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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be a little bit annoyed with new neighbours

114 replies

PeriodFeatures · 13/02/2014 19:46

We live in a semi. The house next door was recently brought and the couple are working on it.

About 4 weeks ago at about 7pm it sounded like they were hammering skirting board and drilling walls. Really noisy for ages.

I popped round and ever so nicely asked how long they were going to be, said we were trying to settle baby. They were very apologetic and decent and I wished them well with the work etc.

A couple of weeks ago a man, i assume it was the father of one of the couple popped around to tell us he would be drilling until 7pm. I said thank you for letting us know, he looked really stressed.

A few days before this a storm tore through the gardens ripping down fence between our gardens. We put a note through their letter box saying that we'd cleaned up mess but not sure who is responsible for the fence, perhaps they could look at their deeds and we'd have a look at ours. Happy to go halves. No mention of this by stressed man!

We have now replaced fencing having had no response from neighbours. Monday an abandoned sink was left in front of our house on pavement. Sheepish builder came and removed it

T9onight more drilling until about 15 mins ago. DD woke up crying.

AIBU to be annoyed? Do I sound like an arse? I get they are probably stressed and busy but is it reasonable to be doing noisy diy until 7.30pm on a weeknight? Not to respond to note about damaged fence?

OP posts:

SomewhereBeyondTheSea · 13/02/2014 23:10

Mine is the fence on the right (as seen from the house). Sadly that's the one that's lost at least 2 panels every winter since I moved in. Think I have just about replaced all of them now, in a piecemeal way.

Generally 9pm is the acceptable social weekday limit for noise. Though no noise abatement people will do much until 11pm, if it's 'ordinary' noise like drilling, washing machine etc. (If they even lift a finger then ... )

tracyandeli · 13/02/2014 23:49

Drilling can't be going on for that long unless there making holes all over the place.... Just saying.

Preferthedogtothekids · 14/02/2014 00:22

You need to look for the 'T' marks on you land registry plan to establish who is responsible for what boundary. If the T is on your side, then it's up to you what fence you have and it all must lie within your land. If it belongs to your neighbour, they don't have to repair it when it's broken, in fact there is no legal requirement to have any fence at all!

YellowTulips · 14/02/2014 00:56

7pm doesn't sound too bad.

Being a good neighbour is about give and take. If you can hear their drilling sure as hell they can hear your baby screaming at 3am

Give some leeway - what goes around comes around.

DCexpat · 14/02/2014 01:33

Someone recently posted on here that there is no legal requirement for fencing. Its up to the individual property owner to build one on their own land if they want one. If this is correct, your neighbors had absolutely no responsibility to pay for the fence.

lessonsintightropes · 14/02/2014 01:53

Yes YABU, I think DIY noise until 9/10 isn't unreasonable - even if unfortunately for you, you have a tiny person trying to sleep. This is a temporary situation and as many others have pointed out, your DCs (once they are a little older) will almost certainly be pretty noisy. I share a party wall with a small child who makes incessant, irritating noise from 6am - we don't have children at present although we are trying. I wish the child would be quieter but realise it's not reasonable at all to ask. Your previous post suggested you are pissed off because you are not getting universal YANBUs... why post here unless you want an honest opinion?

CheshireDing · 14/02/2014 07:11

YABU. If the deeds are unclear and there are no T marks then it is shared responsibility for the boundary, realistically most people just replace the odd fence panel and pay for it themselves on these occasions. Falaffels neighbour is incorrect.

Your neighbours will finish eventually so they can move in, just suck it up for now the poor pair are at work all day. The work has to be done and better it's done in the winter before you have the doors open with the nice weather.

sewingandcakes · 14/02/2014 07:54

I do feel for you OP, it's hard trying to settle a baby if there is noise from next door, but it sounds like they're trying to get on with sorting out their house and this will end. Your relationship with them will be longer lasting and I know how much noise my own children can make, so you might be on the other side of complaints one day.

I'd try and keep the lines of communication open, and maybe agree on times/warnings when they'll be drilling.

SarahAndFuck · 14/02/2014 07:59

Your local council website will probably have advice about building / DIY noise times if you want to look it up.

tiggytape · 14/02/2014 08:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Flossyfloof · 14/02/2014 08:33

YABU. You live in a semi. People make noise. You do, they will, Their DIY noise won't last for ever and it doesn't sound as if they are doing it into the night. As others have said. you will be making noise too, which they won't really notice until they move in.
WRT the fence - there are no hard and fast rules with shared fences, as far as I know. Have you actually checked your deeds? I own several properties, old and new; all of their deeds are clear. In cases where fences are shared sometimes people share the cost sometimes people go ahead, as you did, and replace themselves. If you replaced it without negotiating part-payment from them you cannot ask them to pay now (I know you are not bothered about this). You cannot tell who owns a fence by looking at it.

Fleta · 14/02/2014 09:23

It is a common misconception that the boundary on a particular side is always your responsibility, or that the side of the fence posts determines who's responsibility. Both incorrect.

There should be some wording in the Title Information Document as to who owns the boundary. Alternatively there may be a "T" on the boundary lines with the vertical line of the "T" touching a boundary. In all likelihood the side of the main part of the "T" has responsibility for the boundary.

Original poster

PeriodFeatures · 14/02/2014 09:25

Thanks everyone. I'm not bothered at all by normal day to day life noise, I just got a bit uppity about power tools being used the otherside of DD bedroom at 7.30. The first time they did it was the first night we had a baby sitter since she was born so we hoped to get out for 7pm and it was about 8.30 in the end. I was really nice I think and just asked how long theyd be drilling the other side of DDs wall as we were desperate to get her settled so we could have our first night out!

Yes, I wish I'd just gone ahead and priced up the fence before putting the note through. It was loads cheaper than I thought it would be. We left it down for a couple of weeks but I was getting fed up of having no privacy and looking at all the kitchen units scattered all over their garden.

Thanks, I know I need to chill out a bit.

OP posts:

clam · 14/02/2014 13:44

"In all likelihood the side of the main part of the "T" has responsibility for the boundary."

I asked the council department about that when I was looking to replace all my fences a few years back, which is I was told about so many people wrongly assuming about the left-hand boundary. However, when I pointed out that there were some Ts pointing to bits of it, she said, "well, in theory, yes, but you'd have a hard time proving it, so in practice we advise people to come to an amicable agreement between themselves!"

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