Moved into house 6 months ago and have had a few issues with next door neighbour so interested in peoples thoughts and what they would do after the latest as not sure if I ABU.
Every house I’ve lived in I’ve always got on well with the neighbours so this has really caught me off guard. The new house is a terrace house on a private road each house has its own parking space in a car park area a short walk from the houses and also the option of parking on the street right outside the houses (as no permits/yellow lines).
First issue came about 2 weeks into moving in, about 7pm and I see next door neighbour approaching front door, I hadn’t met him yet but had seen him out the window and assumed that he must be coming round to introduce himself and say hi (the couple on the other side had been round with a card and bottle of Prosecco previously). I was actually on the phone and in my PJs so a bit embarassed and inconvenient but obviously I answered, he did introduce himself but then immediately started telling me I was parked in his space. I explained I wasn’t in the parking spaces I was parked on the street he said he knew that and I was parked in ‘his space’. I said I didn’t realise the spaces outside the front of the houses were allocated (they’re not) but also that I am parked right outside my house. He was really patronising and trying to talk down to me (he’s late 50s I’m early 30s). Explaining that ‘on this street we all park outside our own houses so that everyone can get parked and also was I aware I also had a parking space in the car park I could use instead (obviously I was aware of that when I bought the house). And that it was very rude/inconvenient that I’d had delivery men round during the week (god forbid when you’re moving house). I didn’t want to make an issue as I’d just moved in so apologised and said I’d take more care next time but he was insistent that I came and moved my car now. So I went out in my PJs and it turned out he literally wanted me to reverse back about 2 inches which I did but it left a really bad taste in my mouth and now feel like every time I park or have visitors I have to be so careful about where they park. Anyway he hasn’t mentioned it since, we have had another minor issue about a tree in the garden which is now sorted and then yesterday I came home to a letter posted through the door.
It was a long typed out and printed off letter from them basically asking me to get the gutters cleaned as they think it will affect their house. What’s really annoyed me is getting the gutters cleaned is a job I’ve been meaning to do but the house has a lot of work that was needed so it’s low on a very long list.
I know now from speaking to other neighbours that he is just a general arse, has an issue with everyone and everything and apparently the previous owners had a lot of issues with him (I never met them as they’d already moved out when I viewed). My dilemma is about the letter, would you write back? Go and knock and speak to them? Purposely not get the gutters cleaned ?(I know I will need to eventually but maybe I’ll push it down the list) I don’t want to cause a larger problem as I imagine I’ll live her for a while but it’s clear we’re never going to get on and there’s a part of me that wants to stand up to him but not sure how.