Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want my neighbours in my garden? Please help!

90 replies

ItWasAlIADream · 08/08/2018 14:34

I live in a gf mainsonette, I have my own private garden. When I moved in a noticed a door that lead to my garden from the main building. Tbh at the time I didnt even notice it as I was so excited to finally be moving (council property and waited a long time in a too floor flat) anyway when my sister came to look at the place she spotted the door and said my garden must be shared. I thought that couldnt be right as if it was that would mean literally only my garden was shared out of all the gf mainsonettes (row of 4.)

I called the council who told me that it was a sole use garden but the upstairs flats use to store their wheelie bins in the shed in my garden but that is no longer the case. So I left it at that. fast foward to last year and a woman knocks on my door from the council telling me to clear the sheds in the garden as upstairs are going to start storing their wheelie bins in there as apparently they are a “fire hazard” at the front. (The stuff in the sheds isnt mine and was there when I moved in) I wasnt impressed as that would mean my garden is no longer private and tbh i think it will only be a matter lf time before they start trying to use my garden as if its their own. However for some reason this never happened and they didnt bother to move them out the back. So today when the post man knocked on my door I opened it and over heard of conversation of a woman saying the bins were a hazard and need to be moved. This is a year later! aibu in being annoyed? I really dont want people accessing my garden as was told it was sole use. my kids play out unsupervised which will have to stop with random people being able to access it. Anyone got any ideas what I can do? I have noticed next door has installed their own foor so they have privacy. but I wouldnt even know how to go about that! Any other ideas? Wont let me add a diagram for some reason as I know its difficult to picture this very unusual set up!

OP posts:
WhiteCoyote · 08/08/2018 15:34

There are a few families upstairs with small children with no outside space. Give people an inch and they will take a mile.

I think you’re being way too cynical here. I’m an upstairs neighbour with a small child and no outside space. I have access to my downstairs neighbours garden. It never has and would not occur to me to let dc play in their garden.

Even if your neighbours did assume, a quick polite word would put them right.

Eliza9917 · 08/08/2018 15:35

Where do all the other upstairs neighbours keep their bins? Are they being told they can't leave them at the front now too?

Dermymc · 08/08/2018 15:40

Your kids can still play out. You're overreacting on that one.

Clarify with the council the rights on the land. Your neighbours may have rights of access to the bin store.

wafflyversatile · 08/08/2018 15:44

Good grief - the state (so that's me and every other taxpayer) has provided you with cut price accommodation,

No we haven't. Council housing is not 'cut-price' accommodation. It is not subsidised. It's not the OP or the Councils' faults the private housing market is a fucking joke.

ManorGreyhound · 08/08/2018 15:47

Council housing is not 'cut-price' accommodation. It is not subsidised

Yes it is. Council house rents are always set at a discount from the usual market rate (its 80% where I live, but I believe it varies)

This is a significant opportunity cost to the council's revenues, one that has to be made up elsewhere.

We very definitely do subsidise social housing. You are misinformed.

Stirner · 08/08/2018 15:49

you should put your foot down and tell the councool where to go

Cheby · 08/08/2018 15:51

I wouldn’t let my children play out unsupervised in the garden either OP, if all the neighbours from the flats were able to come in at will, maybe leave the door unlocked etc.

From the picture, it looks like you could maybe fence off the area with the door from the rest of the garden? Would that work? Then you could keep the rest secure from randoms coming in and out and at least.

wafflyversatile · 08/08/2018 15:52

No, councils have to charge a rent to cover the cost of their housing estates. The rent covers that. It's 'market' rent that is out of whack.

JessicaJonesJacket · 08/08/2018 15:53

You'd probably need permission for a door or gate where the PP has put the red line. Either write to the council or wait and see what happens then write to the council. They might forget about their plan to move the bins.

Honeyroar · 08/08/2018 15:55

Eliza I think it's the upstairs people we're talking about - they currently keep their bins outside the front door but have now been told to put them in the bin sheds..

Will the bins be taken out on bin day through the neighbour's door? They won't have to take them through your garden, will they? If not, get the bin area fenced off and keep your privacy. I'd prefer my kids kept away from other people's bins too.

