Neighbours smoking driving us mad!

[mag2305]

Our neighbours are renting the house next door. We live in an old terraced cottage so our garden is really close to theirs and small too so no real distance between us. It's a young mum and dad plus two little ones under 3. From about 8am to at least 8pm, they come outside to smoke pretty continuously, either together or separately. As the weather is so warm, we like to have windows open but can't because the cigarette smell is coming through all the time. If we sit outside, it's drifting over. I'm pregnant and have a young child so I feel even more aware of it. They're very young parents and I kind of feel for them as they don't appear to work, neither drives and so they're both stuck at home a lot.
But we really want to say something about the smoking but don't know if we have a right to? Or is it going to cause problems? And I do wonder, even if I said, I'm pregnant and have a toddler, could they see the problem anyway as they smoke over their own little ones outside!
Awkward!! Any thoughts?

[quote mag2305]@RedToothbrush I don't know. I'm just very stressed.[/quote]
Over this?

Oh, to live such a sheltered life.

@Unsure33

I would get fans at the windows you want open and point them back at their property or upwards.

Put them on as soon as they go outside.

And I am sorry I would be judgemental as well about certain things ( not them I am sure they are lovely) but owning a dog is Expensive and so is smoking . If they have no money coming in I hope they do look after the children. Perhaps they should take the dog out and smoke at the same time , might balance out the risk to their health.

How do we know they have no money coming in? The OP just said they don't appear to work. That's not the same thing

@osbertthesyrianhamster harsh!!!

Not a sheltered life at all.

[quote mag2305]@osbertthesyrianhamster harsh!!!

Not a sheltered life at all.[/quote]
So many exclamation points. You can't do anything about this. So just deal. Get fans or something. That's life. Having had shit neighbours, truly shit ones, your reaction is totally OTT.

If people are really concerned about the smoke filtering into the house I would get an air purifier and keep the windows closed that are affected.
Out in the garden, I honestly think people are hyper sensitive about fag smoke because they can smell it unlike some other pollutant particles in the air.
I am way more concerned about things like traffic pollution, unstable asbestos lurking around etc etc.

I think the pertinent point is, what do you want them to do about it that might be reasonable to them?

You need to know that first before actually engaging in a convo. If you just say ‘this makes me uncomfortable, they’d be within their rights to say, what do you want me to do?’

Ugh I would hate this.
I don't think smokers realise how badly they smell.

I unfortunately don't think there is anything you can do about it. As disgusting as it is, they are allowed to smoke in their garden.

No reason why you can't ask them nicely if they would mind smoking somewhere where the smoke won't drift into your garden, but there's nothing you can do if they refuse.

@BlatantlyNameChanged yeh, you're right. I don't want to cause bad feeling. Like others have said, it's their garden, their right. Not sure if approaching the landlady is possible or maybe just saying that could they smoke a bit further down the garden during this hot weather. But after reading everyone's comments, I feel like we shouldn't be saying that.

Perhaps it might be a lot more acceptable to, you know, actually have some contact/ chats etc with them and get to know them a bit before wading in with requests/ complaints.

I think part of my frustration is at the landlady's (there's been a couple of different landlady's). In the last 7 years, we've had vodka bottles thrown over the fence by the first tenants, who also stared over the fence at us. Admittedly they had some complex issues. The second people had several dogs in a smallish house who barked all dog, but inside. And the the third people had a teenager who would spit chewing gum into our garden from his room. And now persistent smoking.

Maybe moving would be an idea.

practise opera every time they go out for a smoke or your play favourite ear worm music

You not had much luck with neighbours.

Edit... Meant 'all day' not 'all dog' haha!

@vodkaredbullgirl yep, tell me about it

@mumwon haha! I'm tempted

A landlord can stop a tenant from smoking outside (if it's laid out in the lease), so might be worth speaking to the landlord

I’m pretty sure this is made up bollocks. No landlord can dictate their tenants’ behaviour outside their property. While smoking remains legal, they’re entitled to smoke in their own garden - you know, the one they pay rent for.

[quote DoubleTweenQueen]@RedToothBrush I don’t see why anyone should put up and shut up about a neighbour’s habit that could damage their and their own children’s health?

Blimey, the drinks cabinet’s been opened early today and the crowd’s getting lairy [/quote]
Well you could kick up a fuss, but the risk is they make life even worse and do it even more because they have every right to smoke in their garden and as a neighbour you have no recourse to stop them.

The point is, that you have no means to force it to stop and requesting someone to do something in their own garden is likely to create resentment and tension. Thats the choice on offer here - confront and try and be nice about it with the possibility they may double down and become actively hostile.

Ultimately the only real solution is for the OP to move. Especially in view of her post about other tenants being a problem previously.

I say this as the neighbour of someone who has a DIY problem / builder problem. You either put up or move out.

Perhaps you could ask them to smoke further away from the house so it doesn't come into your windows ?

Sorry OP but you are being U, they are entitled to smoke in their garden.
I honestly think you are going a little OTT, them smoking in the fresh air is very unlikely to cause you any damage. Can you not sit further down your garden? As a pp said maybe shut the back windows and open the front.
Unfortunately you cannot stop them smoking In their own garden, be grateful it's not weed they are smoking we get that god awful smell all say every day from various neighbours.

@idliketoteachtheworldtosing
I totally get that. A few pps have said about weed smoking and of course, that's horrible. We're not in that position luckily. However, we are on busy road/busy bus route. So opening the front windows means traffic pollution.
The more I write about this, the mire it sounds like we just need to move. But it's not quite that easy.
I suppose it's just extra frustrating as I'm at home so much at the moment.

i live in an old terrace house, with just me here, and I smoke outside, without any complaints. But the middle aged couple next door,, well the man really, does all the cooking, and several times a week, he cooks with a lot of garlic,and it's horrible, as the smell permeates right through my whole house, and lingers around for ages.. He smokes outside as well, so no problems, but the stench of garlic makes me feel sick.. I don't say anything though, he is an ok guy really, just stinks of garlic at times.

My neighbour smokes weed.

Weed smell makes me feel sick.

I keep the door and windows shut...and my mouth.

The world does not revolve around me.

P.S, don't know what possible relevance being renters has. I take it you own so think yourself above them as it does rather come across that way.

YANBU to be annoyed. I think most people would be, even some of the posters up-thread who are so understanding and sympathetic toward your neighbours. Unless you're a smoker yourself, you don't want to smell smoke all day long, but it's true that they probably won't want to change their habits to suit you.

Moving is the answer to get away from these neighbours. The problem is that it's expensive and stressful to move, and there's no guarantee that your next neighbours won't be just as bad, if not worse.

There's no harm in asking if the garden is big enough that going down the other end is possible.. DH and I both smoke and if our neighbours asked us to smoke further away from the house we wouldn't mind (we actually do because that's where our table and chairs are). Though I should put an emphasis on asking rather than demanding.