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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To want our neighbours to not dry their laundry on their front drive?

347 replies

Hop27 · 30/12/2021 06:55

We have new neighbours, they seem to live out their garage. Constantly fixing their 3 cars, parking their cars in front of other peoples drives. Sitting in their cars with the door open talking on their phone via the speaker, vaping - music blaring. Now drying their laundry on an airer on the front drive. AIBU to think put it in your back garden like normal people FFS. The rest is bad enough, but the whole street doesn't need to see your pants!

OP posts:
coffeepleeease · 30/12/2021 17:41

Yes YABU.

Bovrilly · 30/12/2021 17:48

I'm not keen on clothes being hung out the front by people if they don't have to but then I rarely notice as I'm often home late when it's dark and I sit looking into my back garden

If you mind even though you rarely see the clothes, it does suggest it's nothing to do with untidiness, as was suggested by a PP.

I am wondering whether people feel that laundry at the front says something about the nature of their neighbourhood and by extension them. But I'm not sure what they think it says, or why it's troubling to the point that they feel others shouldn't be able to use their own garden for what seems a perfectly benign purpose.

flippertyop · 30/12/2021 17:53

It would piss me off yes but not much you can do about it

Bovrilly · 30/12/2021 17:54

[quote girlmom21]@Bovrilly I am so glad it's not just me who thinks that post makes no sense.
Someone's clearly been at the sherry... [/quote]
I'm gonna need one myself soon after the insanity of this thread Wine

Thegreymethod · 30/12/2021 17:55

We have neighbours who are the same with their cars and it gets on my nerves so understand that part but I don't think you can tell them where they can dry their washing! I think you need to get over it!

Lolabray · 30/12/2021 17:57

It’s their drive they can put their washing there if they want.

StyxBankDweller · 30/12/2021 18:00

@invisiblereally

*Cars not 🐈 🐈‍⬛ cats being repaired GrinGrin
Oh, you noticed! I enjoyed that predictive text/typo.
ineedsun · 30/12/2021 18:04

@LakieLady
But what constitutes "lovely" is a very subjective thing. I have a particular loathing of front gardens with grass clipped to within an inch of its life and beds full of bedding plants, spaced at equal intervals with near military precision, thrown away or composted and replaced every spring. There's one such a few doors along from me and it looks so sterile and unnatural.

I totally agree with this, it’s very unnerving and feels very wasteful to have a garden at the front of the house where the only purpose is to look ‘nice’. Even worse if there’s a row of them.

My mind goes to one of two places when I see them

  1. this is like a horror film where it turns out that the stepford families are actually part of some cannibalistic cult
  2. that would look so much better and be much more functional with some vegetable plants or a table and chairs so at least you can sit outside and talk to people.
Spartcat · 30/12/2021 18:04

[quote girlmom21]@Bovrilly I am so glad it's not just me who thinks that post makes no sense.
Someone's clearly been at the sherry... [/quote]
See that's exactly the nasty comment that you've already been pulled up on

So unnecessary and "meangirl" trying to patronise someone who called you out for being unkind and caught you out misquoting !! GrinGrin

Carry on ... I need to get more popcorn 🍿 Grin

girlmom21 · 30/12/2021 18:06

@Spartcat there's been no misquote. You two assumed I live in the countryside because there's no house opposite mine.

Stating a fact about your post making no sense is in no way being a 'mean girl'...

Bovrilly · 30/12/2021 18:07

@Spartcat
Can you explain why you're not keen on people drying clothes at the front of their house even when you rarely see it happening?

ineedsun · 30/12/2021 18:10

@CinnamonJellyBeans

I would not be happy: The display of washing in just another manifestation of the way your neighbours are wilfully defying social norms knowing that it may irk the other residents.

In the UK we have social norms for front of house: no cladding, no vile paint colours, no massive/unkempt shrubbery. Bins out at the right time.

You can do your own thing in your back garden, but not the front.

See I never even knew this was a ‘social norm’ until coming on mumsnet so it’s not that much of a ‘norm’
crosstalk · 30/12/2021 18:10

Ooh! I have a dog in this fight!

I am a homeowner who has a triangular garden alongside a road. I do not like wasting money or energy on a tumble dryer (though I have one). So my washing is often on a line visible from the road since that's where the sun/wind come in.

