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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not buy a house next to the school if you don’t like the sound of children.

114 replies

Popsy92 · 22/07/2020 13:23

I have a friend. Her and her hubby bought a house directly behind a school. Their garden backs onto the school field. A pathway goes down the near their house from the school.

But they are always moaning about the noise from the school field.. the school have been spending a lot more time than usual outside at the minute when it’s sunny due to covid and outdoor learning but they moaned about the noise before then.

My children go to the same school and I just feel that if you buy a house near a school you should expect the noise?? There is only one school in the area and they bought the house closest to the field/playgrounds.

Aibu?

OP posts:
Haworthia · 22/07/2020 15:30

YANBU. We bought a house literally next door to the local Junior school playground. They have a sound system blasting out music as Year 6 leave as I type. It’s lovely.

For all the noise we get during school hours, it’s so lovely and quiet at evenings and weekends. I also have the shortest school run ever Grin Selfish parents parking like dickheads in the street is the worst thing, but we live with it.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 22/07/2020 15:32

We back on to the Infants School (admittedly a field away) and I love noise. Apparently the people that lived here before moved away when school was built as hated noise

Iverunoutofnames · 22/07/2020 15:34

I know someone who bought a house opposite a fish and chip shop and then tried to get it closed down because they didn’t like the smell and the traffic. Idiots though.

MereDintofPandiculation · 22/07/2020 15:35

I have absolutely no sympathy for people that buy a house near a school, church, farm / countryside, stations, airports, large venues etc. There's a difference between complaining about what was there and obvious when you moved in, and changes that have happened more recently. There's a limited amount of housing, and if you double the number of night flights, you're going to make life worse for a lot of people - should we really just say "they shouldn't have bought a house there if they didn't like night flights"? Or not bother to try to reduce the noise emitted by aircraft because "if they don't like aircraft noise they shouldn't have bought the house". Why are we bothering with clean air zones in cities - surely, if people are bothered by air quality, they shouldn't live in a city?

Undies1990 · 22/07/2020 15:35

Zero sympathy. It's like a friend of mine who bought a house near an airport and now complains about the aircraft noise! Stupid idiots.

fflelp · 22/07/2020 15:38

YANBU. Ridiculous. Everyone knows living next door to a primary school comes with noise....
Is the problem because they have been WFH during lockdown and are there during the day or were they complaining before?
Most people are out at work during primary school hours so wouldn't be affected by it too much but perhaps it's become annoying because of them being at home during the day.
I still have no sympathy for them whatsoever!

WeAllHaveWings · 22/07/2020 15:42

We stayed in a flat at the end of a road of a primary school, a good 10 doors or so down. At break time we could hear them but it was just background noise with the odd shriek that would briefly catch my attention.

At home time it was much nosier for a few minutes as many would walk past the flat on the way home, I got used to it and it was just background noise but interspersed with the odd word that would catch your ear and they were definitely not taught by the teacher!!!

Alex50 · 22/07/2020 15:45

My garden backs onto a school field, it’s lovely not having houses at the back. Yes there is noise but it’s a lovely noise, better than noisy neighbours partying all night, you only hear them between 12 and 2 unless it’s sports day. My daughter went to the school, she could see her house from her classroom, it was like she was at school in our garden 😊

OutOfHours · 22/07/2020 15:50

There is one next to the school my mum works at, it is the house right next to the entrance, they complain about the noise too.. Like wtf!!

Thislittlelady · 22/07/2020 15:51

I certainly wouldn’t have bought a house ,say, beside a football stadium if I didn’t like noise. It’s kinda obvious. So equally I wouldn’t buy a house beside a school if the noise of kids annoyed me during the day...

LakieLady · 22/07/2020 15:57

I suppose it's possible that they didn't realise quite how noisy it would be, or that they would find the noise irritating, but it's still BU to complain about it.

I knew a couple who seriously considered buying a house that had a rear garden backing on to a pub garden. When they told us, I asked if they'd be ok with the noise from drinkers in the garden in the summer.

It genuinely hadn't occurred to them that it might be noisy. Confused And we were in the pub garden at the time! Shock

They went back the following night and listened from the street, and decided that yes, it was far too noisy.

SpilltheTea · 22/07/2020 15:58

Bit dim to buy a house by a school and moan about the noise.

mbosnz · 22/07/2020 16:01

Zero sympathy from me. I say that as someone who is fairly sensitive to noise, and bought a house opposite a primary school.

I must admit though, when the house next door was converted to an after school and holiday care centre, I wasn't terribly happy. . . they were noisier than the entire school!

AllTheUsernamesAreAlreadyTaken · 22/07/2020 16:02

They sound like twats.

Whenwillthisbeover · 22/07/2020 16:05

I like next door to a primary school and a high school, the only noise I can’t stand is sports day at the primary, I have always worked from home and it’s unbearable.

It’s one day a year though and it didn’t happen this year!

On a plus side we get a free view of their excellent firework display every year from the warmth of the house!

Confrontayshunme · 22/07/2020 16:07

We bought a house next to (right next to) a park. It's awesome, but the elderly people on the other side complain CONSTANTLY about the noise from children playing. One lady has petitioned the council for them to close it for YEARS. They haven't.

DingDongDenny · 22/07/2020 16:08

We used to live backing on to the playing fields of a primary school and were surprised at how intrusive it was. We had expected noise during school hours, but the things we didn't expect were

  • the amount of swearing when they had kids football practice
  • holiday clubs all Summer
  • The holiday club having a piano, which was torture
  • kids climbing on a container and shouting and swearing at us in our garden and also peeing from the top of the container

...we moved

transformandriseup · 22/07/2020 16:19

This is like our timeshare, some of the regulars constantly complain about the noise from the kids in the pool and park (in August!!) but my MIL remembers when their own kids were young and that they also made just as much noise.

mbosnz · 22/07/2020 16:22

Okay, I did get a bit antsy at three hour Bagpipe band of a Wednesday evening.

mrsBtheparker · 22/07/2020 16:32

Rather a school than a pub! Surely this is something you look at when buying.

BatshitCrazyWoman · 22/07/2020 16:34

I live opposite a primary school and I love hearing them. I've missed them over lock down! Your friend is an idiot ...

AgeLikeWine · 22/07/2020 16:36

Of course YANBU. It’s the same as buying a house in West London and moaning about aircraft noise, or buying a house beside a dairy farm and complaining about the smell of cow shit.

People are idiots.

MintyMabel · 22/07/2020 16:39

Our house is close to the school. For reasons outwith our control we had little choice but to buy the house we did. It hadn’t occurred to me the school would be noisy as I thought we’d be far enough away from it. But the playground noise carries and it is awful. Children playing might be a lovely noise to some people, but I wonder if 600 kids running about screaming is supposed to be pleasant.

Similarly, the playpark they built across the path from our house, and the large expanse of grass people take their dogs to shit on were never in the developer’s plan when we bought it.

It’s not always as simple as “you bought a house next to a school”

nicenames · 22/07/2020 17:36

We nearly bought a house next to a tennis club (we didn't but not because of the club). We came back to visit it at peak time on Saturday on a sunny day specifically to see what the noise was like. Isn't that what everyone would do? I appreciate that term times don't always permit, but if they do is there really an excuse?

mencken · 22/07/2020 18:13

reminds me of one house that came up in my target area; looked on the map and wondered 'what's that big flat feature nearby?'

go kart track....

buying near a school means noise, litter and heavy traffic. Surprised anyone doesn't know that.