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AIBU?

To ask neighbour to pay for damage to my doorbell?

59 replies

DointItForTheKids · 20/02/2019 19:34

I have a Ring doorbell. I also have neighbours who seem to find it impossible to 1. monitor/supervise their children's behaviour in their garden/front of the house 2. teach their children to respect other people's property and privacy (something I've taught my own children).

The history with these NDN is for the 8 yrs I've lived here they have spent virtually every. day. shouting at their kids, calling them **ing dickhead, then the kids thunder up the stairs, doors slam, the kids screaming. Honestly, there's no respite - high days, holidays, birthdays, xmas, nothing makes it stop (unless they are actually away from the house). I can't even sit in my garden or living room in the summer because (due to aforementioned item 1.) the kids just stand on their play equipment and watch me as I try and sit in the garden and relax and even in my living room such that on a summer's day I have to sit with the French doors closed and the curtains drawn, just to achieve basic privacy.

For the first time in 8 YEARS of living here we had a noisy party here for my DD 18th. I had already instructed her that all activities must move to the indoors by midnight and the party be done by 12.30. At 11pm NDN was pounding on my door then pounding on the garden fence screaming at my DD and her guests about "have we got no respect, there's two children trying to get to sleep here (interesting in that they were of the age where they should already have been sound asleep by then anyway, not just trying to get to sleep)".

Today whilst at work my doorbell 'someone's young your bell' alert came on for the first time at 2.30. It was the NDN kids ringing. The younger boy child decides that's what's needed is to poke bash and prod the doorbell with his selfie stick that he had in his hand. On and off he repeats this EIGHT more times. I'm at work but I answer one of them through the intercom facility when I can see him stabbing at the doorbell with his selfie stick asking him to stop and to go away. He doesn't (of course).

The upshot is that I've got a scratched doorbell which was something I only put in to help with the security of my home for me and DD and I've not even finished paying for it as I wanted to get in and install it for the purpose stated - and now the little shit has scratched all the front panel and it was absolutely perfect before then because I've taken great care of it as it's an expensive item and that's what I do with things like that, I don't trash them, I take care of them and (probably stupidly) expect other people to do the same and, if not of an age/upbringing to be able to work that out for themselves, to expect that when causing damage to someone else's property that they would supervise those children, bring them rapidly back inside and tell them to behave themselves... anyway, back to reality.

So. Approach? Conversation with someone who only seems concerned with 'respect' to her whilst giving none to anyone else, and the possibility of answering the door to her towering husband who has been verbally unpleasant to me when I've been on my own on my doorstep once before and whom I don't want to run into. Or note through the door. Thankfully I have it all on video plus a pic of the damage to the doorbell. I'm not even looking for financial recompense, I just wish they'd actually observe their children when they play outside and ensure they aren't breaking stuff that other people own! I feel a letter with the pics is as much as I can manage - today I was literally RAGING, I'm absolutely sick of them as they have so severely impacted my enjoyment of living here.... they complain about one incident in 8 years of being noise disturbed - I've been woken up every weekend for 8 years before 7 am by their children! RRRR.

Best approach, what do people think? I still take parcels in for them (sorry, did still) and continue to take the same level of care about their property and right to peace and quiet day in and day out but it's not reciprocated.

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DointItForTheKids · 21/02/2019 17:52

It was that old chestnut of "can I have me ball back". Balls come over on the regular. I always throw them back over the fence whenever I go into the garden/happen to see them but obviously with it being the winter, I'm not really going out there all the time. In any case, just because you're in doesn't mean you have to answer the door or, you just might not want to (feeling ill or not dressed or busy working or whatever).

In the end I was so concerned about this child's excessive obsession with the bell whilst I'm out at work all day that I felt I had to say something so I dropped a note in just asking her very nicely to please watch them more closely because they'd damaged my property and that I also didn't appreciate him gawping in through the letterbox and poking his selfie stick in. Hopefully it's a lesson learnt as much for her as it is for the boy child.

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ScarletBitch · 21/02/2019 17:58

Oh get a grip OP. Your DD should have stopped any noise by 11PM regardless of what you think of your neighbours. If this is all you have to moan about you have too much time on your hands.

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ScarletBitch · 21/02/2019 18:04

Oh ffs all you people telling the OP to report it to the Police!Confused
The Police will laugh at you. It's a bloody doorbell which could be argued was already scratched. Seriously some people Angry

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Imissgmichael · 21/02/2019 18:07

I think Scarlet is the next door neighbour.

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IndianaMoleWoman · 21/02/2019 18:54

I would pretend I didn’t know who the child was and put the footage on a local Facebook group asking if anyone knew them, accompanied with a comment about how you are sure the parents would love to know because only scumbags wouldn’t discipline their kids if they knew they were behaving so awfully and you wouldn’t want them to get away with it because it’s such a lovely area.

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Singlewhiteguineapig · 21/02/2019 19:25

Have a massive drum and base rave on Friday, Lazers, dry ice and whistles. Bet that will piss the fuckers off Grin

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Drogosnextwife · 21/02/2019 20:13

YANBU OP, what they are doing is very disrespectful and I would consider moving because I doubt you will have any luck.

(interesting in that they were of the age where they should already have been sound asleep by then anyway, not just trying to get to sleep)".

I just had to point out that I'm sure she probably ment the kids had been trying to sleep for a while and couldn't because of the noise, hense the banging the door.

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DointItForTheKids · 21/02/2019 21:05

Don't tempt me Single, that sounds like a great idea, I'd love a party like that!! Maybe in the summer.... Wink

Your parties must be shite Scarlet because generally I wouldn't expect one to stop by 11! I've got no problem with an occasional party from a neighbour and have only been properly pissed off with one set of neighbours who would erect a marquee and party til 4 am each time. That was taking the piss, whereas a party that moved indoors at midnight and finished with any noise at all by 12.30 is one pretty well managed party I'd say and actually I think my DD did a brilliant job of managing everyone and I'm glad they had fun and made noise. One party in 8 years versus 8 years of endless disturbance day in and day out? Your unreasonable detectors are way off. I didn't complain about any of those parties I've just described btw, feel the need to pound on their door or scream at them over the fence because if someone wants a party in their own house two or three times a year, get on and have it I say, that's what a home is for, for enjoying. I think all reasonable steps were taken to minimise the party as much as possible. Even though it's neither here nor there in respect of this thread so way to go for missing the point. I have absolutely no intention to report it to the police.

Very tempting Indiana but wouldn't do so since it is a child involved in the filming. II hope that using the term 'criminal damage' may have focused her mind with a bit of luck. ALL she has to do is supervise them properly! You can hear that kid causing endless trauma's in the house, she's always screaming and shouting at him. It sounds like she goes off to other rooms and leaves him/them to their own devices and it usually seems to end in him/them doing something that deeply pisses her off and cue another shouting match. So she knows he can't regulate his own behaviour to any extent and seems (apparently) to do endless stupid things, yet she constantly doesn't watch what he's doing.

Drogs yes I understand what you're saying.

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NoodleKT · 21/02/2019 21:33

I have to say, I'm with Scarlett about the party. After 11pm people can complain about the noise. My baby wouldn't care that it was a "well managed party" if it woke her up. You can't be mad that they have no consideration for others if you don't either.

That being said, your neighbours sound like dicks. I hope they move away so you have less hassle from them.

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