To ask my neighbours if they insist on smoking weed….

[Emille87]

to do it in their back garden as opposed to in their house as the smell is coming into my home. We live in a semi abs we are on friendly terms with our neighbours. They are mid 30’s have two dc and seemed very nice people. We only moved to the area about six months ago and a while back I thought I could smell weed in my hallway but thought nah it must be something else. Well it turns out it wasn’t. My neighbours are full on smoking it a few times a week now and the smell is literally coming through the walls mostly into my kitchen but also into my hall which then wafts upstairs. Other than this issue we haven’t had any problems with the neighbours and they seem nice out dc get on with each other etc. I just can’t take the smell anyone. My dh had said he’ll have a word but I have an anxiety disorder and I know if he speaks to them I’ll be worried and paranoid about seeing or speaking to them when I leave the house.

No offence but id ratger have someone who snoked weed live next to me than someone who was a herion addict or alcoholic. And you dont know why they smoke weed, many people smoke weed for pain relief.. Its proven as well.

What a martyr you sound, your son has grown up seeing you smoke so he’s normalised that.
You insist they are smoking it around their children, as once you think you smelt it in the kitchen?

They’re just trying to live their lives really? So am I. I know people with anxiety use weed to self medicate but there are people who just smoke it for the hell of it. I’m trying to live my life too but I’m feeling rather miserable and it’s through no fault of my own.

I haven’t normalised smoking for my ds. He doesn’t like me smoking and has made that clear hence why I have cut right down and I’m on my way to quitting full stop.

I think to be honest youre nitpicking. Rather than get on with your hippy weedsmoking neighbours you are going to start a war. Maybe you could pop next door and have some yourself because by what im reading you certainly need something to occupy your time. My neighbours where in the kitchen, my neighbours went to work Im gathering maybe you are the problem? Aneixty or not you are beyond a joke

I had this. Went to the council about it and the tenants in question were evicted by their landlord. They were renting from a private landlord and the council said it would have been easier if they were council tenants.

You say they’re nice people so I’d mention it politely first/get your husband to ask. They may well be happy to move somewhere that is better for you. But I wouldn’t have a problem going further if they won’t.

It’s extremely intrusive, and sadly many of us who don’t live in huts or cardboard boxes know that it does come through walls. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t lived with this can imagine how shit it can be. It’s not a faint whiff - I’d walk in the front door to be hit with a strong skunk smell. It got stronger and stronger towards where it was concentrated, the upstairs room that shared a wall with the main problem tenant. It isn’t a minor live-and-let-live annoyance and is a growing neighbour problem.

I feel for you, OP. It's the most revolting smell and makes me feel physically sick. I can't imagine having to live with it all of the time. Not sure what you can actually do about it, though. I do think it's antisocial behaviour but I very much doubt that the police would be interested. Is there any way the HA could move you to another property? Sorry, don't really know how HAs work, but wondered if that might be a possibility?

@Emille87

Oh and just a point. When my dh left for work at 7am he seen our neighbour get in his car and leave for work too. So clearly after him smoking last night he’s drug driving. But hey it’s Mumsnet after all so I assume that’s acceptable.

It's not acceptable but you are going to do far more damage to YOUR mental health by pursuing this. I share your frustration. My nice enough neighbours smoke weed seemingly ALL THE TIME. Weed smoking is so common now. It as if people are self-medicating with it in order to cope with life. I would try and focus on reducing your exposure to it (e.g. by filling in holes). Trust me, starting beef with neighbours over what they do privately will wreck your health. And don't think owning your own home will spare you the weed smell (unless you can afford a detached)

I don’t have to much time on my hands. I work full time from home have 2 dc to care for plus my dm who is disabled. My anxiety for me makes me super vigilant (fight or flight) so I happen to notice things. Plus we live in such close proximity it’s hard not to. Even my dh is pissed off with the situation and he’s usually the most laid back live and let live person so it isn’t just me who’s frustrated.

Totally reasonable to ask let them know the smell is coming through to your house, they may not have realised. If they're decent neighbours, they'll move to their garage/garden shed?

I would definitely try talking to them and explain how you feel. Be friendly and see if you can come to a compromise. I'd also talk to the neighbours on the other side to find out if they're having the same problem. And I'd look into what you can do to reduce the smell in your home. Good luck with it.

@Prattypatel

What to you live in? A hut,a cardbox?I dont know any building that would allow smoke from weed penetrate walls.if they smoke outside,there is nothing you can do about,apart from speaking to your neighbour about it.

I suggest you get out more then.

