AIBU to ask again for neighbours to move their trampoline

[Jynxed]

My well being and happiness are being severely impacted by my neighbours noisy children. They scream, argue, shout and kick footballs at the fence all day long. They only have one volume and it’s loud. The whole family just shout at each other. Last year they got an enormous trampoline and positioned it right up against (their) fence bordering our garden. We are a terrace row, but each house is staggered, so our back doors are not aligned. Our back door and patio area is about a third of the way up their lawn. We were aghast when the neighbours chose to position their trampoline right in line with our back door and patio table, where I also have lots of pots and plants. When the kids use the trampoline they stand higher than the fence and stare straight into our kitchen window, and they used to call out to us all the time until we asked them to stop. The noise and shouting makes the patio unusable, and as I write this yet another ball has come flying over. I darent go and look as I heard something smash. We can no longer eat or read at the table because of the noise and the risk of a ball hitting you on the head. We did ask them not to put the trampoline there, and brought them round to show them how much it over shadowed our patio and removed all privacy. They declined to reposition it saying that there was nowhere else in their 80ft garden they could put it. Given that there is nothing in their garden apart from lawn and garden toys this is blatantly untrue, so I have no idea why it cannot move a few feet away from our patio door. What do I do now? Ask again? Beg and cry? Puncture every ball that comes over and wrecks a plant? Write a letter? Build a cage over our table to protect ourselves? How can I make them understand what they are doing to us? For context, I do have kids myself, all teenagers now, so I do understand that children need to play. However mine were brought up not to scream and shout, and I would not have dreamt of refusing a reasonable request from neighbours such as this.

[Rosscameasdoody]

There is something you can do. Your local council will have regulations about behaviour and noise levels. Generally, residents can’t behave in a way that restricts or stops their neighbours from exercising their right to the enjoyment of home and garden. And it appears that your neighbours are doing just that. There are also rules about where you can place garden structures such as trampolines so that they don’t cause a nuisance or invade privacy.

Get some advice from your local authority about what you need by way of evidence to make a complaint, and then have another word with your neighbours and relay whatever advice the council has given you. Tell them that unless they turn down the volume below nuisance level and move the trampoline somewhere that doesn’t invade your privacy, you will have no alternative but to formally complain to the council. Also tell them that their children have caused breakages in your garden - take photographs of any damage - and they will be receiving itemised bills for any repeat.

You don’t say whether you are renting or own your home, but if you and your neighbours are home owners it’s in both your interests to settle things amicably because once you involve the council it’s a formal dispute and if either you or your neighbour sell up at some point, it has to be declared during the searches - which could affect potential sales.

[AdobeWanKenobi]

@justfiveminutes

My friend had a similar experience. One night it inexplicably burnt down.

.

[dreamingofsun]

Have you googled and spoken to the council? I've just had a quick look, but it appears that if the trampoline enables neighbours to be able to see into your house/garden then that is an invasion of your privacy under European Law. Not sure if this still applies, but surely worth a try?

[Capri3]

A garden shade sail will help block the view from the trampoline, and should stop the balls from hitting your pots too. Not very useful if you like sitting in the sun though!

[ThreeLittleDots]

Do they own or rent?

Be careful making any further contact as if you decide to sell, any problems with neighbours need to be declared on the Property Information Form

[oakleaffy]

I sympathise hugely, @Jynxed Trampolines are hideous, ugly things that ramp up volume of kids by a factor of 10.
Parents must realise they are antisocial ugly things, as they are almost always placed hard top against a boundary fence, as far away from the parent/s as possible.
Manic bobbing heads and flailing arms come up over the fence like some sort of ''Ducks in a row'' fairground game.

a friend moved to a detached place in the Country, specifically to get away from the nouse of other people's kids, and to his dismay, a turquoise monstrosity with screamers has appeared in the far corner of the paddock where once there was just peace.
Goodness knows what it is about these and hot tubs that ramp up screaming, but they do.
Hell can be OPK's {Other people's kids}.

[LightEveningsAreBack]

Hmm we have a trampoline, 3 kids, but no 80ft garden, our trampoline is by the fence as that creates a nice space on the lawn for the kids to play ball. Thankfully our neighbours are lovely and either have or have had children so they don't mind throwing balls back and certainly don't complain about our children enjoying the garden.

Your neighbour's kids have as much right as you have to use their garden and as the weather is nice are likely to be out there. I'd suggest you erect a higher fence to create privacy, unfortunately kids don't come with a mute button so there isn't much you can do on that front. Please don't turn into that nasty neighbour that puts a knife through footballs, we were all children once who loved to play outside!

[oakleaffy]

@Hatinafield

I’d speak to them again and say everything you’ve said to us and ask them please to consider helping you out.
If not:
Birdseed at night
High pitched deterrent when they’re out there
Stink bombs in that area till they move it further down??

@Hatinafield
Birdseed at night??
What could this do against a trampoline? {Am all ears!}

[Widle]

Stink bombs.
Because you love the scent in your garden.
You could set them off further away in your garden, but they could also move their trampoline.

[GeorgiaGirl52]

@MadMadMadamMim

Send them a bill for whatever they've smashed and puncture the ball.

This^

[anotheronenow]

just wanted to add my sympathy OP. Unreasonably noisy neighbours are bad enough, but the added annoyance of knowing they don't give AF is the icing on the cake. I think your latest strategy sounds great and I would be doing just the same. Fingers crossed for you. Please update if there's an improvement, it might embolden others not to suffer this sort of stress in silence, or reverse their patio and veg patch (really annoying!!)

