Genuinely unsure if IABU

[devildeepbluesea]

My lovely neighbour (rented property) told me on moving in that she works nights as a HCP. This is borne out, as far as it goes - she’s clearly out overnight but only for 1-2 nights per week.

In the meantime I’m pretty sure she’s running a commercial kitchen from her home, and making her living mostly from this.

Are there any circumstances where this is ok? I don’t want to knacker her income stream but equally I’m a bit worried about vermin (lots of evidence of food prep outside in the garden).

Maybe she sits on her roof with her binoculars?

@WandaWonder people only tend to suspect racism where the there is racism.

I'm wondering why you chose the title you did for your thread @devildeepbluesea because it's quite clear from your posts that you don't think you are.

And if you shop her and stop her income, will you be paying her bills?

Leave the woman alone you obviously have nothing much going on in your own life!!

I've just had to get the rat catcher in because my neighbours' open compost heap that they use for food waste has attracted a family of rats that took over my shed. So you are not being unreasonable. People forget how unwell humans can get from pests.

That's fair, but you can have a compost heap with no licence from the council.

The OP hasn't observed any food waste.

Or any vermin.

Nor do they actually know the neighbour is running a commercial kitchen.

All they know is they may do things with food in their garden. From behind their 9ft fence which is potentially in breach of planning rules also.

I want to hit the report button so much right now but I'm invested in the batshittery.

Really? Page one seems to think there is food waste outside.

I wonder if the neighbor is trying to reduce food waste by composting but doesn't actually know how to compost. And even proper composting can bring pests, which is why I never did even though I wanted to. I don't know how bad it is. I mean, there is a big difference between setting up tables, cleaning everything, and prepping food outside and sitting on your back porch, barefoot, while you lay everything on the ground beside you with zero hygiene.

I remember a little while back about an MNer who's OH decided to set up a business cooking meals at home to sell to his co-workers. the OP was worried about it due to the law surrounding commercial kitchens etc. Every single reply agreed that she should refuse to go along with it, with some even suggesting that she report him herself if he went ahead!

Personally I would talk to her, explain about the council rules etc if she doesnt know and then if she carries on, report her.

How do you know she hasn’t got a hygiene rating?

This would pee me off. Report her to the council and landlord.

There is absolutely nothing worse than other people’s cooking smells. You expect it at meal times and perhaps at odd times on occasion, but not commercial level where it’s happening all the time.

And anyone who says this wouldn’t bother them is lying.

Well that’s what she said…then she also said that the fence is 9ft so she can’t see into the neighbour’s garden - so how on earth she supposedly sees the food waste is a mystery.

That is a very good point.

I had this in the house opposite me. Neighbours on that side were complaining about the noise and because I couldn’t hear it, it didn’t bother me. The business grew and some others in the house (10 people lived in the house) became delivery drivers and that was a nightmare. Even though they had a drive the bikes parked outside my house. It made parking a nightmare. And often at night if I went to put rubbish out or get something from my car there would be a group of men standing under the street light outside my house smoking and chatting. I found it very intimidating as a single woman living with a small child that a group of strangers were outside my house every night. And we do have a rat problem now.
nip it in the bud. Report it before it grows.

The whole thread is littered with contradictions from the OP - which is a). why she’s had the response she has, and b). why she’s left the thread…

wow … K*n much ! If her garden is a mess ask her to clean it but mind your own business regarding anything else .
How on earth do you know how many nights are us out ? She should report you for stalking.

3 of my friends have a food business from home. 2 bake cakes and the other Indian food. Its not illegal and I assume they have to have hygiene inspections. The only difference is that they are not preparing in the garden, that doesn't sound right! Food waste must be delt with properly too.

Yeah contact your local environmental office to see if she’s registered with them she should have been checked to see if she has all the necessary equipment for food preparation & storage, she should also have a disposal license (business refuse) insurance for running a business from a residential property have a minimum level 2 in food hygiene for the preparation & storage of food; she should also have her scores on the doors too. Just keep your name out of it because if it gets out it was you & her business goes tits up living next door to her is going to be fucking murder

The same people saying mind your own business etc would be the the ones who hearing or seeing an article about someone dying from food poisoning due to an illegal food business from a residential property or a fire where someone had died due to no H & S checks; would the same ones kicking off saying someone must have known about this what were the neighbours doing ignoring it.
Speak to the council, if it’s legit not a lot you can do if it isn’t they will look into it.

If its commercial food prep, hope she doesnt have loose pets (her own or neighbourhood ones) running around her garden prep area either.

We have loads of neighbouring estate cats take dumps in our garden and nick snacks left out

My very first thought unfortunately

She obviously cannot be a lovely neighbour if you are concerned. She could be a double agent creating Novichok to kill foreign nationals on British soil, or she could be running an illegal restaurant or even cooking food to feed unemployed feckless layabouts, rough sleepers or illegal migrants.

what I would suggest is creating a spreadsheet of all her comings and goings with accurate times and descriptions of her attire, deportment and mood, take photos of her leaving and install video cameras around your property facing her windows and garden to document the minutiae of her life. Maybe take to making silent calls every hour, 24 hours a day to check up on her whereabouts. I would suggest getting your neighbours to spy on her as well. Why not make posters and pamphlets outlining your concerns and pasting them around the town and into your neighbours’ letterboxes with your photographic and documentary evidence to reinforce your suspicions.

you seem like a conscientious person who is fastidious and driven. I am sure that you can fathom her secrets within the year and persecute And punish her for her indiscretions eventually.

good luck, you seem like such a lovely person.

What kind of food it it?

@MadeleineMummy 🤣🤣🤣🤣 too late for me to be laughing this hard!!