Or is my neighbour weird

[aliceinchunderland1]

Not my direct neighbour but our back garden backs on to his driveway. Since we moved in 2.5 years ago he's always been overly interested in what we're doing, will speak to us through the fence in the garden at any given opportunity, ask quite personal and nosey questions when doing so, he somehow (and I have absolutely no clue how) knows what my husband does for work and WHERE he works (we are very private people, don't really talk to any neighbours). He makes me feel quite uncomfortable, I cant put my finger on why but he just does, he's quite an intimidating character. We have been burgled twice since we've lived here, as have about 20 other houses on our street (just garages broken in to and the odd door lock picking attempt) but his house has never been tried. He also brings up the burglaries in conversation at very random times (when peeping through our garden fence etc and he always mentions it first). We've added height to the fences so he can no longer see through as easily, but it doesn't stop him trying. He also sent a tree surgeon to my house to enquire about chopping the top off of a tree at the end of my garden, he didn't speak to us before he arranged for them to visit so I just politely declined and said the tree was fine as it. This afternoon I've had a visit, literally seconds after I got home from work, from a man I have never seen before saying 'i've spoken to your Dad about some flooring' (it's just me and DH living here) and 'I'm certain it's this address i've got a text to confirm it'. I was clueless so sent him away, only he drove further in to the cul-de-sac rather than out of it. 15 mins passed and he still hadn't driven back out of the road so I took the dog for a walk to see where he'd got to, and low and behold he's parked on my strange neighbours drive talking to him. AIBU to think he's sent this person to my house for some reason and is just a bit of an oddball in general (it's not like the house numbers could have been mixed up, we are number 5, he is number 32)? I'm thinking of popping round there later on to ask who the 'flooring man' was and why he stopped at my house?

Yes I'd ask him. Then I'd get CCTV, security lights, alarms and talk loudly about them.

Bit late now but I'd have asked the man to see the text and written down the number to see if it was the flooring mans before confronting. Now you can't prove it was him

Thanks, we have cameras and lights etc, I was hoping the back garden camera would pick up what he and Mr flooring were talking about but no such luck. Going to pop round there in a bit.

Sorry, that was a bit confusing! I'd have asked the flooring man for the number of the text and then found out if that number is your neighbours

I don't think I would be going round there on my own op. Can you go with DH?

He seems strange! I wouldn't go to his house to speak to him though as he might see it as an invitation to talk to you more in the future. I'd go into the garden, wait for him to make contact through the fence and then say you'd had a flooring man knock and noticed he'd visited him after, then see what he says!

I agree with @Stormwhale. Please don’t go round there on your own. You do get weird and nosey neighbours who mean no harm, but there’s also quite a few nutters about, so don’t take any chances.

And make sure you keep your doors and windows securely locked (I know you do that anyway, but just in case).

Are you saying you think he’s linked to the robberies?

Massive, thick hedge at the bottom of the garden?

v unnerving. wait until you can go with someone. and def find out as much as you can if another person comes uninvited. try to find out exactly who sent them and why.

"Massive, thick hedge at the bottom of the garden?"

A nice and thorny Fire-thorn.

If the tree isn't effecting the use of his Garden, just tell him to do one. I live between two trees and they are a pain and have changed what I've been able to plant. I've now got to get my Sky dish moved again.

I'd think that the flooring guy was in on it with your neighbour and he's trying to get into your house to case it.

Next time weird neighbour starts talking feed him a load of bullshit about yourselves and what you get up to.

I would also talk to the police, if there have been that many burglaries on one street I'm sure they would be interested in potential lead.

Had a sudden adrenaline rush so went round by myself!

I said I’d just had a foreign gentleman come to the door asking me about some flooring, and saying he was adamant that it was for me (number 5). He looked at me like I’d grown two heads and had absolutely no idea what I was on about, kept repeating words I was saying like flooring?.

Anyway I then said I saw him and the man speaking on his drive 15 mins later and his face dropped, he said ‘oh yes he came to price up some flooring for me, but he only does hard wood and I need tiles’. Wouldn’t you confirm details like this over the phone if you’d hired a tradesperson?

He then mentioned the burglaries again, and said ‘oh yes terrible that was, weren’t you on holiday in Amsterdam when that happened?’ (Never told anyone on the street this detail before as I don’t like people knowing when we’re away = when the house is empty)

Still feel a bit weird about this guy so I made an effort to let him know the house is covered in security so future break ins would all be caught. Very odd.

@jammycustard not saying that for certain and I know it’s unkind to throw these accusations around, but he does always seem awfully interested in the burglary details

Another neighbour also set up a neighbourhood watch scheme a few months ago. Strange neighbor man (SNM) hasn’t joined it because he thinks the street is safe from crime

How do you know his house hasn't even been tried? He's told you that? Because I'd not be sure he was telling the exact truth, would you? He might just want you to think either that he's somehow got some super duper anti-theft device (maybe so you ask about it and he can recommend you get it fitted) or that he's some local crime lord who's property is 'untouchable'.

But if it's only him telling you his house is the only one that hasn't been attempted-burgled, then I'd take it with a huge pinch of salt.

Why the fuck didn’t you ask “Where did you get the idea we were in Amsterdam?”

Zaphodsotherhead after each instance of a burglary my nice neighbour goes round to all of the houses to see who was affected, he then sends an email round to everyone on the street to say which houses were targeted and who had what stolen. I’m not sure why, think it’s to reassure us that it’s not a personal attack!

Inform the police dealing with your spate of burglaries. They may value your input.

@aliceinchunderland1 if you have social media make sure your profiles are completely locked down as he could be getting info from there.

FiestaThenSiesta because I was racking my brain trying to think if I’d let the detail slip to another neighbour at some point and that’s how it had got to him, but nope! There are still loads of things I wish I’d said when I was there

So nice neighbour is also relying on Weird Neighbour to tell the truth? When he may have his own agenda for lying (particularly if nothing was taken)?

Did you not think to ask how he knew you were in Amsterdam. He seems to know personal details about your life but you never wuiz him on how he knows these things?

YANBU

How does he know all these details? That's unnerving in itself .

Could he be snooping on your social media?