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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Should I tell neighbour to stop it? (diagram included)

106 replies

NanuNanuM · 10/02/2021 09:01

I cannot decide if to tell my neighbour to pack it in.

They constructed a shelter for their - - stinky-- hens this winter (hens been here for years). It's a thin wood frame covered with tarpaulin. Height level with the fence.

When it rains it sags with water. Neighbour goes into hen shelter and tips the rain into my garden.
When it snows (we've had lots of snow showers) it sags so neighbour goes into to shelter and pushes it into out garden.

I have some small shrubs (delicate - think mini trees), right under that fence and they are getting damaged with the weight of the snow suddenly dumped on them. One was in a pot so moved it.

Would I be a mardy cow to tell them to stop it?

Should I tell neighbour to stop it? (diagram included)
OP posts:
Original poster
NanuNanuM · 15/02/2021 08:46

We are downhill but the floor level is equal to ours in the hen house and it could easily be drained into their garden.

OP posts:
Laiste · 15/02/2021 09:04

Who's is the fence OP?

Has she attached the tarpaulin to the fence?

If this was a 'solid' fence i guess there would be no issue so a piece of perspex would be good. Nice and tall - as you say - to stop any future shovelling/sloshing. Get it well down into the ground 4/5 inches if you can as i would imagine earth will gradually get a bit washed away after a while.

Laiste · 15/02/2021 09:07

I might treat my side of the fence with a bit of decent wood preservative before putting up the perspex against it as well actually. Water going up against it all the time wont do it a lot of good.

Keep receipts. And some pics. With dates. Just in case push ever comes to shove, y'know?

PracticingPerson · 15/02/2021 09:08

If theya re deliberately draining the water onto your garden I think you could rustle up some legal sounding words and try those out on her in the first instance and see if you can scare her off. They are not allowed to damage your property.

I doubt this would be worth any form of serious activity on your part but a quiet word wafting around 'responsibility for damage' and 'replacement costs for plants' might make her worry enough to stop?

icelollycraving · 15/02/2021 09:08

I’d certainly tell environmental health. Failing that, I would use some screening and send her a message to stop dumping all the water/snow on your garden or she will need to pay for the damage. It’s quite good she knows you saw her.

queenrollo · 15/02/2021 09:14

How would she react if you just told her to move it to stop it draining onto your land?

I have chickens, they usually free range our garden, but obviously at the moment I have them in a temporary shelter. There was nowhere else for it to go, so it is close to our back fence. We have made sure that the water does not run off close to/over the fence. It's all angled to come off the front. Yes it means our access to the run is very wet, but they are our hens so the inconvenience should be ours.

She is causing a nuisance and I would actually think it is classed as anti-social behaviour because she clearly knows what she is doing. If you don't feel able to talk to (just fucking tell) her about fixing it then how about your local PCSO. I've found ours really helpful with this kind of neighbour issue.

Greenevalley · 15/02/2021 09:14

There could well be a covenant saying no fowl permitted.
We had one at our last house.

giletrouge · 15/02/2021 09:19

Gosh I don't think you're being petty at all OP and I'm pissed off on your behalf now. She's just showing a basic lack of care and co-operation with her neighbours - in my book if you have neighbours you bloody try and think of doing things in ways that don't deliberately piss them off, it's the least you can do. If I were you I'd be out there now constructing a barrier out of ugly old doors, entirely on my own garden but keeping all her nastiness on her side, temporary but she's not to know that is she? I mean would it be that bloody hard for her to shovel her snow into her own garden instead of yours?

CaravaggioLover · 15/02/2021 09:20

You need to record some footage of her doing it OP, then inform her that you have the proof and will be charging for the cost of repairs. She sounds awful!

TheChiefJo · 15/02/2021 09:20

Just call environmental health. It sounds like the water is only half of it. Let her worry about relocating the hen house or building contraptions. It is not your problem.

Furloughedpissedoff · 15/02/2021 09:21

OP, if you own the fence it's time you took it down for some long term maintenance.

Blindstupid · 15/02/2021 09:27

I would definitely be telling her ... cheeky mare. No way would I put up with it. If she didn’t stop I’d be chucking random buckets of water into her garden - not over the chickens though 😂
Surely they shouldn’t smell if cleaned properly?

ProfessorInkling · 15/02/2021 09:31

Love your diagram. God it sounds like a nightmare. Stop caring what she thinks and approach directly. Let her sulk, not your problem. Then call environmental health.

Laiste · 15/02/2021 09:32

There is a balance to be struck between living harmoniously and protecting your property/rights.

Personally I would be incensed by what she's doing and want to go round and smack her round the head very hard with a blunt instrument. She knows damn well what she'd doing and would bloody deserve it.

However Grin the fact remains that no matter how annoying and unfair the situation is the OP might want to avoid a confrontation. Which is also ok.

Looking at the issues one at a time:
If the fence was solid with no wind gaps then the water draining bit wouldn't affect OP. So perspex will solve that.

The shovelling/chucking: Taller fence (perspex) will solve that too.

The smell: talk to Environmental Health at the council.

Theforest · 15/02/2021 09:39

Strange that the hen house is so close to any house regardless of the pain in the arse neighbour. Definitely report it. Relations with neighbours are steady strained so nothing to lose.

NoProblem123 · 15/02/2021 09:45

Pop a small hole right in the middle of the tarpaulin.
Problem solved.

Great diagram btw Smile

ChikiTIKI · 15/02/2021 09:52

Scissors

chocolateisavegetable · 15/02/2021 10:09

I don't suppose you also have parking issues? With your diagram skills, it would be a fantastic thread, and I do love a parking thread.

thenightsky · 15/02/2021 10:13

@NoProblem123

Pop a small hole right in the middle of the tarpaulin. Problem solved.

Great diagram btw Smile

That was my first thought too.

Or a row of large buckets where the water falls, then you can just tip it back over her side.

longestlurkerever · 15/02/2021 10:13

OP yanbu but Shock at some of these replies.

"Tell the bitch to stop."
"If she's anything like our neighbours it will have been quite deliberate"
"She ibu to have built the henhouse so close to your fence anyway."

Do people really think like this? It's poisonous and horrible.

It's water and snow, it falls out of the sky. She likely doesn't think of it damaging plants. A polite request is all that's required.

Doggitydog · 15/02/2021 10:17

You had me at “diagram included”, you are definitely not being unreasonable. That is very rude of her.

VicarofDibley · 15/02/2021 10:18

She is extremely cheeky and she shouldn't be doing it onto your property. As for the hens smelling, they shouldn't. I keep hens and they are currently undercover because of avian flu but they don't smell .She should be cleaning them out regularly and using ground sanitiser which would eliminate any snell in the run. Poor hens on slabs they sound like they are overcrowded too .I feel sorry for them.

VicarofDibley · 15/02/2021 10:20

@NoProblem123

Pop a small hole right in the middle of the tarpaulin. Problem solved.

Great diagram btw Smile

To be honest that potentially puts the hens at risk of avian flu so technically as hacked off as op is and understandingly so that would just be unfair in the hens. And it isn't their fault their owner is a cheeky mare .
AryaStarkWolf · 15/02/2021 10:22

Of course she's BU but I don't know what you can do if she just ignores your request (other than try to block her from doing it by building some sort of contraption of your own.

BlackCatShadow · 15/02/2021 10:24

You can get a big sheet of perspex for a few pounds and then attach it to the fence quite easily. I'd just go that route.