AIBU to ask neighbours children & teens to keep noise down in the garden?

[NameChangeAsICouldBeOverReacting]

Our next door neighbour has 4 children/teens, the youngest is 6ish and the eldest is 15.

When they are in the garden, they play football but play against the youngest and wind him up, so he’s constantly screaming, screeching and crying. When the screeching isn’t going on, it’s football chants are full volume and a lot of shouting between them and constant fights.

They will be in the garden until 9pm and can be out early at the weekends and it can keep our DS1 up and make bedtime so difficult, especially when it’s warmer and we need to have the window open a smidge.

AIBU to ask their parents to get them to keep the noise down? Especially as it’s affecting bedtime with our son and making our garden unbearable as there’s not a moment of silence if they are out as they are constantly fighting.

Record noise with times and report to LA as anti social. Unfortunately it probably won't change much. Planting lots of willow that shoots up metres each year may help. Ultimately I'd probably be getting ready to move.

Parents can’t win. They’re criticised if their kids are inside on screens all day, criticised if their kids are outside playing in good weather.

We only moved into the house in September, so moving isn’t an option 🥲.

We have our own toddler, so understand that children will be noisy but if he was screaming and shouting constantly, we’d tell him to keep it down and bring him inside if it continued.

Their parents aren’t ever in the garden or warning them to turn the volume down. Also thought they’d be more aware, especially the 15 year old.

There is playing normally, we have our own toddler so appreciate and understand child noise, but this is constantly shouting and screaming.

Don't be silly. Its eminently possible to play outside without screaming constantly. Don't you teach your children to be considerate of neighbours?

Your son will be in the garden adding to the noise in a couple od years.

Not worth falling out over or mentioning tbh - its just people enjoy their garden.

There's a huge difference between 'normal' children playing noise and constant screaming and crying. I'd have been asking my own children to keep it down or bringing them in if they carried on.

Of course, yabu. They are in their own garden and going indoors at 9pm. You are being precious.

I'd be inclined to say something to the parents about now the evenings are lighter, could they possibly ask the kids not to play outside between baby's bedtime and an hour later, to make sure you can get the baby off to sleep. Of course, less noise altogether would be better, but pick your battles...

So screaming and shouting in the garden is reasonable at 9pm?

This is the what I’m trying to understand.

Maybe I was a bit flippant in my earlier post - of course you can have a polite word with them by all means but reporting them to the LA seems rather over the top. It can’t be every night, the UK weather is not that good.

Agree, I'd ask to be considerate at your child's bed time but otherwise put up with it or make your own noise when they do

I’d imagine the type of parents that let their children scream, screech and shout are completely oblivious to the impact on their neighbours. It’s so inconsiderate. But idiots like this rarely take well to requests to temper the volume.

We trained our kids to play without squealing if they were in the garden. It’s just part of having manners.

It is pretty much every night, the only days it doesn’t happen if it’s torrential rain. If it’s sunny, spitting, breaks between rain from 3pm to 9pm they are in the garden, or out all day in the weekend.

@lanthanum will ask the parents if they can get them to keep it down between those times. Thanks for the suggestion.

Yes, pretty much. 9pm is a reasonable time to come indoors during the summer months. Far preferable to adults who set out at that time firing up hot tubs and chatting over loud music.

This is a great plan if you want your neighbours to hate you.

Seriously... don't you think having a friendly chat with them would be the first step?

(Also, all noise complaints would need to be disclosed to potential buyers when they try to sell. This is such terrible advice.)

YANBU but you’re just going to get comments from people who say “if not this they’d be on screens“ and “let kids be kids” and “they were locked down during COVID”.

It’s the age of entitlement.

You can ask the parents but if they’re anything like the families around me, they’ll tell you to fuck off.

While it's annoying, reporting it to the council won't achieve anything other than to create bad feeling between you. It's also a cowardly move used to avoid 'confrontation', even when the neighbours are reasonable people (they'll know who made the complaint).
Maybe you can ask them to wrap up the outside play/noise earlier to help with your little one's bedtime, but be reasonable about the time. For example, asking them to stop playing at 6pm isn't OK.
Just remember, one day your little one will be screeching in the garden with their friends (even if you think they won't!) Don't burn any relationship you have with your neighbours.

Report it to the council? That children are playing football in their back garden and the youngest one whinges too loud but they all go indoors and are quiet from 9pm?

😁😁😁

Let us know how that goes.

The complainant can be anonymous to the homeowner so wind your neck in.

I agree with you OP your comfort and enjoyment should trump your neighbours rights to enjoy their property however they want

Don't be daft. Don't you know the difference between normal playing noises and constant shouting and screaming?

I’m not sharing we are more entitled to our neighbours, but there should be some considerations on how loud you are in the garden.

We wouldn’t dare to do what they do as we know our neighbours on the other side has a baby younger than us, plus know how annoying it is with screaming.

To put into prospective how loud the children are, we can hear the fighting through our walls when they are in the house and this often goes on until 10.30/11pm

Ah ye olde summer noise problems. Bring on the autumn

It's reasonable to ask the parents to be mindful of the noise across your toddler's bedtime. It's not reasonable to object to four children playing football in their garden until 9pm.

It's annoying, I agree, but families play loud games in their gardens and there's not much anyone can or should do about it.