On the other hand I do not play loud music (unless I've invited the neighbours in once a year) and it goes off at midnight or earlier and certainly not during the day with people WFH and babies etc.

Spartcat · 30/12/2021 18:12

@girlmom21
Do you not think calling PP's weird for having different views is rude/insulting?

See @girlmom21 you are misquoting AGAIN!.
RTFT for god sake it's not difficult. I have. Invisible used the phrase weird PPs for trying to misquote them when other PPs can RTFT themselves and see that's not what they said . It is a weird thing to do when it is easy to read ourselves and see that's untrue

Invisible was the one saying other PPs were insulting others for having different viewpoints yo themselves!! Not you!!

You are literally claiming you said something invisible said ! And twisting it!

Pretty shameful and dishonest that you are still doing it!

VikingOnTheFridge · 30/12/2021 18:13

[quote girlmom21]@Bovrilly I am so glad it's not just me who thinks that post makes no sense.
Someone's clearly been at the sherry... [/quote]
It was quite incoherent, and sadly not even in the funny way.

ineedsun · 30/12/2021 18:14

[quote invisiblereally]@Bovrilly

Many people have explained it to you and you can RTFT
The fact you are banging on about how you don't understand their viewpoints is troubling.

As we go through life we need to accept people can have different view points and try to understand where other people are coming from and have consideration towards their views within reason.

It's important not to start ascribing different intentions or exaggerate what other people "must mean"

There's this book on emotional intelligence by Daniel Goleman that is a really good read. It talks about ability to understand others thinking, their experiences and emotions is a sign of another important aspect of intelligence that we use to navigate our way through our lives and build up good working and social relationships. It's what keeps the peace and helps resolves many arguments. It's a form of wisdom that is worth learning a bit more about. I mean this with respect as it's very difficult to read your posts without worrying about your own description of yourself as being 'unable to understand' a reasonable point- as it is a different viewpoint to yours.

[/quote]
Absolutely fascinating that you have chosen to talk about emotional intelligence when you have repeatedly told people to RTFT when they don’t agree with you. Just brilliant.

girlmom21 · 30/12/2021 18:15

@Spartcat the quote I was referring to from @invisiblereally was I have to say this before one of the weird PPs on this thread tries to twist what others say or "mean" again

That's calling other people weird. So tell me I'm misquoting...

I never said anybody called me weird. I really don't understand your issues.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 30/12/2021 18:22

I don't glorify anything, but I think it's very telling when people use "council estate" as a synonym for "criminal / violent / anti-social".

Well said. It's really disappointing.

startled · 30/12/2021 18:22

Have a look at your property information from when you bought it , I've had several with deeds of covenant that state you cannot hang washing out the front of your property or between the property and the road
Amongst other things

Outsidermum · 30/12/2021 18:47

Perhaps their washer lives in the garage? Then it would be easier to get it straight out the front. I can see that would be a bit annoying but it’s not as bad as some junk neighbours leave out the front

Elodeastar · 30/12/2021 18:48

@Seymour5

I get you OP. That’s about the same level as having an old sofa in the front garden, or painting 3 feet tall house numbers in emulsion on the front of the house.
It's really not anywhere near the same thing, in reality!
Elodeastar · 30/12/2021 18:52

@watchingrnfire

Am surprised a lot of ppl don't think drying in front is a issue.

It is a issue. It makes the area look tacky. A lot of flats that are sold have in the contracts that no clothes to be in the balcony as it gives the impression it's a council estate.

I am surprised that so many folk are bothered by it.
Elodeastar · 30/12/2021 18:53

@Pottedpalm

Do they own the property, or is it rented? They do sound a bit chavvy.
Be careful, that comment is a bit loaded!
CreamFirstThenJamOnTop · 30/12/2021 18:59

Wouldn’t bother me seeing someone’s laundry out to dry.
I use a tumble drier but if I did need to put it out it would have to be the front garden as it gets sun all day whereas the back is all in the shade - it would take forever to dry.

Gurkangurke · 30/12/2021 19:06

I'm with op on this one. I would wager a fair few of those who say they are not bothered would be put off by this if they were buying a house in the neighbourhood. Plenty of people have sunnier front gardens than back gardens but I have hardly ever seen anyone drying their clothes out front.