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Original poster

Nightmare neighbours

175 replies

RainbowBriteUk · 25/04/2021 20:43

I have been in my current property, a rental, since October last year. It's been a tough year. Redundancy, cancer and a few breakdowns. I thought I was finally settled in life.

NDN's, a man and a woman in their mid-fifties are noisy fuckers. They don't think anything of turning their telly up and every nice day they play music in their back garden so it's been a fair few weeks now. Also lots of shouting, DIY and generally being loud. Difficult when I am WFH and I would love to sit in the garden without their shitty music. However, for the sake of a neighbourly relationship I say nothing. They get pissed in their garden which is fine but become very loud. I've said nothing so far.

Today, I was trying to work. I was irked that they'd had their music on fairly loud since 10am in the garden. They then turned it up. I calmly went out and asked the man to turn it down as I was working and on a work call and the music meant I couldn't hear properly and concentrate and thanked him. It went down for a few seconds and then he turned it mega loud, put the speaker by my back door (fence seperates) and it's still on now.

I have had a few difficult years in rentals so finally hoped I had found somewhere to settle :( I have emailed the agency to let them know what happened but I am scared this is going to be it for ever now. He's going to do stupid things in retaliation. The music has been on very loud for going up to two hours now. Surprised no other neighbours are going off their head.

I have also found out he's been in trouble with the law for carrying an offensive weapon so quite shook up now. What can I do?

OP posts:
PyjamaFan · 25/04/2021 21:44

Call the police. Tell them that you're afraid if his reaction and ask for their advice.

AwaAnBileYerHeid · 25/04/2021 21:45

Personally I'd go out and boot the speaker full force away from my door. However I understand that you may not want to do this lol. Can you get revenge ie blast music at 6am disturb them? They sound like they probably don't work and lie in till late so this would no doubt piss them off.

Hothammock · 25/04/2021 21:51

Sprinkler?

FlipFlapFlop1980 · 25/04/2021 21:57

I would move but arrange it that you move your stuff to the new property with a crossover of a few days.

In those last few days, hire a fuck off huge speaker and play the kids "Barney" song on repeat all fucking day and night...

Altogether now "I love you, you love me..."

FlipFlapFlop1980 · 25/04/2021 21:58

Well, that's what I dream of doing to my selfish prick of a neighbour who is the same.

EnjoyingTheSilence · 25/04/2021 22:00

I wouldn’t do anything right now but definitely move and one you’ve left (and give it some time so they won’t think it’s you, send them a glitter bomb and sign them up for some interesting brochures

BRB2021 · 25/04/2021 22:00

Surely other neighbours are as fuming as you? I wonder if anyone else has complained? Awful for you

StoneofDestiny · 25/04/2021 22:10

Record the noise.
Phone the police
Phone the landlord
Move

Queenie6655 · 25/04/2021 22:10

Wow that is terrible

Sending you best wishes
Sorry to hear this
Plus is it that easy to just up and leave ??

AHobbyaweek · 25/04/2021 22:15

If you have a hose in your garden can you train it on the speaker to kill it?

Funnyface1 · 25/04/2021 22:32

Is it still on now? What a nightmare.

agentnully · 25/04/2021 22:40

Yep, a little accident while watering your garden for starters.

Then, the moment it goes quiet, the loudest, most annoying music played on repeat.

If they knock and complain make sure you behave like butter wouldn't melt and record everything, and I mean every contact with them. Also, keep a written diary.

I feel your pain and am pissed off royally with the small minority of ignorant people who can cause so many problems for decent people.

We all need to rebel and put up with it no more in any way we can get away with.

I've had to deal with neighbours like this who called the police on me for no reason other than I'd asked them to try to stop their dogs constantly barking. While I don't actually have a police record I am now 'known' to the police. She complained that I was 'perving' over her kids. The officer attending couldn't tell me what that meant and I still can't work out how I'd be 'perving' over any kids in the middle of winter when there are none outside.

She also hid her dogs when the officer visited her. They weren't on the property but how he could have missed the sheds, bowls, chains and excrement I have no idea. But apparently, they'd never owned a dog. A day later they were back along with the constant barking. They moved eventually. Thankfully.

What I really don't understand is why the authorities don't pull their thumbs out of their arses and start taking noise complaints seriously. Are they afraid of the kind of people who know and can play the system? Noisy neighbours are a constant complaint here. They're a source of real distress for a lot of people yet nothing is done about it.

