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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to ask neighbours to keep kids off trampoline in working hours?

600 replies

PineappleMojito · 15/07/2021 07:24

Not really for me, for my DP who is WFH. I don’t WFH so this doesn’t impact but he is very bothered by it.

Next door recently bought a trampoline for their two kids. When they go on it, they’re really noisy - they scream and shout a lot, I’ve heard them on the weekends when I’m home and it is loud. DP is hearing impaired, he’s on work Zoom calls during the day and the noise is making it difficult to do his calls. One is a pre schooler and the other we think might be home at the moment because school bubble has burst. Obviously he is used to general neighbour noise during day, but he finds the screaming and shouting difficult as it’s right next to our fence. He’s using noise cancelling headphones for calls, but even with those it’s getting through and making it hard for him to concentrate and hear what’s being said.

Would he BU to ask them if they could keep the kids off the trampoline during his work hours or confine it to lunch time during the week? He has an hour break where he’d be fine with them using it, he normally goes out to walk the dog. They’re very nice neighbours and we’ve never had any issues, but he’s afraid to rock the boat.

OP posts:
JustATypo · 15/07/2021 07:31

No. That’s normal neighbour noise, kids behaving perfectly normally, you’d look batshit to suggest to them what you’ve posted here.

DeathStare · 15/07/2021 07:31

Of course he would be unreasonable to suggest this. Has he shut the windows and moved his computer as far away as possible?

If he has he could try explaining the situation to the neighbours and ask if they could keep the noise down a little, though the reality is that getting two small children to be quieter might be difficult. But no he can't limit when they use the trampoline

TotorosCatBus · 15/07/2021 07:31

Yabu

Yanbu if you said no trampoline before 9am but working hours is far too many hours to request that they don't use their garden and trampoline.

BBOA · 15/07/2021 07:32

You definitely can’t ask them…annoying yes but their garden so tough. If a neighbour had asked me to do that I’d definitely think they were bonkers! They are kids fgs 😂 You’ll have to move if you don’t like it!

BobbinThreadbare123 · 15/07/2021 07:32

You can't ask it. I do have immense sympathy, genuinely. Have a similar situation and asking for a dog to be brought under control went down like a lead balloon (and that is a noise nuisance under law!)

LadyPenelope68 · 15/07/2021 07:32

You can’t ask them that, you’d look totally batshit 🤣🤣🤣

Ravenspeckingontheroof · 15/07/2021 07:32

My kids use our trampoline all the time. I’d politely decline your request. It’s our garden. Tell you DH to buy noise reducing headphones or earplugs or sit ina different room.

Kokosrieksts · 15/07/2021 07:32

Kids not on the trampoline during work hours, definitely not on a weekend as you want to enjoy some piece in your own garden. Why not suggest they move away?

Nappyvalley15 · 15/07/2021 07:33

If he can no longer work effectively from home can he not discuss with his bosses a return to the office?

DarceyDashwood · 15/07/2021 07:34

I do have sympathy as it must be really annoying but YABU. Especially if children are isolating and a trampoline might be their only decent form of exercise for 10 days!

YouMadeABear · 15/07/2021 07:34

Don't be ridiculous. No, you can't request that children don't play in their garden during daytime hours. I have massive issues with background noise and processing so I empathise with your DH but you can't push that onto kids.

Standrewsschool · 15/07/2021 07:34

Can he just ask for them to be a bit quieter, ie less screaming and shouting?

MichelleScarn · 15/07/2021 07:34

If they were shouting and making noise and playing outside an office building, they would be making unreasonable noise.
In a residential environment, absolutely not.
Imagine if they were daft enough to agree, and he had a working lunch, or had to keep changing his lunch as business allowed, would you expect them to keep changing their alloted hour to suit him?

sirfredfredgeorge · 15/07/2021 07:34

If you're in England there's no instruction to WFH where you can on Monday, so he can to an office or similar place more suited to his work. Sure he can manage it for two more days.

Soubriquet · 15/07/2021 07:35

Nope. He can’t do this

Can he move the computer to a room furtherest away from the garden?

HopeValley · 15/07/2021 07:36

This is going to be a big issue as more and more people WFH. Home should be for playing and relaxing.

Solasum · 15/07/2021 07:36

It is perfectly possible to use a trampoline without constant screaming and shouting. Speak to the parents, and see what they suggest

DaisyFeather · 15/07/2021 07:36

This is going to be one of the trade offs for people working from home so as much as I sympathise (because I have my own neighbour problems and wfh), YABU.

People live at home. We can’t use wfh as a reason to make living unreasonable for those who are home but not working.

Elune · 15/07/2021 07:37

Yes YABU. You can't give people a one-hour window a day when they can use their garden in a certain way. Homes are for living, not for working in, although obviously many more of us have been working from home since Covid. I have worked from home for more than five years and normal neighbourhood noise is just what you have to deal with.

Vallmo47 · 15/07/2021 07:37

I literally had a chat with my next door neighbour yesterday to ask whether my daughter playing on trampoline was annoying for him. He said kids are just being kids and she’s never out there in the evenings and has school in the day. Of course he understands that she wants to play on her trampoline at times. I said I do keep an eye on how long she’s been out there and just shout me if you need a break. But that’s me being a kind neighbour - I still don’t think he has a leg to stand on if I didn’t care.
I sympathise with your husband as mine works from home (varying hours of the day/night) and we have extremely noisy neighbours opposite who play loud music sometimes until 2am. They disturb us all day and most of the night. That’s disrespectful at night, but we would never complain about daytime.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 15/07/2021 07:38

I don't know why people allow their brats to shriek all day it's bloody selfish.
When I was bringing up mine they had to keep the noise reasonable i.e no shrieking as we lived in a built up area in a terraced house.
If they needed to let off steam and run and shout I'd take them down to the park for a few hours to get it out of their system.
Otherwise they never learn to respect other peoples space and grow up to be considerate human beings.
A lot of people are too lazy to take their children to the park or teach them to behave considerately, they think they and their children can behave like savages all day and to hell with anyone else.

TheKeatingFive · 15/07/2021 07:38

Fuck sake OP, of course not.

How entitled.

If your DP can’t work effectively from home he needs to raise this with his employers.

Disfordarkchocolate · 15/07/2021 07:39

I can sympathise but I think YABU. For occasional events it would be OK but not every day. Last summer we had a pogo stick user nearby. I just learnt to tune it out because its actually nice that children are playing outside and having fun, my sensitivity to noise is not their problem.

redcarbluecar · 15/07/2021 07:39

My first thought was that you could ask if they could do it without screaming! But I don’t suppose you can, really.

Flowerlane · 15/07/2021 07:40

I’m sorry but that’s ridiculous you can not ask that. It’s the summer and we finally look like we are getting some nice weather. Children are also starting to break up from school you can not expect them not to play in their own garden every day!

Make sure he is sitting in a room at the front of the house away from the gardens.