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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Neighbours using our garden!!!

94 replies

SimplyPut · 09/09/2017 21:04

Arrived home 45min ago to find our next door neighbours, their dc and parents sat on our patio furniture drinking wine!!! Bold as flipping brass!!!

I went out to go to the bin, there they are. The wife looked slightly sheepish and said 'we thought you were away for the weekend, and the dc like your trampoline' Hmm. What the fuck???

In pathetic British fashion I found myself apologising and saying how I don't mind the kids playing with ours but we when we are home. I'm pathetic!

OP posts:
MiniCooperLover · 09/09/2017 21:40

Do you think this was a one off OP or have they done it before? It sounds like a done it before to me! Get that padlock ready !!

UnicornSparkles1 · 09/09/2017 21:40

Wow, what is with all the CFNs recently?! We should have a scoreboard.

BigGreenOlives · 09/09/2017 21:40

What happens if one of their children (or a drunk adult) gets hurt on your trampoline? Get a lock.

BuzzKillington · 09/09/2017 21:42

MN really is a parallel universe.

No-one has ever parked on our drive, used our garden, brought uninvited siblings to a party, let their dog shit in our front garden or expected me to look after their children.

silverbell64 · 09/09/2017 21:42

So your neighbours have a garden of their own but they decided to go into yours?

Quirkydamsel · 09/09/2017 21:47

Fuck Me they are cheeky bastards.
I don't know how you contained yourself OP

EyesUnderARock · 09/09/2017 21:49

Buzz, you obviously don't belong here. Where's your coat?

WhatchaMaCalllit · 09/09/2017 22:01

Well now, my gob has been well and truly smacked at this!

@SimplyPut - what you must do is tomorrow, when you've purchased the padlock and sorted out that there are no other access routes into your garden, is pop over to these neighbours to have a word. What you say should be imo something along these lines:
"Hi neighbour, I was taken aback last night when I found you enjoying some wine (as you don't know how long they had been there for) on our patio so I was a bit more than gobsmacked. I did say that if we were at home, I wouldn't mind your children coming around to use our trampoline. Well, I take back that offer, as our garden isn't the local park nor the local gym. It was very rude of you to assume that we wouldn't mind you using our garden and our children's play equipment, so please don't do it again. After all, you were trespassing and that's never a good thing to do to a fellow neighbour, I'm sure you'll agree. Now let's put this behind us and move on. Bye now" and then walk away to your home.

Justaboy · 09/09/2017 22:03

Why not just go round there and talk to them and discuss the matter?

Is so very very easy to start a neighbor war and very expensive (solicitors letters and the like) to stop it even if you can!

SilverySurfer · 09/09/2017 22:29

Reading the OP I feel like I've stumbled into the Twilight Zone. I've never heard anything like it, totally outrageous. I wonder how many times they've done it before when you've been out/away - I bet it's not the first time but hopefully it will be the last.

inabizzlefam · 09/09/2017 23:29

OMG I have something similar with my neiibour who thinks it's ok to park on my property right under my kitchen window.
Let's see how she copes when my new fence is installed.
Cheeky neighbours are a major PITA

BringbackWhybird · 09/09/2017 23:32

It didn't happen. Come on.

Lofari · 09/09/2017 23:35

The brass neck on some folk!!

HidingBehindTheWallpaper · 09/09/2017 23:41

I'm amazed at people questioning how they got into the garden.
Not everyone has 6 ft fences and padlocked gates.
I don't think I've lived in a house yet which has had a locking gate.

Escapepeas · 09/09/2017 23:49

Really? We've also never had anyone park on our drive, use our garden or do any of the cheeky fuckery that some MNers lay claim to.

It's interesting to see how many MNers have neighbours/relatives/ friends who take the piss in attention-grabbingly OTT ways yet appear unable to stop it happening while documenting it on MN.

Jaxhog · 10/09/2017 00:01

I wish I could say I'm surprised, but some ex-neighbours of ours were the same. Keeping an eye on our next door neighbour's house meant they had free use of the patio. Apparently. They were very sheepish when we caught them at it (they didn't do it again).

(We padlock our gate, as we have a very nice deck. )

Jaxhog · 10/09/2017 00:06

Mind you, for real brass faced cheek, look out for the thread about the neighbours who installed french doors opening into someone else's garden!!

Slimthistime · 10/09/2017 00:08

Bizzle, please tell us if your CFN says anything about the gate. Awful that you have to install it.

Slimthistime · 10/09/2017 00:10

Jax, I wondered about the latest on that as I lost track.

KeepServingTheDrinks · 10/09/2017 00:10

perfectly put post from WhereYouLeftIt
Apologising to them was pretty natural while you were in shock, but I think you need to reel it back in or they're likely to treat you like a doormat in future.

I'd suggest you have a quiet private word with the wife, explaining you didn't want to embarrass her in front of her children and parents, but you are not happy about them treating your garden as if it's their own and you don't want ANYTHING of that nature to happen again, because you will not be so discreet should that be the case.

And of course, fit a HUGE fuck-off lock!

I would do this!

Good luck. Hope they're VERY sheepish next time you meet at the bins.

Mittens1969 · 10/09/2017 00:14

This seems to be something that happens a lot on mumsnet. It's just so cheeky, OP. And you apologised??? But then, I suppose I could have found myself doing the same.

Make sure you padlock your garden gate, if one of their DCs has an accident on your trampoline they could sue you, even though they're trespassers.

BenLui · 10/09/2017 00:28

You apologised?

This scenario is completely beyond my imagination. Confused

Buy a padlock and take them off the Christmas card list.

ButDoYouAvocado · 10/09/2017 08:19

Yes. That didnt happen to me yesterday too.

Alittlepotofrosie · 10/09/2017 08:26

why are there so many doormats on mn?

Fresh8008 · 10/09/2017 08:34

I hope your trampoline had a safety fence, it they had injured themselves they would sued you.