People not showing pride in their homes

[Auburngal]

Talking about those who leave the front of their homes (owned) in a state.

For example there’s a house down my parents road who has an old fridge freezer on their driveway for 5 years! Don’t understand why people spend several hundred quid on white goods don’t buy them from a retailer who takes the old one for free or for £10. I paid the retailer £10 to take my old washer away and to recycle it accordingly.

Then there’s a house opposite me who had their bathroom replaced and left the old loo and other bits outside the home for several months. A decent bathroom fitter would take the old stuff away as part of the package.

Then another family down my parents road have old children’s toys in their garden- play house, sand pit etc. The kids are too old for these toys now.

Then are properties with hedges on the road and used as a ‘bin’. Unless the owners have mobility issues - then there’s no excuse to remove the rubbish from the hedge.

People spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on their homes but I hate it when they show no care.

People need to show pride.

I am a member of a community litter picking group.

My post was about me 😂

Exactly this. So many people saying "it only costs £50" etc are completely oblivious that some people unfortunately don't have a spare £50 and when they do there are always more important things to spend it on.

I mean I'm a bit pissed off with my neighbours car in front of my window that's not moved for 4 years and is mouldy and growing stuff inside it...
mud, not so much!

YABU, I think people shouldn't keep loads of crap out the front of their house but pride in your home is going a bit far. Am I supposed to scrub my front yard on a daily basis or fill it with tat bought at the Range to seem socially acceptable?

I remove the litter that people chuck into my front yard, but I have health problems and me and DH work long hours which means we're tired, and I'm not always in the shape to tart up the yard or do my weeding as often as I should. And that's fine. You don't know people's individual circumstances.

The inside of my house is nice. I work full time and I hate gardening. It’s bottom of my to do list. I can’t afford a gardener. I’ll run a mower around every so often but it is far from perfect.

it isn't my priority

Youre more than welcome to volunteer to do it for me.

And most are just lazy and don’t mind living in a shithole.

Like you said, expect someone else like op to knock on their door and magically solve their crap.

Maybe it’s on their “to do” list but never quite makes it to the top. Just keeps getting pushed back for other things. Or they are struggling with motivation etc.

I have what I know are simple jobs that I’ve ignored for a year or more as I just never get to them. I’m depressed as well as overwhelmed.

Be more Mrs Bucket and less Mrs Fuckit

Is this a joke? Why would you care about someone else's car??

Not everyone spends hundreds of thousands in their homes. Some people get replacement white goods second hand and fit their own bathrooms from DIY stores when they need new ones. If you're not well off you often have no choice. And it can be difficult to get rid of your old stuff if you don't have a car to get to the tip and live in areas where local authorities don't do collections for these items. Round here people without cars often leave stuff outside in the hopes the scrap man comes round.

They let their kids play on it, even sitting them down on the lawn & leaving them there. Bizarre. A few thorny shrubs have put paid to that malarkey.

One of my neighbours has a beautiful wildflower garden. Might look scruffy to some but I think it's gorgeous.

I currently have a couple of sofas and a mattress outside my house in stereotypical council house fashion.
The mattress because they charged loads extra to add to the skip I hired (no idea why) so I didn't put it in there and the sofas because I've just changed my chairs and need to get the council to do a pick up but need to have the money spare first.
Messy gardens/rubbish tend to match with people who are time poor or have tight finances. I could perhaps get my sofas to a tip but I'd need to hire a van as they wont fit in my car. I have been wondering how easy it would be to burn it all too!

That's just it though, it's your house/land so it really is none of the curtain twitchers business what people have on their front garden, drive or whatever. I totally agree about littering and if I see anyone throwing stuff in the street or leaving stuff at the park or beach I always say excuse me you forgot something, there is a bin right there, then I point out the nearest bin. Dog shit&litter everywhere are gross!

It's definitely not old fashioned. Some people just have higher standards than you, regardless of age.

Wish I had time to notice things like this. As a carer I have bigger fish to fry and if I did have spare time \ headspace if probably use it on something less pathetic😆

Finances, health issues, logistics, other more important commitments?

A combination of these?

Is it really that hard to fathom that how the front of a house looks may not be the top priority for some people?

One neighbour smokes outside all day and throws his ends in the street, leaves his bin out all week and the weeds reach his windows. As a result, people come along crawling in the gutter for ends to smoke, and there's a pile of other crap that people have fly tipped by his house, as you wouldn't tell the difference. One house ruins a perfectly nice street.

I grew up on a newbuild estate, everyone took pride in their homes and gardens. It's so sad when i visit DPs now as now some of the houses are just such a state, fences falling down, scruffy gardens, litter etc. Some of the houses are now rentals and there is one family who keep leaving dirty nappies in a box by the front door which is gross, the foxes keep grabbing the nappies and dragging them out on to the big grassed area where kids play. One of the neighbours has been there twice and asked them to dispose of the nappies properly and the residents were surprised it was an issue!

I own a flat in a neighbouring town and myself and my neighbour are the only homeowners out of 8 properties, we keep our gardens neat, windows clean etc the rental properties are a state gardens overgrown, litter and junk in them. One tenant collected all the crap out their car put it in a carrier and left it in their parking space, they have to walk past a recycling bin to get to the front door. Instead the bag of rubbish was left and they drove over it and now there is rubbish all over the car park, which I've been picking up.

I've rented before I bought my own home, I kept things clean and tidy and cared about the environment I was living in but it seems like a lot of people just don't give a shit.

You’re a member of a community litter picking group. How gallant and noble of you 🙄 How about spending the time and energy you use litter picking into finding a way to mind your own business or as others have said offer to help instead of judge?

Show us your pristine house op.;)

Around here almost half of the brand new house have been bought to let, we live in a really nice area and 25 years ago almost all of them would have been owned, but there is a much larger % of rentals now.

And those that rent don't often feel invested in keeping nice gardens as they maynot be in the house that long.

@Auburngal why did you say (owned) in your OP ?
Is it ok to leave rubbish if they are pesky tenants?

What's wrong with volunteering litter picking in a group?

I am that neighbour!

I have a shit load of rubbish outside my home, left over from my kitchen renovation. I also have a shit load of stuff that needs to be cleared out of my spare room. I literally don't have time to take a whole day out to clear it in one go, so I have to do it bit by bit, and I'm going to be charged £300 per collection, so there it shall stay until it's ready for collection.