to report neighbour to landlord for smoking weed?

[alisunshine29]

DD was playing in the garden tonight and our neighbour and some boys were smoking weed. I've smelt it many times before but hadn't realised that's where it was coming from - she has a 2 year old who was also out in the garden so hadn't suspected her at all. If it wasn't for her having a child there, and my children having to breath the smoke in if they want to play in their own garden, I'd mind my own business but now I'm thinking of reporting her to our joint landlord. AIBU?

[RiffyWammal]

YABU and very sanctimonious. I think you already dislike your neighbours for other reasons and are itching to get them in trouble and make their lives difficult.

[DreamsTurnToGoldDust]

What is the LL meant to do anyway? Its not the LLs problem, really it isnt.

[specialsubject]

nothing to do with the landlord, he's not their mum and can do nothing as I doubt their lease says 'don't smoke weed'.

if you want to report law-breaking, call the police. But as others note, this one is probably left.

[lottiegarbanzo]

That's true, either talk to her or 'report' properly, to the police. The landlord is not her parent.

As a landlord, that's that's what I'd tell you to do if you contacted me about my tenant. I might tell them I'd had a complaint, so giving them the opportunity to sort themselves out before it escalated through you going to the police. That's probably not what you want - them being told there's been a complaint and realising it must be from you. If you asked me not to let them know you'd complained I'd tell you to talk to them or / then to the police.

If she was dealing, or there was other anti-social behaviour, or the police contacted me it would be different but a couple if spliffs in the garden would not cause me to end the tenancy immediately. I'd always have to consider the possibility you were trying to make trouble for her for some other reason, without any other evidence.

[littlewhitebag]

What do you think your landlord would be able to do? He could challenge her but she would likely deny it and he would need proof to go any further. He could pass it on to the police but they would likely be uninterested unless they thought they were supplying it. I am in and out of people's houses all the time along with police and we are completely aware they smoke cannabis but the police won't take action unless they have reason to believe they will get proof. A raid for a small amount of cannabis which will merely lead to a warning is a waste of police time.
If it is the health effects on your children that worries you most then you need to approach your neighbour and ask her not to smoke near you garden when you are out in it. You don't have to say you think it is cannabis she is smoking.

[lottiegarbanzo]

The contract may well include 'don't do criminal things' and 'don't behave unreasonably towards your neighbours' clauses but some evidence, or repeated complaints and failure to deal with them, would be needed.

[sneezingwakesthebaby]

If she's on a rolling contract, the landlord can give notice if he doesn't like it. He won't have to say that's the reason for the notice. He wouldn't need proof at all in that situation. If he isn't happy with drugs being smoked on his property, he will be able to deal with it that way. He's stuck if its not rolling though and I doubt he'd do anything anyway since its outside the house.

[SusanneLinder]

I dont like weed, and I dont like the smell of it, and I wouldnt be happy about it smoked near my kids.HOWEVER-not a chance I would report her to her landlord.I would ask her if she could not smoke so close to fence.Thats what adults do.

[alisunshine29]

It was her plus 5 boys, all smoking weed next to a 4 foot high fence and we only have small gardens so it absolutely was too smoky for children to be around. It's illegal activity on the landlords property - of course he would do Something. Obviously I will speak to her first but doubting she'll like to be asked to change what she does in her own home.

[HeySoulSister]

If it's illegal you need proof... And you need that via the police!

[specialsubject]

the landlord would have to start eviction proceedings, which will take ages and cost him a fortune as your neighbour would no doubt stop paying the rent. Can't see him wanting to do this.

call 101 if it bothers you so much.

[pluCaChange]

The landlord is a private individual and no more suited to enforcing the law than you are, except, of course, that he has the power to take away your neighbour's home... which is really bully tactics, isn't it? And you are just as vulnerable to a LL's use of power, over whatever he "doesn't like".

Let the police deal with it more impersonally, if you want some enforcement.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Ali, have you read all the replies here?

You say It's illegal activity on the landlords property - of course he would do Something You've had a number of helpful replies on that point. What do you think he's going to do? Perhaps try to think about it from his perspective.

I've already explained that, as a landlord, what I'd do is suggest you speak to her and, if that doesn't work, I can tell her you've complained and remind her that her contract prohibits illegal activity and / or you can go to the police. I would not present your complaint as a fact, as I do not know whether it is true, so I would not say 'you have been smoking weed, stop it, or get out' for example.

I might be concerned about whether anything bigger was going on; dealing, setting up a cannabis factory in the spare room; all-night parties that upset all the neighbours, drug use on a scale that attracted dealers, customers and related criminals (thieves etc) but I'd expect to have recieved a few complaints from different neighbours and probably heard from the police if any of that was happening.

