AIBU?
Neighbour smokes under our window
Windbeneathmybingowings · 20/07/2017 11:35
We are in a first floor flat. The new neighbour is also in the first floor in the next block and we are seperated by a narrow alley that leads to our gardens. Our front doors are either side of the alley.
Both adults sit on the front step or stand around their front door (which is also right by our front door) and smoke throughout the day and night. They probably have one every 30 mins over the two of them.
The smoke comes right in our window and the house smells really quite bad by the evening. I don't open the windows anymore if I can help it and shut them as soon as I smell one of them out there.
DP has spoken to them a few times about various things, they rent so don't have a copy of the deeds detailing the quite odd arrangement of the alley and front gardens. They had been smoking in the alley as they believed it was entirely theirs (it's shared by all of us including the downstairs flats) but this came straight in to the kitchen window and downstairs complained too - and they were leaving all their cigarette butts all over the floor. You could see they were putting out the cigarettes on our back door too. We have other issues with them such as other rubbish left in the alley, fences destroyed by the kids, them coming in to our gardens, leaving communal sheds unlocked, breaking the front gate, hitting cars and windows with their ball while they play in the midde of a busy road, the kids have set fire to something in the garden, we can hear them swearing all day and night etc so it's obvious that I don't like them and I wonder if this is clouding my view.
So I can't tell if IABU on this specific thing or not really. They have to smoke somewhere obviously and as it's a rental they aren't allowed to in the flat, but I just can't see why they don't sit in the back garden at a nice table instead of under our window. They know it's an issue because the downstairs neighbours complained too as it goes in to their daughters window, but they moved out some time ago now.
FooFighter99 · 20/07/2017 11:40
I think I'd be making a formal complaint to their Landlord, if asking them politely not to smoke under your window has fallen on deaf ears...
Our next door neighbour smokes those cigarette/cigar things at his back door, which wafts into our house as we always have the backdoor open for the dog and cats. But as we rent and he owns, there's not much we can do I actually quite like the smell
Windbeneathmybingowings · 20/07/2017 11:44
We did already speak to the landlord about the big things and stuff that had been broken. But I don't know if this one is the same as all those. They can't help the wind carrying the smoke I guess but at the same time it's stinking up my house 
Windbeneathmybingowings · 20/07/2017 12:01
The landlord was quite happy to hear about the arson and the destruction of his property so I'm quite sure he is grateful to us for those complaints 
This one is just an annoyance to all the neighbours but WIBU to ask them not to, really?!
MrMessy · 20/07/2017 12:04
I feel your pain, my neighbour smokes about 40 packets a day and in the good weather sits out on his patio and the smoke wafts over to us, lovely! You would think it would be better in the winter but he smokes so much in his house, and never opens the window, so the smell actually starts to seep through the walls, so we get to smell his smoke all year round. Sorry I am not being much help but just posting in solidarity. YANBU!
Amd724 · 20/07/2017 12:11
I think you've got the right to ask people not to chain smoke under your window. I'm asthmatic, I'd be in hospital if someone did that to me. Ask them again to please move further away from the building and smoke so they're not under or near someone's door or window. It's common courtesy. YANBU.
FanjoForTheMammaries · 20/07/2017 12:32
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
PurityOfChaos · 20/07/2017 12:47
Isn't this covered by Environmental Health policy?
www.environmental-protection.org.uk/policy-areas/air-quality/air-pollution-law-and-policy/pollution-nuisance/
FanjoForTheMammaries · 20/07/2017 13:24
This reply has been deleted
Message withdrawn at poster's request.
Windbeneathmybingowings · 20/07/2017 14:08
The landlord is very happy to hear from us as we have been in the property a long time and seen all sorts go in and out of the flat. 4 families have been in there over the years and we have never had reason to complain about any of them. We thought these guys would be nice as the front garden became pretty with the flowers they planted but I think it was to hide the trash at the back. They now play football in the front garden (owned by another flat, I don't know if they've got permission for that...) as the landlord didn't want his shed destroyed any further. DP did explain that the front garden wasn't theirs and the lady said she'd do what she bloody liked so you can see the entitled type of person we are dealing with here.
But of course if they choose to smoke they have to smoke somewhere. Looks like I am not BU ask them - I might go with the window box idea
crazycatgal · 21/07/2017 00:06
YANBU. Last year I lived in student accommodation and when the cleaners were finished they would go outside and stand under my 1st floor window smoking. I've got asthma and don't want someone else's smoke flowing into my room. People need to be thoughtful of others.
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