous. I know it shouldn't effect me like this, but i feel so attacked.

:-(

You need to work on how you feel, that is all that you can do.

You are giving them the power.

I have had false claims against me and have had the RSPCA investigate, they are very understanding and support good dog ownership, which is what you are doing.

Dogs should be left ,for short periods, or if anything happens they are un-rehomable.

No-one can commit to being with their dog for 24 hours a day, for 14 years.

Are you only taking the dog out in the car? i would lead walk it up and down the street.

It keeps their nails short and keeps good lead walking consistant

Speak to the letting agent.

I rent out a flat in London in a small new build block, part of a private road with a mix of houses and flats, very similar dynamic to what you describe. The man who lives above the flat I own is also an owner, obviously I have a tenant in underneath him.

Tenant is generally pretty good about noise but one day I receved a voicemail with a 5 minute absolute tirade from man who lives upstairs about how the tenant had come back at two in the morning with a girl, been screaming their heads off and making life a misery and if he did it one more time he was going to call the freehold association and have my tenant evicted.

I spoke to the tenant and it transpired that he had indeed brought a young lady back with him and they had been having (not so) private adult time. He denied the majority of the screaming. We had a good laugh about it. I then phoned the freehold management company and complained that the man who lived upstairs was harrassing my tenant and their response was "Oh god, not Mr.C in flat 5?" They then spent half an hour regaling me with tales of his more ridiculous complaints, they knew him well and took absolutely no notice of him.

So it might well turn out that your letting agents are the same.

I think I would respond to the complaint with the facts and I would also have to add that you feel harassed and that these neighbours are preventing you from enjoying a normal family life. I would make it clear that you are following proper guidance regarding the care of your dog and that the dog will be left in the house while you are at work. If it puts your mind at rest ring the RSPCA yourself and ask their view on your arrangements. I think the RSPCA would be completely uninterested in a dog being left in the house for three or four hours! I would probably finish your letter by asking the letting agent to ask the neighbours to communicate any problems and concerns directly to yourselves so that misunderstandings and incorrect impressions about what time you arrive and leave your home can be quickly resolved. I would also probably finish with a nice conciliatory statement about hoping that you can have a pleasant relationship with your neighbours and that you will of course be happy to listen to any concerns they may have as you have no wish to disturb them. You have my sympathies op because I also rent and have suffered from the same narrow minded behaviour myself.

WTF? A homeowners association? Sounds bloody odd to me. Frankly you've done nothing wrong. I would reply to the letting agent with the facts and your concerns about harassment. If there is anything on the net which is rude about tenants and traceable to them or their laughable association I would print it off and send to the agent as an example of unpleasant behaviour. Finally if you are in a position to do so I would inform the agent that you will be buying somewhere after a year. They might then have an interest in keeping you happy. They have minimal interest in keeping your neighbour happy.

God it sounds like Midsomer Murders, chasing out tenants :(

They are just a bunch of snobs in my opinion. Do not think that you have done anything wrong coz from your posts you sound like a good reasonable neighbour.
Your neighbour thinks that because they own their home they are better than you. (which is absolutely rubbish).

Id also advise using a camcorder. Or knock on their door everytime u go out and come back home. That will teach them to stop being so nosey.

Dont let it bother you. Contact your letting agent & im sure they will sort it for you.

Not helpful, but I would move. The phrase "new build village" fills me with horror, and your neighbours seem to be living up to the image

This happened to my cousin (the dog bit) the neighbours kept threatening to phone the dog warden. He phoned the dog warden at the council himself and they came out and had a chat and look around. Everything was fine.

A few days later the neigbours phoned and were very put out at the dog warden telling them there wasnt a problem and to stop wasting their time.

Oh I meant to say YANBU!

Do you actually know that the complaint is from your neighbours with the screamy dogs or are you just guessing at that from the 'homeowner' signature?

If the latter you might want to consider playing innocent with the letting agent and replying along the lines of

'I think this may have been sent to us in error, none of the times and dates seem to correspond with our activities: .

I wonder if this is intended to refer to someone else in the street, as several people have dogs? We haven't left ours alone at all apart from as above, which makes the references to multiple complaints particularly confusing. Perhaps someone else's dog has been barking and it has been mistaken for ours? We have noticed that the street in general is quite noisy but haven't taken this any further as obviously a certain amount of noise is to be expected as everyone goes about their lives.

Apart from the above, the wording 'the homeowners' association will act' seems rather threatening; surely it is not the homeowners' privilege to decide who lives next to them if someone is renting, as opposed to if they have own the house? We would be grateful to hear your thoughts on this.

Kind regards etc.'

I have got a bit carried away and drafted you a letter, but since I have I may as well post it, I hope you don't find that patronising of me!!!

Hermione could you write all my letters for me in future, thais one is awesome.

I should've said my dh replied to the agents email, saying it couldn't possibly have been our dog as we were home for the middle part of the timescale that is suggested. He added that while we were home, we did hear a dog barking, but it was not ours and that the 'homeowner' must be mistaken.

They haven't replied.

My fear I think is that they will carry on, complaining to the agent and as per their email other neighbours. As for the RSPCA I know that they would just say pah, everything's fine if they came round, but if they came round while we were out and they tell them oh its been 12 hours and its like this everyday, its our word against theirs.

We're considering a camera to fim the puppy, but it feels awful that we will have to play big brother to ourselves to prove that we aren't at fault.

And yes it is like Midsommer.....they're currently up in arms about the fact that the builders are proposing to build some 'affordable housing', apparently it will attract the 'wrong sort' of resident.

hehe thanks!

It wouldn't be your word against theirs with the RSPCA, it would be your word plus your trainer's who has advised you to go out because you weren't doing it enough. I don't think you would have anything to worry about with their backup. Probably just the fact that you have a puppy trainer in the first place would go 90% of the way to reassuring the RSPCA.

believe me she needs a puppy trainer. My dd was bitten as a toddler by a very poorly trained small dog. She isn't frightened of dogs as I got her on a scheme with the police dog trainers (brilliant guys) but I still worry when she's with small dogs.
So when I agreed to a dog (dh wanted her) my conditions were that the dog is medium sized and will be impeccably trained or we don't get one.