Ps, I'm a tax payer who can completely understand why you're upset your privacy is being disturbed! Some very snobby/nasty replies popping up.

blue25 · 08/08/2018 15:56

Might be nice for the small children upstairs without any outside space to use the garden then? You're lucky to have access to any outside space at all, so perhaps share your good fortune.

Original poster
ItWasAlIADream · 08/08/2018 15:58

No the children are NOT using my garden. Dont care if that makes me a bitch. I dont want the neighbourhoods children in my garden.

tinypic.com/r/14lsz92/9
This is the “fire hazard”

OP posts:
serbska · 08/08/2018 16:06

Just square off your garden with a fence so they can access the bins and not your garden, will look nicer too anyway.

PurpleTrilby · 08/08/2018 16:08

I know this isn't very helpful to you, but want to explain that anything that is blocking an exit route in the event of a fire is a fire hazard. For the shared hallway to my flat, this even includes door mats, we were told to get rid of them. That's because if there's thick black smoke it's very, very hard to get past any obstacle even if you know the layout well. Double doors or not, if there is anything in the way it has to be moved. Nobody expects a fire, you can't say, oh it won't happen at xyz time. Hope it all gets resolved, OP.

MyDcAreMarvel · 08/08/2018 16:12

Manor council housing is not subsidised , private rents are vastly inflated.

Bumdishcloths · 08/08/2018 16:13

There's been a massive crack down on potential hazards at council properties since Grenfell. This includes but using limited to bins blocking either doors or gangways.

Bumdishcloths · 08/08/2018 16:13

*is not, not using

ivenoideawhatimdoing · 08/08/2018 16:15

Letting random people’s kids use your garden? Can you let their parents use your WiFi too?

It’s her home and her garden why on earth would she share it?!

PrimalLass · 08/08/2018 16:18

Thy are a fire hazard and look awful. I think you'll have to go with the fence option.

BewareOfDragons · 08/08/2018 16:23

Might be nice for the small children upstairs without any outside space to use the garden then? You're lucky to have access to any outside space at all, so perhaps share your good fortune.

Is blue25 seriously suggesting your little garden should be open to anyone who isn't lucky enough to have one?! Shock Does blue25 throw open her garden gates to anyone who doesn't have a place to play? Does she share her driveway with anyone who isn't lucky enough to have a parking place?

Honestly. What a ridiculous thing to tell someone that they should share their home with anyone and everyone else who isn't as 'fortunate' as they are.

SisterNotCisTerf · 08/08/2018 16:24

Those bins would count as a fire hazard as they partially block the right hand door from opening. In case of a fire both doors would need to be opened to allow lots of people out quickly.

You need confirmation in writing from the council of who has access rights to your garden and which parts of the garden/she’d.

Di11y · 08/08/2018 16:30

Where is the access to outside to get the bin put out?

NotAsGreenAsCabbageLooking · 08/08/2018 16:33

Honestly, I don’t see the issue here.

You were told that the upstairs neighbours had access to the sheds when you moved in, but they don’t use it. Now however, they need to have access to the sheds that were always there’s to use.

You are worried (despite nothing of this nature being mentioned) that they will start using your garden. A simple way to prevent this is to install a fence/gate as a PP suggested.

I used to live in a council maisonette, upstairs had a brick built shed in ‘my’ garden (never was quite sure whose it was tbh, but as it was a jungle when I moved in until I maintained it, I assumed mine?). I had a dog, so had someone install a fence/gate at the side, then had a friendly word with my neighbour saying that the dog is friendly, and could he please close the gate if ever going through to the garden.

It’s really a non situation here isn’t it? If your children are playing out in that space though, I’d have a serious think about tidying up out there, it’s grim.

NotAsGreenAsCabbageLooking · 08/08/2018 16:34

theirs

Eliza9917 · 08/08/2018 16:38

ItWasAlIADream Wed 08-Aug-18 15:58:54
No the children are NOT using my garden. Dont care if that makes me a bitch. I dont want the neighbourhoods children in my garden.

tinypic.com/r/14lsz92/9
This is the “fire hazard”

Your rent might be more then theirs because you have a garden, if they start using it, I'm sure your rent won't be lowered Hmm

Swipe left for the next trending thread