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

[Hop27]

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!

Oh I massively judge my skanky neighbours as they never line dry their clothes drinking too much bloody wine instead. I'd be thrilled if they even did it out the front.

I think consideration for your neighbours if they are reasonable people, benefits everyone as it builds sense of community and kindness back.

I completely agree with this and I'm lucky to live on a street where everyone looks out for each other. But I'm still struggling to see how drying clothes is inconsiderate.

@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.

That's a very small mined view. There's thousands, if not more, houses in the UK with no back garden. Mine's at the front. I have a small yard at the back.

@Bovrilly

But that's what I don't get - what's unsightly about clothes drying?

Many PPs have said it is. Housing developers believe it is which is why they put it in the house purchase clauses. If you can't understand that theres not much more can be said, as you are struggling to understand different points of views to your own.

Most people with living rooms looking into their back gardens try to put their washing lines away a bit from their window where they sit to look out when relaxing so not to spoil their view of garden, if they have a nice garden and it's big enough to have a choice of placement.

It's the same for those with living rooms at the front of their houses, who'd rather not have their views spoilt by untidy domestic laundry hung out at front of someone else's house.

If you take pride in your house and neighbourhood, like many people do, you think about where you place your clothes lines if you have different options available to you. If you don't that's fair enough, but it is a tatty thing to do to your street if it can be avoided.

@Bovrilly

But that's what I don't get - what's unsightly about clothes drying?

It must be OK for you then but not everyone feels like that especially developers of houses .

Speak for yourself there - I've never cared about washing being out. I actually think it looks quite nice! There's nothing objectionable about clean laundry!

Many PPs have said it is. Housing developers believe it is which is why they put it in the house purchase clauses. If you can't understand that theres not much more can be said, as you are struggling to understand different points of views to your own.

I realise people believe it's unsightly but am asking why - what is it about clothes drying that is unsightly? Yes, I am struggling to understand because nobody has explained this.

My neighbours dry theirs on their front drive. My other neighbour tried to stop this and got swiftly told off!
My washing also goes on my neighbours front drive as I'm not allowed to dry it in what is my back garden

I should add it's just washing though - they're perfect neighbours, and just use the front drive to sit/play games with their children/read/put washing out so no noise or anything antisocial

It must be OK for you then but not everyone feels like that especially developers of houses .

What is it about drying clothes that people find not OK?

What do the views of developers have to do with the OP's situation?

* "That's a very small mined view. There's thousands, if not more, houses in the UK with no back garden. Mine's at the front. I have a small yard at the back.*"

@QuestionableMouse You're playing a 'What If' game. OP has clearly said it's a nice area with driveways and back gardens. And the previous neighbours didn't dry laundry out front . You make an irrelevant point to OPs situation . It's her life and area she's describing.

Yea people know there are hundreds of houses in U.K. that have no back gardens or nowhere else to dry their laundry. That can't be helped and if it is the norm for the area to dry washing at the front in that street, it's how it is. The same if it's normal to dry washing in communal areas out front of flats.

But it is unusual in OPs street and stands out as untidy including all the many cars being repaired and noise they are making out the front.

There are narrow streets in Italy where lines are hung between buildings with washing on all along the street , that looks rather pretty like bunting! It isn't anti social as it's collective for that neighbourhood.

@QuestionableMouse

A society composed of relative strangers living cheek by jowl is organised and held together first by laws and secondly by social norms.

We all have to share a small space. Anyone who takes more than their share (parking threads!) or amends the space in their own image (blue Christmas light threads!) stakes a claim on the space that upsets this fragile balance.

The OPs neighbours are taking the shared space and rebranding at their own territory. Whether people care or not, the OPs neighbours are issuing a big FU and expecting not to be challenged.

The washing may not be an eyesore, but it's symbolic.

(Also, it appears that their are indeed back gardens for the OP and her neighbours to hang washing, so all this talk about "what if you don't have a front garden" is irrelevant)

@Bovrilly " I realise people believe it's unsightly but am asking why - what is it about clothes drying that is unsightly? Yes, I am struggling to understand because nobody has explained this. "

But people have explained it. Not sure what else can be said but I'll try again. Better for you to RTFT.

Tldr: You don't mind, other people do.

Some people like cities, some people like living in the countryside. Some people don't care about how their neighbourhood and house looks ; some people let their fences and gardens become shabby, some people do care about how their neighbourhood and house looks and make effort to keep front of their house and front garden (if they have one), looking nice. That includes not putting their washing to dry out front if they can put it in their back garden where it's more likely to be enclosed and not quite so 'on display'. laundry drying isn't a great view for anyone.

