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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour does not like the look of my garden - threatening to sue

566 replies

craxmum · 29/07/2018 10:03

A new neighbour has moved in last month (we are sharing a wall in a semi-detached property). She seems to have a major issue with the way my garden looks (just paid me a visit at 7am on Sunday to inform me that she hasn't slept properly since she had a party last night and her guests were apparently "aghast"). First thing she did after moving in was decking and astroturfing her back garden fence to fence (the bits that weren't already covered in concrete).

She did mention it a couple of times before, but I never thought it bothers her that much. Now she made a vague threat of suing me for damage to her assets, as apparently her house value and enjoyment of her property is impacted. I mean, she bought it a couple of weeks ago (at the normal market value as far as I can see from the open sources), surely she made the decision with full awareness of what my garden looks like? She added a couple of personal insults (about me being foreign etc) as well.

My garden is a bit informal allotment style. We grow berries, tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, beans, herbs - stuff like that, also have a couple of dwarf fruit trees. Sunflowers all over the place at the moment. I have two small children (3 and 5), they absolutely love it and they have their own little experimentation areas. There is a bit of lawn, but with two dogs it is not in great shape - trimmed, but with some bald patches. There is an occasional weed or two, or maybe ten. Plenty of butterflies and bees. A composter (of a posh type, fully closed and maintained, not leftovers rotting in a bin). There is a water butt and sometimes watering cans / other gardening equipment lying around. I mean, it is by no means perfect, and can sometimes be messy and looks quite rustic, but I absolutely cannot see what I can do to comfort her apart from ripping all vegetation out and paving over.
AIBU?

OP posts:
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PavlovianLunge · 29/07/2018 10:37

I agree with Annie; hopefully you won’t need it, but better to be well-prepared in case things escalate.

CharltonLido73 · 29/07/2018 10:37

I thought you were going to say she can't cope with the old sofa dumped on the front grass, alongside the abandoned car and fridge. Grin

What a stupid woman! An she's just the kind of environmentally-unfriendly garden that contributes to flooding, where the rainwater has nowhere to soak away.

Your garden sounds wonderful and just the kind of garden we need in these times of climate change!

OrcinusOrca · 29/07/2018 10:38

You're garden sounds awesome. I would love mine to be like that. It's quite small and people before us have landscaped it a bit with lots of patio slabs and brick work so there is only a tiny circular patch of lawn so can't do much fun with that!

KateMcD451 · 29/07/2018 10:38

Your garden sounds lovely, she sounds like a moany old bat. Ignore her Smile

Stefoscope · 29/07/2018 10:38

That's really odd behaviour, presumably she noticed your garden before buying her house?! Just tell her not to look if it bothers her that much. No way should she dictate what you can and can't do with your house and garden.

Notevilstepmother · 29/07/2018 10:38

She is 🦇 💩

I’d call the police for racism as it’s a hate crime if she does it again.

CharltonLido73 · 29/07/2018 10:38

and she has

BastardGoDarkly · 29/07/2018 10:40

This would be funny if she wasn't a racist nutcase living right next door.

What did you say to her op?

Everyoneiswingingit · 29/07/2018 10:40

What has it got to do with her? Unless you are dumping rubbish or have a rat infestation, what goes on over her fence is none of her business. As for fence to fence astroturf, she obviously dislikes anything natural and is probably a bit obsessed with order and cleanliness. Her problem not yours.

Britchick77 · 29/07/2018 10:41

What is it she doesn't like about the garden? The mess/stuff lying around? The fact it's used as an allotment, not a lawn with flowers?

I hate my neighbour's garden - they seem to use it as a rubbish tip (there has been an old mattress out there since we moved in 2 years ago, plus a mangled rusty old bike), but I'd never say anything. I just put a tall trellis in and forgot about it.

Notevilstepmother · 29/07/2018 10:41

Oh, and to accompany the gnomes Grin

Upcycling

Neighbour does not like the look of my garden - threatening to sue
Everyoneiswingingit · 29/07/2018 10:41

Keep a diary OP as this sounds like bonkers behaviour and there is likely to be more.

craxmum · 29/07/2018 10:42

My only concern about posting a photo is that it might be too identifying (I have a brightly painted fence on one side too).
Here's a close up of one of the corners, they are pretty much all the same. It is hard to believe but there are no weeds at the photo, everything is planted on purpose. Grin

Neighbour does not like the look of my garden - threatening to sue
OP posts:
heavandhell · 29/07/2018 10:42

This woman is batshit haha. She bought the house knowing what the garden looked like and she still bought the house. Tell her to fuck off and say you don't like the look of her 'face' garden!

heavandhell · 29/07/2018 10:43

Fake*

TopShagger · 29/07/2018 10:43

As per just about every other reply - tell her to fuck right off.

Legally she hasn't a snowballs chance of suing you for anything so tell her to crack on with that fruitless endeavor.

abilockhart · 29/07/2018 10:43

just paid me a visit at 7am on Sunday to inform me that she hasn't slept properly since she had a party last night and her guests were apparently "aghast"
She added a couple of personal insults (about me being foreign etc) as well.

The local branch of UKip?

JustJoinedRightNow · 29/07/2018 10:44

It looks absolutely beautiful.
She is seriously out of order OP. Just don’t pay her any mind.
I had a cheeky thought that when you next pick fruit you could take her a cute little fruit basket, and when she accepts say “we grew all of this in our garden”!!

grasspigeons · 29/07/2018 10:44

Id be a bit worried by someone coming at 7am on a sunday and being racist.

Definitely keep a diary of events in case you need a bit of help further down the line.

your garden looks and sounds nice

Trampire · 29/07/2018 10:45

Gorgeous garden OP! What a garden should be.

Livinglavidal0ca · 29/07/2018 10:45

Sounds like she’s causing trouble and wants you to move, probably because you are foreign.. I would make a complaint to the police for racial harassment.

What a horrible witch.

Everyoneiswingingit · 29/07/2018 10:45

Your garden looks beautiful OP!

Knittedfairies · 29/07/2018 10:46

I hope she does try to sue - not that she stands a cat in hell’s chance of getting anywhere - but I’d love to see the look on her face when someone (expensive someone...) points out the definition of a garden, and she realises hers, with all its artificial-ness, doesn’t qualify as one.

Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar · 29/07/2018 10:46

She sounds terrifyingly thick; not least because she’s worried her house will be worth less should she put it in the market - yet she paid full price without a quibble...

worstmotherintheworld · 29/07/2018 10:46

Your garden looks like perfection to me - natural, productive and beautiful. I would rather live next to that than a garden covered in plastic astroturf.

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