I'm 50 and don't remember people being this inconsiderate when I was younger. There seems to have been an explosion of an unpleasant type of man that uses threats to squash complaints against them or women that get defensive if anyone (rightly) asks them to correct their behaviour or that of their feral offspring and then starts to behave even worse.

Original poster
RainbowBriteUk · 25/04/2021 22:44

Thanks everyone for your replies. It went off half an hour ago. My ears are still ringing from the noise. I really feel for the people with kids. I can't remember if I signed a 6 or 12 month contract with the agency. I will find out tomorrow. Absolute arseholes these neighbours. All because I asked him to turn down his music so I could concentrate on work.

OP posts:
Jennifer2021 · 26/04/2021 00:19

The music is still on. What if it's on all night?

Ring 101. It's a Sunday evening. I'm sure you're not the only neighbour to have work in the morning.

Feel for you OP I have beyond shitty neighbours and no way of moving unless my lottery numbers come up. As others said move if you can. Flowers

Jennifer2021 · 26/04/2021 00:33

What I really don't understand is why the authorities don't pull their thumbs out of their arses and start taking noise complaints seriously. Are they afraid of the kind of people who know and can play the system? Noisy neighbours are a constant complaint here

@agentnully not being arsey here but i honestly think it's because the LLs don't have to live amongst them. If they did they'd be the first to kick up a fuss until the problem neighbour was moved. I'm still upset with the LL agent who didn't take everyone seriously a few years ago and now we're going through the same thing again. Turns out they were a family friend of nightmare neighbour so turned a blind eye to the drug wrappers I showed them being thrown into our garden and I've since discovered they lived in a rather idyllic village on the outskirts of the city that you need to sell both kidneys for.

shamalidacdak · 26/04/2021 00:37

Move. Noisy neighbors never quieter down.

StarCat2020 · 26/04/2021 03:37

Call the police if it carries on past 11pm.i think that's the cut off when it becomes the definition of antisocial
They will tell you to phone the council in the morning and the council will do nothing.

As per PP get packing and prepare to move

StarCat2020 · 26/04/2021 03:56

Ring 101. It's a Sunday evening. I'm sure you're not the only neighbour to have work in the morning
If only it was that simple

Original poster
RainbowBriteUk · 26/04/2021 06:30

Thank you all for your replies. I'm out at work today so scared of any reprisals on my property. Am I overreacting? After playing the extremely loud music last night til around 10.15pm and having the past charge of carrying a weapon, god knows what he may do.

OP posts:
KatherineJaneway · 26/04/2021 06:36

They will tell you to phone the council in the morning and the council will do nothing.

Not necessarily so. I complained about very noisy neighbours and although it took time, the landlord evicted them as the Council threatened him with a £2,000 fine every time the neighbours made excessive noise outside acceptable hours.

MyOtherProfile · 26/04/2021 06:39

I'm another one who complained to environmental health about noisy neighbours and got a helpful reaction. Worth a shot but I'd still say you need to move.

Billandben444 · 26/04/2021 06:59

You won't get any reprisals as they did that last night by moving the speakers and turning the volume up. You will, however, get repeat performances so agree that you need to move. Tell your landlord why as well. Good luck and try not to feel threatened by these pigs 💐

2me2u2u2me · 26/04/2021 07:12

@FlipFlapFlop1980

I would move but arrange it that you move your stuff to the new property with a crossover of a few days.

In those last few days, hire a fuck off huge speaker and play the kids "Barney" song on repeat all fucking day and night...

Altogether now "I love you, you love me..."

Brilliant idea Grin
blobblob · 26/04/2021 07:14

It's actually very difficult to do anything about these sort of people though. There are no real sanctions. A LandL can't get them out. As PP said it'd be two years and if they got nasty - as it sounds like they might -they'd simply stop paying rent and/or trash the place.

Police can't do anything. And if they did get evicted then sooner or later they'd be rehoused. And do the same again. And if they own the house the eviction option doesnt exist.

Dashel · 26/04/2021 07:29

There needs to be stricter laws about neighbours from hell. If you are a victim of constant antisocial behaviour and you report it, it then needs to be declared and makes it harder to sell your house, so a lot of people just don’t report it and pass on a problem. Too often the neighbour makes it hard for a lot of people to enjoy their homes, not just one household and little seems to be done.

My husband worked in the same company as one of these people and he was in the paper three times after being charged and having stereos confiscated and he thought it was funny and actually told colleagues about it. DH did tell he it wasn’t funny or something to brag about, but it didn’t stop his behaviour.

It’s just awful that you can have your home invaded or live in fear of what an ass of a neighbour might do next. People need to have somewhere they can retreat to and feel safe in.