You know what, I've looked out my front door and can see my lovely DF has moved two of my garden bins (not ones that are collected) to my front garden behind my hedge at front - these bins are bright red and usually live in my back garden down side of the house

My NDN either side will have their views jarred a bit by these bright red bins (can't be seen from road but can be by my NDNs either side from their living room windows). So I'll arrange for them to be moved back out of sight to my back garden. They may be more convenient there but why should my neighbours have their views slightly ruined (or mine) if I can store them somewhere more considerate?

I agree with @CinnamonJellyBeans

And think s/he has explained it well.

Dear God, I never realised until I read this thread that my neighbours must hate me. I live in a corner plot and have no back garden to speak of. Built out onto side garden so only have front now. That's where my washing gets dried. That's also where the sun shines. Did not realise I was committing a cardinal sin. Only on MN...

People have said they don't like it, but I haven't seen anyone explain what it is about clothes drying that is unsightly. As far as I can see, there is nothing intrinsically offensive about clothes or about the fact that clothes need to be washed and dried. (The neighbours don't seem to be displaying anything intrinsically offensive like porn or racism or violence.) So I guess people must be ascribing some kind of offensive meaning to laundry and that's what I'm asking about.

Pop over and share your concerns with them, and be sure to come back and share their response with us

@tiredofthisshit21

But your situation is different to OPs as you have no back garden to put washing out, so it can't be helped. I'm sure no one minds that.

OP isn't talking about your individual situation she's speaking only about her neighbours in her street, who are choosing to put washing out the front. On a corner plot you'll have less peoples' living rooms facing your front garden. Do you miss having an enclosed garden where you can sit out in privacy? I wouldn't like that but you chose your house so will be happy with your home.

OP's neighbours do however have a choice. And could dry their laundry in their back garden as the people before did.

[quote invisiblereally]@tiredofthisshit21

But your situation is different to OPs as you have no back garden to put washing out, so it can't be helped. I'm sure no one minds that.

OP isn't talking about your individual situation she's speaking only about her neighbours in her street, who are choosing to put washing out the front. On a corner plot you'll have less peoples' living rooms facing your front garden. Do you miss having an enclosed garden where you can sit out in privacy? I wouldn't like that but you chose your house so will be happy with your home.

OP's neighbours do however have a choice. And could dry their laundry in their back garden as the people before did. [/quote]
I still don't understand why the fact that I don't have a back garden makes my clean washing any less offensive than OPs though?? The houses opposite me face my front garden. I can see neighbour's washing out of my bedroom windows. I find the notion that this is somehow offensive completely bizarre.

@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.

@invisiblereally

It's not the fact that it's a different viewpoint from my own that makes it hard to understand - it's that nobody has actually explained what they find offensive or unsightly about clothes drying. Obviously not the clothes themselves, so what is it? (Actually one PP did mention that laundry at the front might lead people to think it was a council estate but I am assuming that was an outlier.)

I completely accept people have the right to a different opinion and are entitled to think that clothes are unsightly, and if they can't or won't explain their view, that's fine, but I think it's ok to be curious and to ask. I don't think I have ascribed any intentions, whatever you mean by that 👍

@tiredofthisshit21

I can see neighbour's washing out of my bedroom windows. I find the notion that this is somehow offensive completely bizarre.

"Offensive" is yours and Bovrilly 's word not other PPs. You are exaggerating and not understanding other peoples viewpoints.

It'd help to read posts more carefully. People talked about it being untidy and inconsiderate. And how it makes the neighbourhood look less attractive with laundry out front of house- with all the things OPs neighbour is doing cars included. If you have a back garden it's far more considerate to hang out laundry to dry there as generally back gardens are more enclosed and less likely in other peoples direct sight line from the living areas. Washing itself isn't offensive- some bits of washing like underwear is a little private - but it is weird that you are twisting it into that!

Many of us can see over NDNs back gardens from our bedrooms, we don't tend to sit on a chair in our bedrooms looking out the window for hours - like you might sit for hours on and off all day in a living room appreciating the nice view if you have one.

I'd be worried if someone sat by their bedroom window for hours staring out into my back garden !! It's against social norms and a bit creepy !!!

These points you make are irrelevant to OPs situation , perhaps you can try to understand her point of view.
Yours is that you wouldn't mind. Having a lovely tidy housing neighbourhood doesn't sound as important to you as it is to many other people. But that doesn't change that many people have said different and don't share your "not bothered" reaction.

Unless she has hung out the entire underwear section of an Ann Summers catalogue, I can't say it would bother me.

I’m sorry but I’m actually fucking howling at “The washing may not be an eyesore, but it's symbolic”