to be an equally shit neighbour?

[SkyeB86]

In 2019 a new family moved in next door and immediately they started acting a problem. Then lockdown happened and it escalated. Big heavy basketballs thud constantly from morning till night, kids (6 of them) scream at each other (and I mean blood-curdling screams at times) they think it's fine to jump into my garden whenever they fancy. I had a word with the dad, his response was that other than them jumping in my garden, they're not breaking any laws so he wouldn't be telling the kids to quiet down. Fair enough, they're not.

So I've bought some Bluetooth speakers. Whenever they get too noisy, I play music in my garden which effectively drowns them out, and can only be really be heard from NDNs garden. The dad has this weekend asked me to keep it down.

AIBU to think that if they can have the 'fuck everyone else' attitude, then so can I?

perhaps given the above we should as the OP is they have, along with contacting the council to make a noise complaint, kept a noise diary, they add a safeguarding referral to SS as well, to look into the constant screaming these children are doing, because as you say, perhaps they are injured..

you know you are being ridiculous. the OP is being ridiculous... i suspect they have already complained to the council, as they are very obviously ignoring these suggestions, and i suspect the council have told them that its reasonable to expect noise from children playing.

when children play, they make a noise! its what children do.. and to expect them to not make a noise so they don't upset the grumpy nect door neighbour does not make them bad children...

Sounds like they don't get taken out much and are left to their own devices

You keep saying you’e leaving it and then keep coming back. Make up your mind.

You still here, Becky? I'd hoped you'd gone off like you stated you would, to calm down at the absolute ghall of me playing music. Rather than return to add things you've since imagined 🫢😂

And the 'most invested in a fairly dull thread topic' award goes to... 🏆

i am thanks... to be honest, i'm simply replying to other peoples comments. i have little to do this evening, my grand children have gone home... happily listening to the neighbours kids playing outside.

its lovely that they are able to be outside and enjoying the good weather rather than cooped up inside playing on their games consoles etc.

but.. you are right, i do keep saying i am going, so i will go. i wish you well, i hope you enjoy all that music... just becareful cos karma can come back and bite ya hard

Oooh this has tickled me 🤣🤣🤣

Thanks, Becky. I'll be on guard for karma bites 🫣😬

Keep doing what you are doing OP. Some people cannot be reasoned with.

Don't you love entitled people? There's a family near us who think the world has to stop because they have a toddler that doesn't sleep! All noise has to stop at half past 6 and yet they've had the toddler out much later than that on numerous occasions! They will sit in the garden at 7am making a racket and both children and the adults will be out screaming in the day not that anyone minds but it's just the hypocrisy!

Totally understand where you're coming from OP but do be careful that it doesn't backfire and your neighbour doesn't download a noise app, recommended to do by the council, to record the level of volume your music is playing at.

Maybe download one yourself just to double check the volume and keep it just under or around the legal limit...and don't play it continuously...or between the hours of 11pm-7am.

Then if he compains again remind him of what he told you.

I could write an essay on all the things my neighbours have done, the latest thing is having wraps of what looks like crack delivered to their front door. They shout and scream from 11am onwards and the noise reduces me to tears at times. They are Roma and there is an ever changing population of at least 10 people in and out of a two-up two down house. They collect scrap and sell it on so their yard is rammed with all sorts of stuff, they fly tip, they broke into my yard and pinched my green bin to fill with their crap. When they first moved in I politely and with the help of Goggle translate asked them to keep the noise down and they called me a "mother fucking cunt". I HATE them and have the deepest of sympathy for anyone with horrible neighbours. It has a profoundly negative effect on your quality of life. I live in a state of hypervigilance waiting for the noise to start. The warmer weather means they have both the back door and the front door open plus all the windows so the racket is even worse. They have a constant stream of visitors until the early hours. I had never had awful neighbours until this lot moved in and oh do I feel for anyone going through similar stuff

Exactly. If there’s- there’s noise. You don’t want to listen to his, he doesn’t want to listen to yours.

If disputes start that could be an issue though.

You’ve spoken to him, he’s said he doesn’t care about his kids making noise so you reached a suitable compromise.

Nobody minds the sound of ‘children playing’ - you are wilfully winding people up.

There is a level of screaming and banging that tips over from playing to nuisance. That’s when adults are supposed to step in to show consideration for neighbours.

You clearly haven’t got capacity for that if you can’t even distinguish what might piss others off. Far from op being miserable - I admire her restraint. People like you make others miserable - so I think you should heed your own warning.

I'd say 'I'm not breaking any laws, so I won't be keeping it down' 😉

I think he's right to let his kids be annoying tbh. They're not annoying forever. But you also have the right to be annoying. Isn't the phrase live AND LET live?

Good on you!! I’m doing the same this summer nice big speaker and downloaded some diy drilling noises!! Sometimes it’s the only language people understand! I would say to him you be reasonable and I will be reasonable.

6 children playing in a garden will be noisy and my understanding is that they have stopped coming into your garden since you spoke to their dad. What time do they stop playing and making noises in the garden? If it is late (ie after 9pm), I think that it's reasonable that you request that they should stop after that time. Your quest to play loud music on bluetooth isn't the way forward and will only serve to antagonise the situation.
I suggest a pleasant tactful chat with the neighbour

You can also live in the era of being a cunt when you want…..but it usually bites you in the ass.

maybe if the neighbours had some respect then this wouldn’t have happened

My pissy-pants neighbor complains about the radio, normal volume, in my kitchen after 8pm. once, I left it on all night!! She can hear it thru closed windows!! It disturbs her painting watercolors.

The best revenge is that she is so psycho I’m sure I do loads of other things that bother her, but the radio is the only thing she can actually articulate and not sound bonkers. I do play it louder before 8, just because I know it’s ok !!

Total Eclipse of the Heart on repeat

You are being very sarcastic and antagonistic. Perhaps that's how you have been addressing the issues with your neighbours?
That will only make matters worse

You keep saying you are going to leave it there Becky and you keep coming back.

FWIW I would bloody hate to live next door to six feral kids, and no, I’m not from a seen and not heard generation, just one respectful towards my neighbours.

I'd be tempted to 'say yes and do no' ie agred wholeheartedly with hos suggestion and them just do as you were anyway.

Winds em up more

Ha, yeah, you could be the annoying, over friendly neighbour with no boundaries who leans over the fence to talk at length about your day under the guise of being friendly! 😆

That's not a dig at Dispair1. It's just reminded me of many a mumsnet thread where the poster is being driven mad by overly friendly neighbours!

So what is it then? I have no issues with kids playing basketball, football or whatever for hours on end. My DS is too big for football in our garden now (well, the garden is too small) but he’d be out there for hours a few years ago.