[Sunnysideup]

Goodness I can’t Believe people are suggesting for her to crudely flash these kids. Neighbours annoying you? Aye get naked and show them your cock or fanny

[Bonbon21]

Ultrasonic pest repeller...big river company...highest setting.... priceless😊

[100problems]

My friend had a similar experience. One night it inexplicably burnt down.

Pity. You have to love a coincidence.

The siting of the monstrosity isn't the kids fault, it's their feckless parents.

Not one of the balls would be going back.

[Gizacluethen]

I would plant a hedge on your side of the fence. A fast growing hawthorn, which I believe are also fantastic for nesting birds if you're of the nature lover variety.
I'd never return another ball or Frisby or anything else that came over. They'll run out and stop throwing them over eventually.

[LightEveningsAreBack]

@Sunnysideup some of the suggestions aimed at upsetting these children so they don't use their garden is pretty disgusting to be honest.

[Theunamedcat]

@oakleaffy

@Hatinafield
Birdseed at night??
What could this do against a trampoline? {Am all ears!}

With the birdseed it attracts birds birds poop it also attracts slugs snails foxes rats etc etc etc which means the trampoline gets yuvky very fast not many parents like having kids walking fox poo through the house

[oakleaffy]

@LightEveningsAreBack

Hmm we have a trampoline, 3 kids, but no 80ft garden, our trampoline is by the fence as that creates a nice space on the lawn for the kids to play ball. Thankfully our neighbours are lovely and either have or have had children so they don't mind throwing balls back and certainly don't complain about our children enjoying the garden.

Your neighbour's kids have as much right as you have to use their garden and as the weather is nice are likely to be out there. I'd suggest you erect a higher fence to create privacy, unfortunately kids don't come with a mute button so there isn't much you can do on that front. Please don't turn into that nasty neighbour that puts a knife through footballs, we were all children once who loved to play outside!

@Jynxed , You have your neighbours on here ;)

[oakleaffy]

@Theunamedcat

With the birdseed it attracts birds birds poop it also attracts slugs snails foxes rats etc etc etc which means the trampoline gets yuvky very fast not many parents like having kids walking fox poo through the house

I never realised that!

Thanks.

Why aren't these hideous things placed hard up against the parent's house?
They are almost without exception, placed next to a boundary fence, as far away as possible from their house.

[Hawkins001]

@oakleaffy

@Jynxed , You have your neighbours on here ;)

As in your the ops neighbour with the trampoline ?

[amusedbush]

@LightEveningsAreBack

Hmm we have a trampoline, 3 kids, but no 80ft garden, our trampoline is by the fence as that creates a nice space on the lawn for the kids to play ball. Thankfully our neighbours are lovely and either have or have had children so they don't mind throwing balls back and certainly don't complain about our children enjoying the garden.

Your neighbour's kids have as much right as you have to use their garden and as the weather is nice are likely to be out there. I'd suggest you erect a higher fence to create privacy, unfortunately kids don't come with a mute button so there isn't much you can do on that front. Please don't turn into that nasty neighbour that puts a knife through footballs, we were all children once who loved to play outside!

"unfortunately kids don't come with a mute button so there isn't much you can do on that front" - well, you can tell them to stop screaming like they're on fire. When I was a kid, if my brother and I started being too noisy my mum would appear at the back door and hiss at us to respect the neighbours or we'd be taken back inside for the rest of the day. There were several families on our street but no screeching.

Thankfully DH and I moved house to a very quiet square 2 years ago but prior to that, our lives were made miserable by a group of kids who were papped out of their flats at the crack of dawn and left to screech like banshees until after 9pm every night. It was constant and the parents openly admitted that they sent the kids down to our part of the street so they didn't have to hear it. Shite, selfish behaviour.

Kids need to learn to enjoy themselves without making it unbearable for everyone around them.

[oakleaffy]

@Gizacluethen

I would plant a hedge on your side of the fence. A fast growing hawthorn, which I believe are also fantastic for nesting birds if you're of the nature lover variety.
I'd never return another ball or Frisby or anything else that came over. They'll run out and stop throwing them over eventually.

Someone locally has planted a hawthorn hedge, it has taken a few years to establish itself, but it is always filled with small birds twittering and chirping, a lovely sound when one walks by.

[HandlebarLadyTash]

Bbq/ chimnea in line with the trampoline and light it when the kids are out & being annoying.

[purplesequins]

as you like your veg patch - do you use comfrey or nettle 'juice'?

it's incredibly smelly. I'm sure your roses are hungry plants

other than that: motion activated sprinkler

and get a webcam in case they get nasty.

[Neverreturntoathread]

@BlueOverYellow

Complain to your local council. There are actually restrictions on how close to boundaries trampolines can be placed when they imping on privacy in this manner. I know people who have gone this route and have been successful in getting them moved.

Our neighbours stupidly put one next to the fence, too, overlooking our patio and into our living room. We told them it needed to be moved because of the way their children stood on it and stared at us and talked to us and left us with not privacy. They tried to argue, so we just started correcting their children every single time they stood on it to look over the fence/talk to/at us, firmly telling them to turn around, they were being rude. It was moved within a week.

This is good advice.

You do have a legal right to ‘peaceful and quiet enjoyment’ of your property. Get a lawyer (or research yourself) to send them a firm letter saying that they are causing statutory nuisance, that it is unlawful, and that if they won’t move the trampoline voluntarily you’ll apply to the council for a noise abatement order which if breached may carry a fine of £5000.

Have a google of statutory nuisance etc

www.gov.uk/how-to-resolve-neighbour-disputes/complain-about-noise-to-the-council