AIBU regarding neighbours

[HC4U]

Currently abroad for a number of months with my family and one of our neighbours has a key of our home. We gave it to them years ago when we moved to the area. We are friends but not in and out of each others house etc. I got locked out of the house week 1 with a tiny baby and this neighbour broke window for me and with one thing and another I gave him a spare key.

Anyway fast forward to the past few weeks where I have gotton a text noting
1.They used our lawnmower and found it better than their own, so have been using it while we are gone. No asking do we mind?

1. Sports on TV watched in our living room by the man and his sons on numerous occasions as they don't have the channels. Plus teenage son has gone down a few times to watch movies.
2. They had a party yesterday in their own home and they took some of my plates and large dishes for the event.
3. Took some baking ingredients out of my pantry as "I knew you wouldn't be using them for a while".

Now honestly please don't get me wrong, I would give access to my home if I was there and give them anything they wanted or needed. But I just find it this time a little too much.

We mentioned we were going away but did not give them responsibility for looking after the house as our immediate neighbour does that as we do them when they go away. But I would never take or borrow anything from someone without asking them first.

If this neighbour gave me their key which they haven't I would never take stuff without asking them first.

Its just the lack of manners that gets me. I think its time to take back the key!!!

That's not on at all. How dare they help themselves to your home? Change the locks, let them know this is not acceptable behaviour. It is so very cheeky!

There is going to be a very large teenage party in your home any minute now. These people have quite the nerve.

It sounds like they are taking advantage of you being out of the country. Do you have any family who could pop round and check that nothing has been stolen or wrecked?

How do you know they have done this if you are abroad, and why are you still paying for Sports Channels if you are not in the property?

Years ago I made the mistake of letting my teenage son throw a party while I was out of town. Logged on to facebook to see my son had posted a picture of a couple of his friends (boy and a girl) tucked up in my bed! I was fuming and rushed back to following day to change my bedding and tell my son I would never let him throw a party in our home ever again.

Change the locks on your return. Whether or not you ask for the old key back is up to you. You can decide whether to say anything or not. Under no circs give them your new key. Before changing locks make sure you have all plates / mowers back.
Good luck op

Hi all, thanks a million. Well the situation has been resolved It was the lawnmower that did it for hubby [SMILE] He was fuming and told the neighbour straight out, that he had absolutely no problem with him using our lawnmower when we were away but it would have been just common manners to ask first. OMG I loved him for having straight up said it. He never mentioned anything else but the lawnmower and followed it up by saying our other neighbour would be collecting our house key later (which he did) as we only wanted one neighbour having a key and they lived right next door to us. It didn't seem to bother this neighbour at all when my hubby said it. It is clear they were happy out using stuff and not batting an eyelid that they were doing anything out of the ordinary. I have to admit people still surprise me. Crisis averted hopefully with the neighbours. Thanks everyone. I really was wondering was I AIBU [Smile]

Well done.

Still can’t beleive the bareface cheek of them

I seriously do not understand people. On what planet is this acceptable. On what planet are people asking if this is acceptable.

I’d get the locks changed for good measure.

Good result op. Yes, some people have no concepts of normal boundaries.

We too had a neighbour hold a spare key in case we ever got kicked out (happened once when I had newborn locked out on a cold, wet January night, with a neighbour having to break a window to get in - not this neighbour though, different house)

We had a friend coming in daily to feed our cats while on holiday, so our being away didn’t involve our neighbour at all. This neighbour felt it was ok to come into our house with their visiting grandchildren to use our DC toys and garden play equipment - as well as use our telephone repeatedly for entering some kind of competition (calls charged premium rate). We just changed the locks, didn’t ask for key back and never gave them a copy. We bought a lockbox for a spare key.

Many years ago my Mum walked in our house and found our neighbours who were also their good friends (who had a key) on our phone. They made some excuse about it being an emergency (Mum said that was obviously a blatant lie as tone of the conversation was chatty). M&D had been wrangling for months with the phone company about the sudden spiralling of the phone bills (which they had talked about to these friends). She took the key back and, just for good measure, arranged for the phone to take incoming calls only for six months. These friends immediately got their own landline and put a lock on it! Mum said what got her the most was their casual off-hand manner, not apologetic or guilty at all.

When my first marriage broke up, I walked into my house to find my ex-mil sitting him my house bold and brass drinking my tea and reading my mail while watching TV. Changed my locks pronto. People are fuckers

Ads you certain they made no extra copies of the key?

Ha e they returned al! the frocks and other stuff? Don't just assume that they have.

crocks fgs! Or did they borrow some frocks too?

Good grief! Glad you got the key back, that's unbelievable!