My primary concern is; do they pay the rent on time, keep their house in good order, let me know when there's a real problem but not take up lots of my time with trivial nonsense. If you get a bee in your bonnet about this and expect the landlord to act as your agent, you may risk falling foul of the last point and could make yourself the unpopular one.

Your issue is with smoke and would be the same if it was cigarette smoke. That's what you need to be tackling. It's a consideration issue. It's not really the illegality or the nature of the substance that is bothering you (or nothing you have said has suggested this). If your children were teenagers and knew what the smell was, there could be an issue of this behaviour setting a bad example. With smaller children, it's just about smoking but arguably, if you live somewhere with a very small garden, very close to the neighbours, it goes with the territory, however annoying that is. If a bad reaction to your request for consideration escalated into aggression and anti-social behaviour, that would be a concern but again, somthing to talk to the police about, then inform the landlord.

[TimothyClaypoleLover]

OP, YABU.

The Landlord is not going to give two hoots. We have neighbours who rent and they have done a lot worse than a bit of weed and Landlord isn't interested so long as the rent is paid on time.

Although I don't agree with smoking cannabis it is widely used and I accept that people can do what they want to in the privacy of their homes (which includes the garden). Surely if they were having loud parties every week, had unsavoury characters coming and going or were shouting and screaming abuse at each other that would be more harmful to you and your family.

I would suggest you get to know your neighbour so she has mutual respect for you and would be likely to listen to your concerns regarding smoking in the garden.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Or to cut a very long post short - what would you do if you both owned your houses (and had no pseudo-parent figure to appeal to)?

[ChipTheFish]

YABU. If your kids are coughing it is the tobacco that will be causing it, not the weed. There is less tobacco in a joint than in a cigarette, so you don't really have any justification for telling on her.

She obviously doesn't like smoking in the house because of her kids, so if this is the first time you have both been in the garden at the same time and she has been smoking than she mustn't smoke very much.

I've had some awful neighbours. Trust me, loud music, parties, drunkenness, unkempt gardens, fights are all a lot worse than somebody sitting having a quiet joint.

Pick your battles OP, you don't know who you could end up living next to if she got evicted.

[KellyElly]

If my children have to breathe their smoke then that makes it my business in my opinion. The toxins in the cigarettes will be doing more harm to anyone breathing it in than the actual weed.

Let the police deal with it more impersonally, if you want some enforcement. Sure they have better things to do than arrest someone for smoking a joint in their own garden

[BabyMakesTheBellyGoRound]

Well if they all switch to smoking cigarettes in the garden would it still bother you?
YABU,its a bit of weed,not crack.

[undercoverhousewife]

YAsoNBU It is so NOT the same as having a BBQ. Smoking weed is a criminal offence. I would not want my neighbours to be committing a criminal offence regularly in front of me and my children. Absolutely it is the landlord's business as he/she is also guilty of a criminal offence even if he/she knows nothing about it (drugs on premises are a strict liability offence for a LL).

Perhaps reporting to the police would be more effective though?

I can't believe everyone saying, meh, weed, so what? If they really think that then they should campaign for its legalisation. Until then, live with the law. We can't pick and choose which ones to abide by. BTW it also makes them irresponsible parents to be smoking drugs whilst "looking after" their DC.

Kellyelly I doubt the police have better things to do than enforcing drugs laws....

[storminabuttercup]

I'd talk to her, I am a smoker/ex-smoker/givingitup and if someone asked me to move away from the fence I'd be happy to oblige. I don't smoke weed but I know the smell of tobacco or weed is pretty yukky.

[twentythirteen]

I wouldn't have. I wonder what your intention is though. If you think she's harming her child then her landlord isn't the person you needed to have told.

[princessofmars]

YABU. It's not your business what she does in her own garden and what makes you think your landlord would evict her anyhow? Is he a member of the moral police? Does this REALLY stop your kids playing outside or do you just fancy a bit of drama? Meany

[garlicbrain]

As your excuse for moaning about the smoke is the effect on your DD, you'll also be implicitly calling her a rotten parent as her own DC were in her garden at the time.

You don't seem terribly good at picking your battles, I have to say. You'll be spending all summer one fence apart from the family next door - do you really want it to be an angry stand-off the whole time?

Why don't you just count your blessings that a reasonably trouble-free family lives next door? Put up some trellis and grow creepers to baffle the smoke. Take DD to the park. If you feel like a fight, find something worth fighting for!

[catgirl1976]

YABU

[slambang]

Assuming she's not smoking in the garden all day long.
Assuming your dcs are not disturbed by smoke most of the time.
Assuming that the landlord will not be able to prove anything so she will continue to live and smoke in the house despite your complaint.
And assuming you would like to keep on polite neighbourly terms with your NDN YABU.

Because the likely upshot of complaining will be neighbour continuing to live next door to you but making your life much more unpleasant.