To think I live in a fucking parallel universe?

[hungryhippo90]

I moved to a new build estate. I’ve never seen ANYTHING like it.

There’s a neighbourhood watch who put letters out on people’s cars if they’re parked in the estate. In fact a few cars got covered in tomato ketchup for being left here... not even specifically outside peoples houses. Some of the neighbours go out and moan at people parked anywhere near their house.

You get letters through the door if your bins aren’t in the back garden by 3pm the day they’re emptied (I don’t know what happens when you both work till 5pm!) there are a lot of moaning posts if it’s windy and bin day. One of the residents goes out and picks up litter, which is normal I guess but I’ve never seen it before.

There’s lots of moaning that there will be council accommodation on the estate and shock horror, the house prices!!

They currently have 3 different lawsuits ongoing with the housebuilder, the maintenance company who deals with the estates grass etc and I don’t even know who else.

One of the home owners asked the other day if the estate had security because they saw someone in a security outfit (there’s still buildingwork ongoing- there is security on that site nothing to do with the residents and FWIW it’s clear. This is answered by loads of ....maybe answers, and I start to think I don’t even live in this world. It’s clear we don’t have security! Who on earth would be paying for it? .....and one person pipes up with, ask to see their ID and their credentials (he wasn’t joking!)

Oh and there are pictures on the Facebook group - which you have to send your address to join by the way!) of every person they’ve ever seen walking through the estate.

Today someone posts a picture, someone posts a picture of two people, and one of them is out patrolling the estate for those not belonging here.

Please, please tell me I just live in a weird place and everywhere is not like this.

I find it beyond odc, a few of the other residents think it is beyond hilarious, and I used to laugh but it’s starting to bewilder me how grown ups who own houses, honestly believe our bog standard estate have security provided in the evenings.

Sounds bizarre!

DICK-TER-FIN- haha what did i just watch? lol. i have to go find more!

And then when you come to sell and the neighbours have weeds and bins in the garden and there's nowhere to park and the litter is blowing around the viewers' ankles and the kids are running round screaming - you might wish you had a few of the OP's neighbours around!!

Thank you hippo one of the nice things about Sweden is the lack of a class system. Our bin crews work hard in often appalling weather (spring is a long way off here, it was -15 this morning) and are not seen as subhuman just because they’re manual workers.

I’m aware of the UK ‘bin police’ saska - I grew up in one of the roughest bits of the UK, where oddly enough, people were nice to the binmen too, and would have roundly mocked anyone with hyacinth bucket esque airs and graces, or anyone hiding their bin behind a lattice.

. Bins live out the front, because how the fuck do you get them round the back in terrace (or god forbid I shock anyone a back to back .. pass the smelling salts..)

Everyone’s house where I grew up was neat and well kept. People were decent and unless you want to carry a wheelie bin through your house they lived at the front, on the driveway (not that we had them growing up it was the old black ones with the handles, god now that must have been hard work for the crews..)

Stuff like dogshit and litter is seen as quite shocking where we live now, but people seem to manage the sight Of wheelie bins without psychological trauma

hungryhippo
If you got a parking ticket then the land is privately owned
which limits the facebook photos ;-)

My OH works late and frequently not home until midnight so I leave porch light on for him cos that is how we roll.

And we leave bins out all day as we both work full time.

My rebellion is strong and if I lived in this place I would be shot as a warning to other transgressors and rightly so.

OMG. There is talk of controlling people on here on relationships sometimes, but this takes the biscuit.

I am all for keeping surroundings clean and a bit of give and take and all that.

But fkn hell.

Surely YOU as a resident have a say in all this control of your lives. I'd be a whole lot upset, ketchup or not!

Lack of pride in your own living environment is the first step towards social breakdown and anarchy. This is a known political fact.

I did politely explain to my new neighbour that leaving their bins out the night before might cause trouble with our plentiful urban foxes - recycling boxes fine but the rubbish bags, that don't get picked up,until at least 11am, will get ripped apart. Most people put them out on their way out to work in the morning. They equally politely thanked me but maybe thought I was a nosy bat because they ignored my suggestion for three weeks, then had to clear up the post fox banquet disaster zone across their front garden. They are putting them out in the morning like the rest of us boring, foxless conformists now 🙄

I think they would be the type of person who call is a 'housing development'. Its a fucking housing estate love.

You sound bitterly jealous.

I would never live in a new housing development or estate, whatever you call it, but only because I can't bloody afford it! I don't resent people who do.

They might have a vigilante group patrolling at night time paid for by residents who want the security. It's more common in troubled neighbourhoods but also known in areas where people want to keep up appearances.
It's not something I'd want anything to do with.

My sister must live on your estate. The neighbour opposite knocked on her door and asked her to please take down her ironing board when she finished her ironing because it could be seen through her front window and it lowered the tone of the estate! My sister complied but started to hang her finished ironing along the curtain rail.

My NDN would be in his element on your estate. He is the self appointed parking monitor and all cars must be parked according to his rules. These rules are more stringent than the law and particularly affect anyone who is not a resident or anyone he considers not the right sort.

The bin covers are very arriviste.

Boxes to hide bins in remind me of these.

Everyone knows what they are hiding, they aren't better looking than the object they are hiding and they make using the object cumbersome.

Bins live out the front
All the more reasons to hide them. Again, I have seen beautifully redeveloped street, and a neat front "garden" makes a world of difference. Prices have gone up accordingly, because of the inside, but also because buyers are not ashamed to be seen visiting the area.

Why on earth would anyone chose to display their bins,and when they have the space around the house? Do you really enjoy the sight of them when you come to your own home? Let's not even mentioning the smell of bins taken only every 2 weeks in the summer. What a lovely welcome home.

Sounds like the estate I live across from.

There are 4 lots of housing estates down a main road. 4 different building companies. 1 small park in the centre of the one across the road. Took ds up last year. Got asked by 3 residents which road I lived on. Got told by all 3 that the park was only for residents of that estate.

There was a big council sign about littering and dogs etc on the gate. Pointed that out and that it was maintained by the council therefore a council park. But was told their council tax paid for it.

Bonkers. Absolutely bonkers.

Prices have gone up accordingly, because of the inside, but also because buyers are not ashamed to be seen visiting the area.

I can reassure you that very few people are 'ashamed' to visit an area with visible bins!

My bin has been out since Monday afternoon (they come at 6am), I put it out before it gets dark. Didn’t bring it in yesterday, as it was pouring with rain, not been out today so forgot about it until this thread reminded me. Fortunately don’t live on an estate, so won’t get a letter.

Margaret you haven't been in the area I am talking about!

What you need is a regular rota of strangers who come to your house to put the bin back at 2.45pm. It's the perfect crime!

"I don't know what's usual across the UK nowadays, or historically. I think historically bin collections were done in the early hours of the morning, say between 4am and 7am. So presumably you could put your bins out after dark, and if you got up early enough, put them away before daybreak."

Ha! While our council insists that our bins are out before 7am (and does sometimes send the crews round super early to catch people out) generally, the bin lorry doesn't turn up here until about lunchtime.

So - bins are out all day while people are at work. It's no big deal. It's one day.

I think there would be more complaints of they came round between 4am and 7am to be honest. Those lorries are really noisy!

Who are these people demanding that bins are in by 3pm and who are these people complying? There's a LOT of assumed power here, and no REAL power at all. Tell them to fuck off.

I love the sound of it

I would especially like telling people they have paid vehicle tax and not road tax so move your bastard car

And I would love gates