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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be annoyed there's a random man in my garden painting the fence at 7am!

350 replies

GetOutOfMYGarden · 29/07/2017 07:41

I'm a 25 year old woman living alone with two dogs in a terraced house. All houses in the row have an individual garden both in the back and front. I rent, most other people in the row own their house.

Next door has recently decided to renovate their back garden, including installing an (ugly) garage in there, building higher fences and a built in kennel for their three dogs. Wasn't bothered about any of this. To be honest I don't particularly like them that much so I don't mind not seeing them Grin

I came home from an overnight shift today at 7am. Parked behind my back gate as usual and found a random man on a stepladder in my garden painting the fence with Cuprinol! My other neighbour had let my dogs out in the garden at 6:30am for me as she always does when I'm on nights (lovely 89 year old lady who's recently been widowed, I pop in with dinner about twice a week for her and generally check she's okay since she's too depressed to cook for herself atm, her family can't be around every day and so she insists on doing this to 'repay' me) so they were milling around in there happily sniffing at his ladder (lucky I don't rely on them being guard dogs, isn't it!). Oddly enough, they haven't attempted this with the neighbour on the other side of them who has a massive Boerboel in the garden. Neighbours knew I was out for a night shift since they made a bit of conversation when I was leaving last night in my uniform and my car wasn't there. I'm usually back at about 9am but my shifts has ended early

Confronted him and asked who he was, he said the neighbours doing the garden renovations had said I'd given him permission to come into my garden and paint that side of the party fence. Pointed out that I clearly haven't as the gate was double locked and the dogs were out! Tells me 'sorry I thought you'd forgot so I hopped the fence, oh well love let me finish and I'll get out, you'll have to speak to [male neighbour]'. I told him certainly not and to get the fuck out of my garden now before I called the police. Told him that misled by my neighbour or not, I'm telling him right then and there that he had no permission to be in there.

Once he was out of the garden and I'd locked my gate properly again, I went round to knock on the neighbours' front door and ask what the fuck they're playing at. No answer, although they were definitely in, I could hear CBeebies blasted through the wall to my living room for their DS and their cars were all in their usual parking spots. I went upstairs for a wee (bursting at this point Blush) and through the bathroom window I could hear the male neighbour, female neighbour and the painter in his garden bitching about me, calling me a rude bitch! I shouted down mid wee that no, I wasn't, and asked if it was okay for me to come in his bloody garden without permission! No answer to that one.

Neighbours won't answer the door to speak about it and I'm tired after a night shift and I don't feel I can go to sleep until this is sorted lest this cheeky man hop my fence again Sad To be honest if they'd asked and had it done on a day I was in, I'd have given them permission!

OP posts:
Gingersstuff · 29/07/2017 16:31

YADNBU OP.
If the same had happened to me and someone had jumped my fence with my 4 dogs in the garden, he'd be minus his kneecaps by now as one of mine is very reactive to men. And guess who would have been liable?? On that note how did he know that your dogs would be ok with this?
I find the comments saying this a non-issue a bit weird tbh.

RhiWrites · 29/07/2017 16:36

My neighbour claimed he thought id be "over the moon" to discover he'd hopped the wall and stripped all the ivy from my side. When I told him I wish he'd asked first he chainsawed through my trellis.

OP you were not unreasonable to object.

MineKraftCheese · 29/07/2017 16:38

Thanks @kittybiscuits, didn't realise they were one of THOSE.

StaplesCorner · 29/07/2017 17:55

Bluntness - chosen you just because you were the last one to say something similar - its not her fence, she doesn't want it painted. It was 7am, no one asked her, it put her dogs at risk. He climbed over her wall to get in. Can you explain to me why she would be happy to see him? Why it was ok? I just cannot get it.

TopangaD · 29/07/2017 18:00

Any update? What did landlord say? After some sleep do you feel
Up for speaking to neighbors?

GetOutOfMYGarden · 29/07/2017 18:45

Sorry for leaving you on the hook, had a sleep so I'm feeling much better Smile It's all kicked off through...

Landlady lives two streets over and works in the same organisation I do, hence the quick response, it's not like she can avoid me for very long realistically. She got here at about 8:45, and went around to speak to CFN about the fence and told me to stay upstairs for a bit with my dogs to calm down.

CFN brings up that I have dogs in a rented house. LL knows, and knows that me being able to have dogs in that house is exactly why I rent there. CFN brings up parking. There are enough parking spaces for each row in the house to have 2 each, between the main road car parking spaces on the front, and the parking available in the private gated street behind the houses. I use 1, which is directly behind my back gate. CFN reckons he should have access to 4 because maths isn't his strong suit. He continues to argue petty things like that which have no real basis with LL instead of discussing the fence.

