Tenant leaving curtains shut

[user1466222549]

I became an accidental landlord about four years ago when we needed to move for work, but couldn't sell the house. We have rented the house to the same person ever since we left.

I keep getting hassled by one of my old neighbours who I have stayed in touch with. She has taken umbrage to the fact that my tenant leaves her lounge curtains closed most of the time. Not quite sure why this is such an issue to our old neighbour. She say that "It makes the road look terrible". I have told her that there is nothing i can do about it as I feel that it is none of my business whether the lady living in our old house opens her curtains or not.

My old neighbour mentions this "Issue" every few months. Although I don't want to fall out with her, surely she is completely unreasonable in moaning about our tenant's behaviour?

Oh, you could have some fun with this - would the tenant be on board?
Open the curtains and make sure whateve is happening in the living room is a sight to behold!

Some suggestions -
*Nudists (as mentioned by a PP)
*Something with a chaise-longue, floor cushions and shisha pipes - and lots of people.

*Initiation ceremony into weird cult.

*Fill the room with sex dolls and scarecrows, arranged as if in an orgy.

Tell her your tenant is a convicted murderer who once killed a neighbour who kept looking through her window.

Of course my money's on the local-community-considerate vampire being the truth of it

I have the lounge curtains always shut. The alternative is for the dog to perch itself in the window seat and spend the whole day barking at passers by.

Having said that... I started living them shut before I got the dog. It seemed that my very nosey neighbour started making assumptions about my personal life according to the time I turned the lights on/off. Having said that... I should have the window bricked up, the damn woman not only checks my windows, but my recycle, when I put my wheelie bin out and in, etc.

Or maybe just get the tenant to open the curtains for a day whilst sitting in their in a filthy bathrobe, fag hanging from the corner of her mouth and a can of Stella watching Jeremy Kyle. If nosy neighbour worries so much about the street looking terrible, she will be quite happy for the curtains to be drawn.

Your tenant is entitled to peaceful enjoyment of the premises.
If this means they want to keep the curtains closed they dont have to explain or justify this to you let alone an ex neighbour of yours.

In the past I have had my lounge and bedroon curtains shut all day due to
Glare on tv
Nightshift workers
Jet lag sufferers
Sunburnt relatives
Sensitivity to daylight
Hungover offspring

And to fuck off nosey neighbours as we sat out the back in the sunshine

Tell your former neighbour that her only recourse is to go and request that the curtains are open during daylight hours. That would be an interesting conversation to listen in on.

"Oh yes old neighbour, I did take on board your concerns and had a chat with the tenant about the curtains always being closed. The thing is though, they explained that they are often having sex in that room and thought passersby would prefer to see closed curtains than his spotty arse going up and down, up and down."

I go out walking the dogs, past many houses. I don't see in the front windows of any (unless they have lights on and curtains open). I pass 1 that have curtains shut all the time, this is the only house that stands out as different in the street. The curtains are not shut neatly, it does look as bad as the front grass being a foot high.

However I don't know what the neighbour wants you to do. As long as you have done a standard 6 mth visit, and everything is fine then just tell the neighbour to try and ignore it.

We used to keep our kitchen curtains closed a lot because it was south facing and got very hot in the summer but also because we had a very nosy neighbour who used to comment on what we'd been up to (I had a newborn at the time and hearing that it was a disgrace I was still in PJs at 10am just wasn't helping). She actually
mentioned it to our landlord and also to our GP who both reported back to me with mirth.

some good jokey answers!
But you need to tell her that the neighbour is the occupier and you have no legal right to interfere.

Actually I'll be the lone voice of discontent. I would be doing a check on the property. My DM has a rental property which was being used as a cannabis factory. She did everything by the book, tenant management agent, seemingly respectable tenants. Caused thousands pounds damage and insurance won't cover it. It is often boring suburban houses which get used for this. Only potential warning signs was afterwards neighbours said curtains were closed all the time and there were lots of comings and goings. Doesn't hurt to check it out.....

We rent a street fronted terraced house. Anyone walking past can stare in and our street is a busy walk through to the train station. Our front blinds are always closed. Be hilarious if our landlord tried to have a word based on some nosy neighbours.

I always have mine shut because the light streams right in, it drives me nuts. I only open them on overcast days if I can be bothered but even the the.blinds will be shut. I don't think anyone cares enough to notice

fgs she doesnt like the look of it-tell her noone likes the look of her face but not alot can be done about that

and greatowl aswell i think u should get a life-how does it affect u

Tell her it's best all round if no-one asks questions. Knock at the tenant's door occasionally weaing dark glasses, a trilby, and trenchcoat with the collar turned up, looking furtive and carrying a briefcase.

If I had nosey neighbours I think I'd order weird parcels to be delivered when I was out so they had to sign for them and die of curiosity...

Or, tell her the tenant is a night worker doing something amazing she can't possibly object too (doctor on a childrens ward?)

The only curtains in my house ever open are DS bedrooms. It keeps my anxiety at bay to think it's my sanctuary no one can look in on.
There are so many reasons not open curtains, but I like the idea of using a few of the PP suggestions.

Personally I'd hang a sex swing by the window and perch a blow up male doll on it.
That'd teach her not to be so darn nosey.

Old neighbour is being a nosy cow. I keep my lounge curtains shut because it can be looked in on by everyone coming and going from our part of the estate and I guess my sense of privacy was shaped by being brought up in a detached house overlooked by nothing.

I agree with kiwiquest - find some excuse to drop in. But if all is well you may want to introduce your neighbour to some MN language:

ODFOD
MYOB
FOTTFSOFAWYGTFOABF

She has too much time on her hands, hasn't she?

Tell her it's an MI5 safe house, and if she persists in this you will have to report back to your masters who may decide to pay her a visit.

Maybe you could encourage your tenant to indulge in a little more benign behaviour that's likely to irritate nosy neighbour, such as:

sitting in the front garden
hanging washing in the front garden
parking a trailer/caravan/tradespersons van in the front garden or on the road outside
leaving the grass slightly longer than usual before cutting

I'm sure you can think of some others.

She seriously needs to get a grip.

I've never even noticed whether my neighbours have their curtains open/closed.

She's hate us!

We have half the curtains open at the front. One side is left closed to stop the sunlight hitting the fishtank causing algae growth. Plus the cats like sitting behind the curtain to bop unsuspecting people on the head if they sit in the armchair in front of it.

The only reason old neighbor has noticed that the curtains are always shut is because she is always looking! I couldn't tell you which of my neighbours have theirs open or shut because I don't look.
She just wants to be nosy.

SHATNERSBASSOON
My thoughts too!!😂😖

Tell her to 'Get a life'....😖