To complain to neighbours smoking in the garden?

[Quickncjust4this]

Our neighbours have recently installed a canvas covered parabola thing in their garden, with one side (the side pointing towards our garden) left open.

They are now using this as an all seasons smoking shelter. Many times through the day and most evenings they are sat out there puffing away.

The problem is it is completely stinking out my house. The whole of our top floor now stinks of smoke. I've shut the windows be it is still coming in through the vents. I've bought new air fresheners which help but it's still awful.

As non smokers it's really unbearable for us I'm also worried about young children and the health effect to them.

Would I be unreasonable to ask them to stop, or at least to add a 4th panel to their shelter to reduce what reaches our home?

Nope, but I don’t expect my neighbours to live by my rules. Perhaps tolerance is linked to happiness. I’m not the one whinging about my neighbours on mumsnet.

Type **. Sorry for the typo

This is a completely reasonable thing to complain about. Lots of people complain about bonfires and bbqs and they are nothing like as regular. It is disgusting to have cigarette smoke drifting into your house. I even know someone who successfully fought a planning application because it would encourage smoking under people’s bedroom windows.

Oh Taz, the irony of your comment also seems lost on you. No you are not whinging about your neighbours on mumsnet, you are for some unknown reason trying to find a fight with a random stranger instead.

I'm sending you a little kindness since you seem to be in short supply

You can certainly ask them but consider how you'll feel if they tell you to eff off? Do you think you'll be happy with that or even more resentful? Might be worth just leaving it. Depends how reasonable they are...

Oh dear, this thread hasn’t gone the way you thought it would, has it.

YANBU. They are being very selfish. Highly unlikely they will understand that though.

So it’s never windy where you live? The smoke always goes in exactly the same direction?

@Quickncjust4this

Sparkl fairy as someone with a master's degree in physics and a PhD in a related field, I can tell you it does not defy the rules of physics. What a silly comment.

And yet you don’t know the difference between a parabola and a pergola. 🤣

Boysonthesofa I can't imagine why they would tell me to effort, they might of course say no which is their perogative.

They may be resentful of being asked I suppose but would that be worse than us being resentful of them filling out house with smoke?

If a poster started a thread to say their neighbour has mentioned they can smell their cigarette smoke, they'd be told to be more considerate and think about moving where they smoke to keep peace with the neighbour. So it's a bit shit to say 'they can do what they want' - yes they can but that doesn't make it easier to live with.

Cigarette smoke is awful to smell constantly, I sympathise, OP.

The luggage the open side of their gazebo / pergola thing is aimed at our house, so unless the wind is blowing strongly away from our house then a good bit of the smoke makes its way to us.

Changing the direction of the open side , or closing it would likely solve most of the problem

I wouldnt like this! Maybe have a quick word and just explain the problem nicely .The irony is that they smoke outdoors to keep them from smelling out their own house, and are smelling yours out instead! Its beyond me why so many people are smoking now with Covid and so on anyway .

Taz you do make me chuckle. I hope your day gets better

I hate the smell of smokers and at least masks means some relief from their stinky breathe so social distancing is good for that at least.

However, it is their property so not breaking any laws. Maybe a pleasant socially distanced chat to ask if they can turn the pergola a different direction?

OP im a smoker and would move my flap/canvas if explained to nicely.

God, there are some dicks out here today. Why arent people reading properly and being needlessly snippy over a frikken typo!?

Are you my neighbour??! (although you don't sound half as bad!)

DH and I smoke. In our garden. Our neighbour is constantly complaining about it and even called our landlord to complain. We smoke away from the house and still get sworn at. If it's chucking it down we go and stand under our front porch. We then got whinged when she just happened to walk out her front door at the same time, despite trying to explain to her that we were out there because she still had her kitchen window open. I've even had passive aggressive slamming of doors and windows for just putting my washing out, because she assumed I was smoking. Some people don't like the smell of smoke.. I get that, but we've done everything to avoid it causing her an issue. She's just never happy. Her other next door neighbours smoke weed. She doesn't complain about them though because they own their house... We only rent... Its horrible being made to feel as if you are doing something illegal!

Just ask them. If they are reasonable, considerate people then I can't see why they wouldn't do it.

Thanks Santana. Being like that is a symptom of someones character / insecurities. It's no harm to let them get it out here :)

You definitely would not be unreasonable to ask them and bring to their attention that the open side directs all the smoke into your house.
I don't see how they could be offended by that.
Our neighbours smoke? Cannabis and have done similar that they've set up an outside seating area so on dry evenings the smell fills up our upstairs. Thankfully it's been wet recently but then they do it inside so our downstairs hallway stinks.
You have my sympathy op.
Please speak to them, hears hoping they'll move it.

I have literally only stated that it is a nuisance having my home filled with cigarette smoke produced by my neighbours

The impact on you can vary depending on how close your houses are together and where they are in their garden, (i.e. standing right outside their door/your bedroom when you're in a terrace) but come on OP, your house is not being "filled" with smoke especially as you've said you close the windows!

Not unreasonable to ask if they minded putting a fourth panel there. I'm an ex-smoker and don't think I would have minded someone asking nicely.

Mrs warleggan I'm definately not your neighbour, I wouldn't swear at you for starters!

It sounds like you have tried your best to reduce the issue for your neighbour. You can't do more than that.

We've never liked the smell from our neighbours smoking but when they were smoking just in their garden we couldn't see what more they could do to reduce the problem really other than go inside, which didn't seem reasonable to ask of them.

This shelter they've constructed is the issue and we still aren't sure whether it would reasonable to ask them to make changes to it - hence me fielding the question here. Which has been really helpful (for the most part!)

The smell of fags is disgusting so you have my sympathy! But YABU as it’s their garden

Surely just explain that the smoke / smell is drifting into your house and take it from there?

As a smoker I absolutely would not mind being asked about opening a different side of the pergola/gazebo. I try and be as considerate as I can so that my smoking doesn't cause anyone grief.
Don't take round a bottle or chocs, it makes it seem like you've been stewing on the issue.