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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Neighbour spying on me

145 replies

Lattecarmel · 18/03/2024 23:14

My neighbour is always spying on me through their living room window when I come home and leave my house. When I’m parking up it seems as soon as I pull up they’ve stood up and are then at the window looking out. I’m starting to feel uncomfortable about this. It’s not that they’re watching their car as I park or anything like that but they just watch me park up. In the morning when I leave the house I happen to move my head and can see them staring out at me (terrace house, both with front path)) I think they are quite nosy in general but it’s starting to annoy me. What would you do?

OP posts:
Happyandglorious98 · 19/03/2024 22:17

Stuck 2 fingers up

Noglitterallowed · 19/03/2024 22:47

Herdinggoats · 19/03/2024 11:46

My kitchen sink is under my front window…never occurred to me my neighbours might think I’m a spy 🕵🏼‍♀️ 😅

Literally the same and I’m up from 6.30am so I’m constantly just looking outside when washing up etc! I’m definitely not spying 😂

Tbry24 · 19/03/2024 22:48

I keep thinking my neighbours will think this about me as I always seem to be in the front room when they go in and out. It’s just coincidence plus my window faces their drive so I have nowhere else to look, I can’t leave the room discreetly either as door is by the window. I spend half my life in the kitchen (at least) and chores or wfh in other rooms in reality but whenever the neighbours park I seem to be at the front of the house.

But I would ask do they wear glasses? I’m now at an age where I need reading glasses as well as my distance glasses so quite often I’m sitting by the window reading/hobby/screen with my reading glasses on and I can’t see anything else further away in the room let alone outside.

Bonbon249 · 20/03/2024 00:43

BobbyBiscuits · 18/03/2024 23:26

@Lazypeopledrivemecrazy I love that phrase 'a cat can look at a king.' my mum used to always say it when someone would say 'what are you looking at?' in a slightly accusatory fashion.

My mum used to say 'a penny cat can look at the Queen' - I don't know if it's a regional thing - I'm from the North East of Scotland.

SouthsideSocialist · 20/03/2024 04:30

Take an extra coat or a change of clothes with you, so you go out in jeans and a blue jacket, and come home in a skirt and a black jacket, with a hat. Wear a trenchcoat with the collar turned up and a hat pulled down over your eyes, and hide behind an umbrella and try to look furtive. Walk backwards or sideways to and from the car, and give them a deep curtsey every time you see them looking. Just, you know, make it worth her while to look.

BobbyBiscuits · 20/03/2024 05:54

@Bonbon249 haha. Must be the same thing, but regional. My mum is Irish so not sure if she got it from there. I've not heard anyone saying it since this thread for many years! It's a good response if you get accused of staring! Maybe my mum was just nosy, lol.

Ggttl · 20/03/2024 06:07

I would really hate this. I wouldn’t want to wave because it might just encourage them. I have no idea why people think it is ok. There was a poster on here that said she positioned her wfh desk by the window so she could see the comings and goings of her neighbours. She was quite judgemental about their grocery shopping. It didn’t occur to her that they might not be delighted about this. Maybe she is your neighbour!

RickyGervaislovesdogs · 20/03/2024 06:24

It’s their window, they can look out of it if they want to. You are looking back at them aren’t you? 😳so just wave or ignore them.

I’ve had a staring neighbour and he didn’t have double glazing, so we could hear him talking about us /the car to boot. I fell down outside once and heard him gasp and say oh my god, then heard his wife shush him. Hilarious. Some people are nosy, some don’t get out much. Your comings and goings are the height of their existence!

Imisssleep2 · 20/03/2024 07:52

There isn't anything you can do, be flattered that your life is so much more interesting than theirs they feel the need to watch you so much. Try to ignore it and hope they get bored.

tara66 · 20/03/2024 08:12

Shine a bright flash light suddenly in their face especially in winter?

Seeline · 20/03/2024 08:40

I look out of my front window a lot.
I WFH in front of a screen. I go and look out of my window every hour or so to give my eyes a rest and focus on something further away.
I also have a lot of plants on my windowsill which needs looking after.
And I have a radiator underneath the window which I use for drying clothes in the winter so that needs turning and folding.
And it's my window which strangely has clear glass in it to look through. I'm not spying on my neighbours. I don't care what they're doing.

triballeader · 20/03/2024 08:53

My neighbour across the road could be accused of this BUT she is elderly, has mobility difficulties and has admitted to me she lives in her front room to watch the world go by outside of her four walls. I wave and shout hello when I see her. The plus side is she lets her neighbours know if anyone odd doing suspicious things has been around.

BronwenTheBrave · 20/03/2024 09:01

Report them to the police.

mammaCh · 20/03/2024 09:07

They're hardly spying on you lol.
They probably do it to everyone.
My MiL is the same, she doesn't mean nay harm, just super nosey!!
Smile and wave!

Daisyblue77 · 20/03/2024 09:43

They are allowed to look out their windows as much as they want, this post is ridiculous. Either be friendly and wave or ignore, also you must be looking in their house to see they are looking out. So who is the nosy one

BrendaSmall · 20/03/2024 11:06

I’ve got nosy neighbours
Everytime we’re in the garden, they will open their curtains, a little while after open the window, a while after that they will close curtains, then open again then close windows, then repeat 🤣🤣
Even when I hang out washing they do the same, I wave and shout hello, then she gets all defensive 🤣 which I’ve got on camera 🤣
Ive been known to ask her if my husband is doing a good job if he’s working in the garden 🤣

Dotjones · 20/03/2024 11:12

Why are you looking in through their windows so much? They're probably wondering why you're always staring in.

Yellowpingu · 20/03/2024 12:17

I have one of these. The biggest issue is that she’s my Mother!

CustardySergeant · 20/03/2024 13:06

ilovebreadsauce · 19/03/2024 09:35

They probably think ' everything she goes out of her house, she looks in our window '

Exactly. If the OP didn't look at their window she wouldn't know they were looking out of theirs. Also, she can have no idea whether they are looking out of their window at other times.

Bellamondus · 20/03/2024 13:19

Just ignore them or maybe a friendly wave, if they are elderly, maybe watching all the comings and goings in their neighbourhood gives them something to do.

Londonrach1 · 20/03/2024 13:24

Wave. My grandparents stopped a burglary mid morning...they have their cup of tea and love watching the coming and goings in their road. On the day in question they knew their neighbour was out when they saw someone jump over the fence..the police found the burglar in the house and never was taken. Neighbour was very grateful. Please wave at your neighbour.

OhmygodDont · 20/03/2024 13:33

Imagine thinking someone looking out their own houses windows is spying on you 😂 shit spy’s if you can see them.

Spin it around why are you looking at them inside their own home… stop looking though their windows.. See goes both ways.

venus7 · 20/03/2024 17:57

BruceAndNosh · 18/03/2024 23:54

Never leave the house.
That'll show 'em

I love this........!

changeme4this · 20/03/2024 17:58

And if your home is broken into while you were at work, who is the first person who is going to call the police or know stuff….

I raced outside the other morning at 2.20am as I thought my neighbours vehicle was being stolen… it wasn’t but she decided to move stuff around for someone who then turned up.

DinnaeFashYersel · 20/03/2024 18:01

That's not spying.