I know exactly what my neighbours are having for dinner every night. Fortunately they're both good cooks, but unfortunately I'm vegetarian & they're not 🤢. It's one reason I can't wait to get the kitchen 'done' as once this one is pulled out, I intend to block every single possible gap.

She smokes outside the back doors (as they don't want the smoke in the house) which means it comes into mine (which I hate), but she's a bloody good neighbour to me, so I don't say anything. She's a hardy thing too, out there in all weather!!

@Emille87. As annoying as it is, I'd just put up with it if they're nice enough neighbours, if they get moved you might get much worse!!

Hang on, they had a spliff the night before and then drove to work the next day? It wasn’t that same morning?

It might have been this morning but they were definitely smoking last night as my kitchen and hallway stunk of it.

@Prattypatel

What to you live in? A hut,a cardbox?I dont know any building that would allow smoke from weed penetrate walls.if they smoke outside,there is nothing you can do about,apart from speaking to your neighbour about it.

I'll support op on this. The smell does indeed travel through walls. We used to live next to students who smoked weed in the garden. However they must have kept their coats in the cupboard under the stairs because our adjoining cupboard under the stairs smelt of weed. They left, the smell stopped.

Btw, as a practical tip the best thing I found for combatting strong smells is incense. The imported-from-India stuff you get in hippy shops and markets. There is a health aspect to using it, which I guess isn’t a problem for you as a smoker but may be with kids, so might be worth looking at oils as well. You need something potent though - room sprays and diffusers won’t cut it.

@Emille87

They’re just trying to live their lives really? So am I. I know people with anxiety use weed to self medicate but there are people who just smoke it for the hell of it. I’m trying to live my life too but I’m feeling rather miserable and it’s through no fault of my own.

Yes you are both just trying to live your lives, and unless they are smoking it to harrass you, rather than relaxing in their own preferred way just like you do when you smoke cigarettes or have a couple of beers or whatever. Youre both lucky enough to get social housing. Why not just let your neighbours live their lives and you live yours. If they were dealing or were crackheads. Id see your point, but for most stuff its just part and parcel of living close to other people. You hear them, you smell them, they do things differently sonetimes. Just chill

I honestly don’t feel very lucky right now. We lived in expensive private rented for years but one of those houses was actually on a big council estate yet the neighbours were lovely and we didn’t have a single issue in the 5+ years that we lived there.

@Prattypatel

What to you live in? A hut,a cardbox?I dont know any building that would allow smoke from weed penetrate walls.if they smoke outside,there is nothing you can do about,apart from speaking to your neighbour about it.

My ILs lived in a 1950s semi. They always knew when the neighbours’ teenage son had his mates round in his bedroom as their bedroom would stink of smoke.

I use cbd vapes it contains no nicotine or thc. Sometimes I smoke cbd weed. Perfectly legal.

Poor neighbours having to put up with the stench of plug ins, candles and incense. I would have a constant headache. Never mind the negatives they can have on people and pets.

Decorators caulk along all the gaps on that wall. Eg bottom of skirting board.

I took mine to the GP when weed was coming through the air vents from downstairs....got it on record not me and to find out if harmful...

Recently I contacted school to let them know someone on the stairwell was smoking weed, sorry if the kids smell of it, residents are trying to sort it by reporting.

@Prattypatel

What to you live in? A hut,a cardbox?I dont know any building that would allow smoke from weed penetrate walls.if they smoke outside,there is nothing you can do about,apart from speaking to your neighbour about it.

We used to live on the first floor of a block of flats. Druggie neighbour moved into the basement flat and I used to be able to smell it in my living room, so they managed to make 4 other flats stink by smoking weed. We couldn't smell cigarettes through the walls/floors/ceilings (previous tenants were cigarette smokers and never had any issues), just the stench of the weed!

I think people that smoke it don't realise just how much it smells or how far the smell travels

You can’t just chill when strong unpleasant smells are coming into your home on a very regular basis. It’s not too dissimilar from contending with very loud music or other nuisance. Part and parcel of living in proximity to others in some parts of the world is considering your impact on those others, but somehow here the prevailing view is that it means everyone does as they please and has to put up with it from neighbours in return. And the things you inflict on neighbours seems to be growing all the time - hot tubs and weed were not the hot topics they are today years ago!

The police should man up and actually tackle this criminal behaviour.

But they won't.

They are harming their DC's but no one will do anything about it.

You can try the complaints route but I think you just have to find some way to move.

Talk to them nicely about it. They probably don’t realise.

That stuff stinks, I wouldn’t want the stench in my house either. If they didn’t stop I’d move house. Incense/home fragrance won’t work- your house will just smell of roses AND weed.