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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:
NewYearNewBeer · 30/12/2021 10:04

@toomuchlaundry

If any of you who put your washing out the front have reasonably new houses ie less than 20 years old I would be checking your deeds
Yep, the houes in this street are about 12 years old and drying your washing out front is verboten (or leaving your bins out longer than just bin day) Grin
invisiblereally · 30/12/2021 10:05

*Cars not 🐈 🐈‍⬛ cats being repaired GrinGrin

Offmyfence · 30/12/2021 10:05

@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.

Imagine that .... a council estate! The only people that need to dry washing live on those!

What a bloody snob you are!

hiredandsqueak · 30/12/2021 10:07

I wouldn't dry my washing on the front but it wouldn't bother me is a neighbour did tbh, I do find it strange though when I pass a house close to here when walking the dog who have washing lines complete with pegs, props, and laundry on the front of the house. Would need to walk the opposite way to see why they don't use the back garden though.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 30/12/2021 10:11

@Blinky21

That would annoy me, it's just untidy. Someone did it on a street near us recently and the neighbours objected, it made the national news.
Yet another reason I am glad I no longer live in the UK. I mean honestly, why on earth would anyone give a shit?
Mrstamborineman · 30/12/2021 10:14

You won’t blind by seeing someone else’s under crackers .

girlmom21 · 30/12/2021 10:15

Yet another reason I am glad I no longer* live in the UK.*

The OP isn't in the UK. She said it's currently 30 degrees.

megletthesecond · 30/12/2021 10:18

The washing would annoy me less than the cars and vaping.

IamGusFring · 30/12/2021 10:18

Depends - are you in an area where you have by laws as part of your house contract ? There is no drying of clothing in front of your house here .

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 30/12/2021 10:19

Oh fair enough. Although the person who asked if the neighbors were renting (god forbid!) sounded even worse. Or god forbid ,you might look like you live in a council estate! Yeah, it wasn't the place for me.

Viviennemary · 30/12/2021 10:21

Too annoying. But I don't think there is muxh you can do about it. Like those barbecue folk. They are as bad.

TueWed · 30/12/2021 10:21

@DeepaBeesKit

They can do whatever they want on their property.

Maybe it's where the sun is (for drying whites). Maybe its NOT where the sun is (coloured clothes). Maybe there's a lawn sprinkler out back. Maybe they have a dog in the back garden that would knock the washing off.

Maybe the front drive is right by the washer.

Not your business really.

And maybe they just want to...
invisiblereally · 30/12/2021 10:23

* toomuchlaundryIf any of you who put your washing out the front have reasonably new houses ie less than 20 years old I would be checking your deeds*

This ^^ - the developers of those areas have written it in to covenants because drying laundry out front of houses in full view makes the area look less attractive. They wouldn't put it in contract otherwise.

I have an 80 year old house and it's in my covenant that I can't have a caravan or mobile home on my drive. Presumably because it was thought to be unsightly. I don't.

What's interesting is my opposite neighbour (newer properties opposite) have a caravan parked on their drive. Either he is very naughty Smile or it's not in his covenant. No one minds as it's not jarring, he has lovely holidays, but endless laundry out front and lots of cars in disrepair would be. I would probably try to replant my front garden/ grow hedges taller to block out view of their drive & have a barrier from some of their noise if I was OP. It is sad to have inconsiderate neighbours.

FindingMeno · 30/12/2021 10:26

I wish we all lived as more of a community rather than behind locked doors scuttling around in back gardens wondering what the neighbours are going to complain about next.

TractorAndHeadphones · 30/12/2021 10:27

You fixate on the one thing that’s the LEAST bothersome? Christ

IamGusFring · 30/12/2021 10:28

@alwayscrashinginthesamecar1

Oh fair enough. Although the person who asked if the neighbors were renting (god forbid!) sounded even worse. Or god forbid ,you might look like you live in a council estate! Yeah, it wasn't the place for me.
Sadly it usually is renters who care less for property and flaut the rules in my experience . I've been a landlord and had this with tenants , I've lived in a small block of flats where renters did not have the same regard as owners and where I live now we have the obligatory social housing flats . To say it is a nightmare for the people who live adjacent to these is a nightmare - people parking on landscaped areas, people parking in other people's spaces , laundry hanging from balconies and the disdain with which these young women talk about their brand new flats they are renting on the FB group - flats that cost 300k to private buyers .
TractorAndHeadphones · 30/12/2021 10:29

@FindingMeno

I wish we all lived as more of a community rather than behind locked doors scuttling around in back gardens wondering what the neighbours are going to complain about next.
I can assure you that a ‘community’ isn’t much better given the constant gossip, judgement and everyone knowing your business. Be nice if it meant you could get more ‘help and support’ but nope.
The40yearoldmum · 30/12/2021 10:29

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

VikingOnTheFridge · 30/12/2021 10:32

@invisiblereally

I think it depends on what your housing and the neighbourhood is like.

If most People dry their washing out front, then it's not an issue but it is unusual in most areas. If lots of people have cats being repaired or sit out in their front gardens all day or in shared areas then that is the character of the area.

If it's a quiet nice area where people take pride in the front gardens and how their houses look, to create a relaxing feel to their neighbourhood then one neighbour hanging their washing out, making noise all day out the front , repairing multiple cars on their drive and the road, blasting music, would be out of kilter with the rest of the neighbourhood and probably make some NDNs unhappy. And that would be understandable and what would happen in real life.

There is no rule (unless in a covenant) that you can't air washing in your front garden and need must if that is the only place, but if it isn't, then it's not unreasonable to expect people to think of their neighbours and try to live in harmony.

It's never understandable for washing on the front garden to make anyone unhappy, because that's an inherently idiotic position.
Xenia · 30/12/2021 10:33

The washing is the least bad and least disturbing of all those horrible things. Blast them with your choice of music if you can hear theirs in their drive.
If they park in front of people's drives block their cars in.

TractorAndHeadphones · 30/12/2021 10:33

@IamGusFring and can you blame renters? They’re reminded at every turn that it isn’t their home, so why would you expect them to treat it as such?

Of course there are bad tenants no matter what the LL does, and vice versa. But most rentals I’ve been in have lots of rules (e.g no wall hangings) and LL’s don’t really care about conditions.
My current LL is great pretty much we can do what we want as long as there’s no lasting damage and we always tell them before anyway.I do lots of maintain house and garden and it doesn’t feel like home. Can’t say the same for any of my previous properties though.

TractorAndHeadphones · 30/12/2021 10:34

*it DOES feel like home that should read

Cattitudes · 30/12/2021 10:39

@invisiblereally

*Cars not 🐈 🐈‍⬛ cats being repaired GrinGrin
Shame, I was wondering whether I could send one of my 🐈 to be repaired, definitely one or two whiskers shy of being fully cat.
BitterTits · 30/12/2021 10:41

Erm, our rotary line is in the front corner. It was when we moved here. There's a massive leylandi hedge at the back so no good for drying in winter. I do hide the undies in the middle bit never thought this could be an issue! Only on Mumsnet I guess.

HappyDays40 · 30/12/2021 10:42

I think you must have a very stress free life if you are worrying about the neighbours are doing their washing.