To ask for advice about right to privacy from our neighbours

[Colourofspring]

I have posted about this before but the situation has got worse. We live in terraced housing with small back yards & our neighbour has built a massive garden room that fills the whole back yard pretty much and looks directly into my 12 year old daughters bedroom.

The neighbours have teenage boys and yesterday (and for the last few weekends) there have been large groups of teenage boys in the garden room looking straight into DD’s bedroom so she has to sit with her curtains drawn all the time. I feel like it’s not on on multiple accounts - it’s also really noisy and impossible to sit in our back yard quietly too but I am more bothered about how much of an invasion of privacy it is for my DD.

Aibu? Anyone got any advice? Am feeling pretty pissed off and resentful about it to be honest - I feel like our peace and privacy is being invaded. It’s really tricky in terraces anyway as it’s such a small space!’

Definitely report the building to Planning too. Get it assessed to ensure it meets regs for a permitted building.

I very much doubt teenage lads are staring in

Have you spent much time around teenage boys? They will be VERY interested in looking into a girl bedroom.

Dd has rainbow privacy film on her exposed bedroom window. Quite cute, let’s in plenty of light, but no one can see in.

You need some of that mirror stuff for the window, in daylight you can't see in, but once the lights are on inside you need to close the curtains.
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Dh just got some on eBay quite cheap.

That would be funny, you can watch people without them seeing you. 😂

Definitely contact the council for them to check the building has been constructed under all required limits.

Privacy film and daylight blinds can be installed tomorrow and will make DD feel better I'm sure.

Outside, bamboo fencing on poles will give immediate cover too and, if your budget can stretch, plant Leylandii trees,they grow tall and grow fast and, depending on budget, you can buy them quite tall to start with. You can trim them so they don't encroach on your space but just give cover from the fence line upwards.

You could get one of those sails for the garden, put it up over the fence so the boys are just staring at the sail.

Your neighbours sounds like dicks.

Definitely speak to the planning Dept and ask them to visit your house to see impact.

We have the security film, it's easy to put on and works really well. You can get nice patterns too. Really recommend it.

I'd be writing to the council with photos and asking them , outright, if this is 'permitted development.'

See what they say.

The tories really sold our rights down the river on these outbuildings- our neighbour just build one- 50% of the property land exactly so in practice fills the back garden space- listed as a 'gym' fitted out with shower toilet and kitchen. Council approved it without letting any consultation happen. Surprise surprise the beds are now moving in.

Noone is surprised its become an illegal london dwelling because the 'gym' completely wrecked the garden space of a terraced house which would make it pretty grim for a house, but the tory council DON"T CARE and I suspect even encourage it as the house is being used for emergency council housing so probably worthwhile for them to look the other way or allow it under the radar of permissions.

We reported that someone is living in the 'gym' but they say they can't tell so what are we meant to do? It's a noisy eyesore. With your neighbours its worth checking they did get planning permission OP by googling the address- and if it is right up to your boundary they will have needed to- but be warned the council just approves these without consult so its a box ticking exercise at best.

if your budget can stretch, plant Leylandii trees,they grow tall and grow fast

Do not plant Leylandii in the small garden of a small terraced house!!!

We didn't need planning permission for our sun room but we still needed planning approval, there is a difference but it still means you have to let planning department know if the project is bug enough

This.

It may be worth asking the planning department if such a large structure is allowed. Even under permitted there are limits about how large it can be. I would take photos of it from your daughter's bedroom and go down to the planning department.

We have a log cabin on our land which we run our business out of - we have lots of space and we’re in the middle of nowhere so it’s not upsetting anyone. We had to get planning.

I know for an absolute factoid that garden structures are subject to the same rules as extensions re: distance to boundary / amount of space on the plot they occupy. Lots of people think they are not, because they are “temporary structures”.

I also support PP’s ideas of privacy screening on windows etc. I put one on one of our external doors and it was a DIY job from Amazon. Really good and easy.

Can't you contact your council's planning dept? My friend had a problem with their neighbour building raised decking which meant the neighbours could see into her garden. She sent a pic to the local Building Inspectors. (We're in Scotland.)

The decking had to come down.

You beat me to it. (I've worked in secondary schools for 40 yrs.)

Is this not easy to resolve by making minor adjustments to your daughters window. Any of slat blinds, gauze, the one way film, net curtains. All cheap and easy to install

I'd be tempted to put a sign covering your DD's window saying "Fuck off, you nosy arseholes".

What!! You think they built the extension to be able to see into a 12 year olds bedroom.

Even if the room wasn't there wouldn't they be able to sit in the same spot and see in? Why don't you get some net curtains or blinds?

Privacy film that covers the window at the bottom should do it.

If they're staring in the window and they're close enough to see the sign, then hopefully it should remind them to avert their gaze to bloody elsewhere and leave this girl in her bedroom in peace.

Sometimes I walk past people's houses and I can glance in their front windows. Guess what, I don't stand there gaping in and making the inhabitants feel awkward.

Then check with the council