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.

I have a v active 7 year old and a trampoline which her and her friends play on and they do not scream shout and disturb the neighbours because I don’t allow them to. If they don’t grow up with at least some consideration for others we’re not raising them right. When I was house hunting I turned down houses with big trampolines because I know how entitled some people can be. I’m also an older parent who put up with years of being disturbed by other peoples kids so I have experience of being in this situation pre child and it’s really stressful. I really empathise.

Just fyi op this has been picked up by the mirror.

Cr3ateAUsername

.” And the noise is just what comes with kids.”

no it isn’t. Screaming and shouting and kicking balls against the fence is out of order.

Oh yes , because it's really easy to relocate a door...

Here’s a link:
www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/my-neighbours-refuse-move-childrens-26786895

While I love the sound of children playing - constant screaming and shouting and slamming balls against fences isn’t the noise that come with kids - it’s the noise that come with bad parenting and selfish adults.

Hello I don’t know if this has already been suggested but get a Mosquito noise maker and build a pergola thin and narrow along the side of your patio then you don’t have to stick to the 6foot permitted fence height. I’ve stuck a picture of ours in if that helps.

For starters I wouldn't be returning the balls. If they want to be like that then "no balls have come over here, sorry" then they're popped and disposed of or left at a local park for someone else to enjoy. Also I would definitely try the smokey bbq option every time they're out there, it would certainly make them reconsider the position. Also perhaps some plants could be positioned there and it would be an awful shame if their kids got soaked when the sprinkler goes off or they needed hosing. It's not the kids fault but unfortunately they're going to have to decide to make daddy move it over because the parents suck.

you have my sympathy next door is party central and lockdown saw them get an inflatable hot tub I went from a normal family of 6 next door to a family of 4 with a teenage boy constantly bringing the police around, screaming, weed smoking, drunks and a toddler who costantly wanted my attention talking throught the fence and as she grew took to climbing over the wee walk between our back stairs. Lockdown didnt seem to apply to them and their friends I was stuck wfh and miserble thanks to this lot. 4 in a block and upstairs also smokes weed which has gor worse over the years the son smokes stuff that absolutely reeks to the point we have to go out to get away from it

Have you got garden waste? Burn it next to the trampoline. All day everyday.

Like the ideas from @50shadesofmagnolia , and that pergola is very nice!

The other option for the balls etc might be a golf practice net. My friend had one when we were at school (to practice golf)

If it's going to be a hot day then I often start mowing quite early, 8.30-9.00, or early evening.

If it makes just one household consider their garden noise and think about the impact of their actions on their neighbours it will be worth it!

I would take up the drums or trombone and give them a taste of their own medicine.

What about a straight pergola? They can be 8,5 foot high (I checked). You could also attach trellis between posts and grow something along it.

gorgeous pergola @50shadesofmagnolia

i’d be getting my own trampoline and join them peeking over their fence. coooeeeeeeee neighbour 👋 beautiful day for a bounce. Makes you feel closer to Jesus. Praise be what a lovely day. Hallelujah! Feel the Lord lift my spirit with every bounce. Weeeee! Trampoline will be moved sharpish.

Just puncturing the errant balls is not enough. You need to mount the punctured and mutilate balls on poles in your back yard, where they will be clearly visible from the trampoline. If you didn't have kids of your own at home, I would suggest nude sunbathing in your back yard.

We have had trampoline issues for years , which has now been replaced with a large set of windchimes. As I suffer from misophonia I feel your pain. Don't return anything that is thrown over, photograph all damages. It might be worth making sure the neighbors see you filming their children making this noise. I myself use sound cancelling headphones playing a white noise generator when I use my garden , but with a blue tooth speaker you can take that loud static noise outside to make a point. It's not just noise that comes with kids, I'm afraid it is bad parenting and you are in no way over reacting to this. Use shrubs for screening and for indoors lined curtains that will muffle the noise or secondary glazing. Also a cooker fan makes an excellent noise blocker as well.

Balls thrown over can also fall in a compost heap with fresh manure in it before being thrown back, or also be displayed as suggested with their new coating to attract flies

These people need a wake up call - obviously talking to them is useless and there’s only so much you can do to mitigate the effects of their behaviour. I would get some legal advice from a solicitor with experience in this area. While you may be floundering wondering what you can do to stop this, once you explain the situation, a solicitor will know what your options are and will advise the best course of action.

You can complain to your local council, who will then have to investigate and take appropriate action against your neighbours - you have to be able to show that you have tried to talk with/write to your neighbour about the problem before they will investigate, and there are guidelines on LA websites as to how to collect evidence to support your case. Before involving the council it may be worth putting things in writing and advising them that you are prepared to take further action if they don’t engage with you in finding a proper solution. Include the fact that the kids have damaged your property and point out that it is criminal damage and that you are considering involving the police. If that doesn’t work you could try a solicitors’ letter to show them you mean business.

All of these options are an escalation of the situation and have to be reported as a dispute if either of you come to sell your property, so obviously need careful consideration before you take action, but if and when you have exhausted all other options, at least you know there is help out there.

I just I’d let you know. I have no opinion either way. Although do have a trampoline in a terrace garden but it’s not infringing on anyone and I do have kids who play outside loads.
I just thought I’d let you know, not everyone likes their story in the press especially if you don’t want your neighbours to know what you’ve said about them.

It is not just the usual noise from kids, It is kids who are not taught how to play without screaming.
Our neighbours are the same, they scream at the kids to stop screaming, I mean wth? How is that teaching them.
They play football against our and their other neighbours fences.
We are terraced, in a no through road and we have a park about 30 metres from our door.
They have recently removed the trampoline, after one of the screamers injured themselves on it.
We can't sit in the garden and have a chat, we can't hear each other.
We have 4 children in total, 2 still at school. I has autism and other issues, but neither of them scream, they play nicely.
We have complained about them to our social landlord and they have asked them to calm the noise but it's pointless.

I totally sympathise. I had the exact same problem. Trampoline next to fence, noisiest children on earth. Using my fence to jump onto their trampoline (eventually fence broke). Staring into my garden for ages. Throwing their rubbish in my garden. Kicking footballs into my garden, breaking pet hutches, plants, a window and hitting my 9 month old in the face. I didn't say anything. Because I knew the type of family they were. Horrible. They grew up to be awful adults. Because they were never taught respect. I'm talking. Theft. Drugs. Stabbing and general loutish behaviour. I should have moved house at the first sign of trouble. But I expected the council to do their job and have a word/repercussions. The council did not care.

why not go cut up the trampoline in the middle of the night. Problem solved