My neighbours really smell…heeelp

[sjxoxo]

I can see the ridiculousness of my issue BUT the smell is becoming unbearable for me to live with. We are attached on their side so our houses are joined.
The houses are very old- ours is having some renovations done, theirs was done several years ago so they’re not doing any work or anything like that. There is this horrendous stench from their house and I can’t for the life of me understand what it is. They are in their 30s and just had a baby like us, we are friendly. I can tell when their back door is open because I can smell the smell.. I have racked my brains as to the source but I just can’t think what it could be- it is quite a specific type of smell, kind of musty but sweet. Its constant, so not occasionally there- I can smell it any time their doors are open. I don’t think it’s a ‘rotting’ smell but it does make me feel a bit queasy; it’s thick, heavy and smells very very stale. Sort of sweet but not in a nice way. I wondered if they could be cooking with a certain type of oil or a fryer. I’ve never had one so can’t compare. I’ve been into their house before several times and it’s overpowering to me inside - it’s quite dirty (I don’t mean that as in insult) and their kitchen is on our side of the house; I can smell very strongly when she is cooking with her oven and the smell then is like an oven that’s full of grease and never been cleaned. You know when people have ‘their’ smell in their homes - obviously we all do and they are just that - it’s like theirs is really really intense and something is off with it. I don’t know if the smell is related to the oven; i have mentioned to her before that I can smell her oven and she did try and improve that but I just am at my wits end with it & don’t know what to do! I have these horrible thoughts we’ll all be on a Netflix doc in 20 years talking about something very sinister!!!! Heeeelp. Anyone have any similar stories or manky smells? Should I say something? What would you do?

Just been talking to a friend about the post and the smell. She thought it might be dead rodents. They stink for months if under the floorboards or behind kitchen kickboards apparently, according to her brother who's an 'infestation technician' rats, mice, hornets, bugs...shudder...

Blocked drains, rat infestation. get a drain survey !

Just a thought but do either of them have leg ulcers ??? Could be hidden under clothing , has a very distinctive smell and often whole house can smell of it too ! Very hard to miss that smell !!! Common in those overweight !

Maybe you could tell her you recognise the smell coming from her house but you can't think what it is. Then she might tell you.😉

It's going to be weed.... if it increases when the ovens on maybe they're not smoking it.... flapjacks, brownies.... or in a little jam (joking.. I think)

I'm so invested in this stink thread 😂 please please update us if/when you find out what it is!

I have very smelly neighbours in the flat below me. So much so that when they first moved in we considered calling the police because we thought they had a dead body in there and it made everyone in the block gag to walk past.

I think we’ve all gotten a bit more used to it now but it was very shocking to begin with. Everyday they cook something horrible -well from the smell it might taste nice- and the smell comes up from their windows through mine and through my vents and has us all gagging.

The smell is starting to penetrate into our furnishings and clothes and has me closing my windows in the hot weather. I’m sick of it. I’ve considered complaining to the housing association but I don’t want to be mistaken for racist and what can they do really. I do think it’s antisocial of them though, to be so smelly that it’s impacting all of their neighbours. If it were them constantly making noise you can complain. I think it should be dealt with the same way.

Sorry to ask but I am old and out of touch. Is it no longer illegal to smoke weed and/or grow it?

I’m a Housing Officer and a dead body smells sickly sweet and rancid, a smell that sticks up your nose and you’ll never forget it. Weed doesn’t smell sweet.

Could it be a sour clothes smell,when clothes are not dried properly they have smutty nasty smell that some people don't even notice.

Are the obese? My grandmother and uncle were obese and they always smelt kind of sweet and musty and sickly because of leg ulcers etc

Omg, she’s been in their house. I doubt they’d have her in there if they were growing or smoking weed. Ffs. When we moved into our old home i could get a smell and for the life of me could not tell where it was coming from we tore everything apart and it was mice!!

Found online:
Can people smoke cannabis on their own property legally?
Simply speaking, no. Any suggestion that you are allowed to is an urban myth. A police spokesman told Derbyshire Live in 2018: "The possession of cannabis is an offence and will be dealt with by police.
"It is a widespread issue and we are focusing our resources to target those connected with the cultivation and dealing of the drug to help crackdown on the issue. We would encourage anyone who suspects drug activity in their community to contact us."

The best way to find out if its weed is to report it, anonymously, and let the Police sort it out. If it's not weed then they get a new front door out of it. Win Win😀

Never judge a book bye its cover and how do you know thier not smoking weedjust because their not the type you dont have proof they do or do not smoke weed. You dont know what goes on behind closed doors check youre drains or speak to enviromantal health .

Without a doubt - weed

007 stocko no they wont get a new front door the police are getting a bit tight regarding that

Just ask her if she uses weed. It's not that big of a deal. If not, then their house just needs fumigating.

I love the smell of Patchouli! To me ot smells earthy! I used to reek of it in the 70s when I was going through my hippy phase 😂

I have family members whose houses stink like this.

It's not weed but it reminds me of it in a way, its cooking with oil and baking with no ventilation, not cleaning up much and not washing themselves or clothes enough.

You can smell it on them and from the house when they open the door sadly.

The fact they don’t drink strengthens the theory that it’s weed. Also some people use it therapeutically although usually just the oil. Do you know anyone who smokes weed who could come and identify it? There’s a more recent type which is smoked on streets round where I live and it’s especially horrible and strong. Once you’ve identified it you could innocently say you are getting a smell which is making you feel ill and discuss if there’s a way they can stop the stench. They should be amenable I think it’s maybe still illegal to use but I might be wrong for private use. Good luck that’s horrible especially if continuous.

We lived next door to a family like this and it was fried food and off oil they never replaced. We sealed up all the skirting boards and where there were cracks, and that did the trick.

Defo sounds like weed

I’ve smelt pigeon guano when there’s been a build up in an old building and it has a weird sweet musty smell - could they have a mice, squirrel or bat infestation and your smelling the faeces?

I used to walk past this fast food restaurant that does a lot of fried stuff and the area always smells a bit like what you described OP - sweet, musty and a bit "old". It used to cause me to almost gag everytime. Someone said it was the smell of oil being reused too many times to fry stuff. It's not a KFC smell that's for sure!