Next door neighbour and they're business

[Psiaspops]

My next door neighbour runs a business from his home. Usually evenings, 3 to 4 a week. Usually between 4pm and 9pm. We have the usual with his clients parking in front of our house and drive way, blocking us in etc and we usually just ask them to politely move or whatever
But last night, a woman was waiting on their child while they were in their lesson. She had two other children with her. They looked to be around 7 and 5. She decided she would let them play in our garden, pick flowers etc. I went out and she just spoke to me like it was normal. I asked could they please not pick our flowers and play in our garden. She was really taken aback but said okay. Then the youngest grabbed stones from the road and threw them onto our grass. I asked her could she please not let her child do that, and she said to me oh it's only some stones and then made a scene of how unreasonable I was being and how he was only a child etc. Now our neighbour has come over and said to leave his clients alone. I explained what happened and he said he already knew and they were doing no harm. Who's being unreasonable here as I just don't understand their logic, but then maybe I'm wrong, I don't know anymore

This.

Oh dear . Your neighbour will soon realise it is in his best interest for his business to keep his neighbours happy and on friendly terms.

I work similar hours from home two days a week and take such care ti make sure my neighbours are not impacted by my clients. I would be horrified to have a neighbour tell me clients were acting in the manner you describe.

Bloody hell I'd have gone mad! I spent a fortune getting a replacement part for my mower because it hit a stone and smashed something. But I got off lighter than my family member who's patio door was hit by a mower stone. And THEY got off lighter than my friend who lost his left f*cking eye when his mower flung a stone up!!!
I'd have pelted the stones at the silly cows car and said "ugh! It's only some stones!"

Yes - sorry - misread.

I work from home but don't have to pay business rates and lots of people don't have to but I can see he would have to.

Definitely hose pipe!

And report him to everyone you can think of, tax office, benefits claims, council rates, noise nuisance etc.
Look at his Facebook/Google reviews etc. see if it gives you any clues.
This sort of thing brings the pettiness out in me.

I'm sorry to read about your diagnosis OP.

That's horrible OP.

It doesn't matter whether they were 'doing no harm' - it's your garden.

I bet they'd be the sort who'd sue you if any harm had come to the children on your property!

OP - contact the council, if they have a licence to operate, it will come with stipulations.

Also, I provide services to people, I don't need to pay business rates, oh - and I doubt most SBO are tax avoiders

YANBU in the least. I would plant roses around the edges of the garden and park in the street with something blocking your drive until the neighbour
gets the message.

I’m sorry about your diagnosis op,

and yes they are batshit. He was just trying to protect the client relationship, at your expense.

I caught someone walking their child round mine then playing football. I was utterly gobsmacked. I was watching them out the living room window. He literally opened the gate, came on in and started walking round, then they decided a game of kick about.

So I went out and said to him, excuse me but this is my garden, and he looked at me confused and said oh is it?

It’s a big garden but it’s clearly a fucking garden fheres our house right in the middle of it and you have to literally open the gates to come in, and the gate has a whopping big house sign on the gates, There is no way to not know it’s someone’s garden. Utter imbeciles.

Could you round up some local kids to go and play football on his garden? Using his front window as the goal? 😉

See all the armchair legal experts are out in force....

Self-employed people can get a BASIC DBS only. This is a statement of current, unspent convictions and cautions only. There is NO LEGAL REQUIREMENT to do this as a self-employed tutor or music teacher. The onus is on the parent to decide whether they wish to use the services of a self-employed tutor or not.

Self-employed people cannot access a standard or enhanced DBS check, which is usually needed for people working with children. There is no way a tutor who is purely self-employed to get one of these more detailed checks. Many tutors are of course employed elsewhere as teachers, and may have a DBS check done through their school/college employer.

By all means phone the council and raise the fact he's working as a tutor and you don't know whether he has a DBS check. They will just shrug their shoulders and ask so what .

A far easier solution would be of course to be more assertive with his customers.

Throw some stones in his garden, see how he likes it 🙈

Dear god, people really are unbelievable. So bloody entitled

Please tell me that you told your neighbour that their clients are no longer permitted to block you in, to enter your property for any reason and if you do much as find any of their clients not following that, you'll be straight on to the tax man (I'm guessing that they're not registered as a business giving lessons from home)!

I'm sorry about your diagnosis. Its not like you don't already have enough on your plate ❤

Next time you strim or mow, I would have a wayward rock fly out and scratch/hit his car. You can then say 'well, if you hadn't let your clients children leave rocks on my grass, then this wouldn't have happened!' 😉

On a serious note- I would keep a sound/noise diary. If he is playing loud musical instruments early/late etc, keeping a diary will help with any future convictions/reviews. Best of luck op x

Well he says they're doing no harm as they are only there for an hour at most each. Even though one night we had a nightmare trying to get to the hospital as I took really bad and we were blocked in.

Thank you. We have been noting everything down. The singing and playing of instruments usually happens between 12am and 5am a few nights a week. I find it hard enough to sleep with pain and sickness and stuff. Honestly I just want to cry and actually do cry a lot, which I know sounds really pathetic but it's all just too much right now

I'm sorry to hear about the time you're having; people's bad behaviour at a really bad time for you.

I have kept nuisance logs on a crappy neighbour before and for instance there was one incident of someone coming on to my property; I logged it with 101 web chat (if you are in the uk/your force has it), and the police said quite clearly it was trespass/gave me an incident number (they did speak to the neighbour after a collection of incidents). You can do it afterwards if you need to get to the hospital!

And/or if you were going to log all anti-social incidents for the council, there should be a column for 'impact' or similar; note that you couldn't get to A&E, or simply that you might have needed to get out to A&E (same for anyone, but of course pointing out that you are ill). The council sometimes then liaise with the police.

It can escalate it to report it... But equally, people do behave in a way that shocks the rest of us.

YANBU. And I would go back today and advise him that you have thought about it, and actually he is being unreasonable. It is not acceptable for someone to pick your flowers, play your garden or throw things into your garden, and if you see his clients doing that again you will speak to them

I would finish that perhaps he should advise his clients to wait in his garden then if they damage anything it’s his property which he would seem willing to accept

As to those blocking you in, it’s a reportable offence to the police. So I would also mention to him that he needs to advise his clients if they park blocking you in you will be reporting them to the police

and i would speak to your local council, it’s anti social behaviour

Noise between 12am and 5am!!! WTF!!! How awful for you.

I would speak to your council about is ASAP, take their advice, along with keeping the noise diary.

Sounds like the stress is going to get worse. In your situation I would move and report the sod

Not if the trespassers are damaging the property it isn't

Did you read the OP's posts? She's terminally ill. Not really in a position to move house, ffs.

@Psiaspops - 1 hour each times 5 clients equals 5 hours. He might only see it as one person per hour causing you an issue but you see it as 5 hours worth of unnecessary hassle.

Time to play hardball!