While LL and CFN were speaking it seems that the painter hopped over the fence of the bloke with the big Boerbel to paint his side of CFN's fence. Again, without permission. Again, hopped the fence.

Boerbel owner was obviously not a happy man. He's about 6'5", easily 20 stone of muscle and works security. Also happens to have a chronically ill DD at home with him and his wife. He's got a genuine guard dog, not fluffy lazy spaniels like mine are. The dog has gone absolutely mental the second he's seen this random person in his garden and barked to alert him. He chucked the painter out of his garden and went to give CFN an earful at the same time LL was.

CFN then told his wife to go and get her car and his car and block our cars in. His wife told him to stop being a silly twat and apologise. Boerbel owner reminded him he has an ill DD at home who could require hospital access at any time. CFN went off on one, said he doesn't care blah blah, went back in his house and slammed the door.

LL told me all of this, and to call if it kicks off again and left. Boerbel owner gave me his number in case CFN decides to be a knob or cause any more trouble. I went to sleep for a few hours Grin

I woke up after a bit, went to go and cook myself something and while I did I heard a big smash. CFN's only gone and thrown a bloody paintbrush through Boerbel owner's house! Boerbel owner's got CCTV covering his garden though so he's called the police on the non emergency number to report it.

CFN has sped off in his car to places unknownst to me. CFN's wife has apologised and slipped a milk tray through my door.

That's where we're up to now anyway!

OP posts:
GetOutOfMYGarden · 29/07/2017 18:46

*house window, not just his house!

OP posts:
Gingerandgivingzerofucks · 29/07/2017 18:51

Good lord, CFN sounds like an unnecessarily aggressive bloke. Bit silly to annoy both sets of neighbours and frankly, the painter needs stern words, wtf was he thinking going into another garden after your reaction?! Crazy blokes!

ASDismynormality · 29/07/2017 18:52

Blimey! Why is he going so angry about a price of fence he can't even see!

StaplesCorner · 29/07/2017 18:55

But really, as previous posters have said, any sane person, including Boerbel man, should be dancing a jig of joy to have a fence painted without their permission. Surely Boerbel man realises that?! Sheesh. How ungrateful. Its clearly his fault his window is smashed etc. If only he'd been chilled and happy and laid back, maybe made everyone tea ...?

honeysucklejasmine · 29/07/2017 18:55

Bloody hell!

Pandoraslastchance · 29/07/2017 19:03

I feel sorry for cfn wife. She must be mortified by her husband's absolute twatty behaviour.

GetOutOfMYGarden · 29/07/2017 19:06

Pandoraslastchance CFN's wife has stayed at home with her DS and knows the police are on the way for a chat. I feel very bloody sorry for CFN's wife.

OP posts:
PerfectlyPosed · 29/07/2017 19:07

Oh my god!! 😮

IncyWincyGrownUp · 29/07/2017 19:12

It's prime CFN week.

I wonder what's on offer next week?

WaaWaaWaaa · 29/07/2017 19:16

Crikey! He sounds deranged! Glad youve got beefy nice neighbour (BNN) on call!

GetOutOfMYGarden · 29/07/2017 19:36

BNN is a Star

OP posts:
MrsGotobed · 29/07/2017 19:43

Jeez is there a full moon or something?

I can't believe all the CFN threads this weekend

TopangaD · 29/07/2017 19:51

Omg! Well I didn't expect that !

TopangaD · 29/07/2017 19:53

Hope you are ok and. Or on shift again tonight, esp if police need to speak to you..

Ghjklf · 29/07/2017 20:14

You've got to admire the workmans work ethic 😁

Is there a reason your CF neighbours have put up fences either side of their garden. It would be unusual (although not unheard of) to own both fences either side of a terraced house garden.
Did he remove someone's fence to put up the new fences? I presume boerbel owner had a fence in his garden beforehand? Anyway it might be an angle to deal with CFN

I can't help,thinking this could all have been avoided if you had just made the workman a cup of tea ☕️

PovertyPain · 29/07/2017 20:29

Yes, OP, you silly woman, you should have known your place and made the painter a nice cup of tea, after your night shift. FFS! 😒

MineKraftCheese · 29/07/2017 20:33

Oh my God, OP! What an update!

CFN sounds abusive and horrible. I hope you're ok Flowers

Crispdeficiency · 29/07/2017 20:39

Crikey Shock

Supermagicsmile · 29/07/2017 20:47

Oh goodness!

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