To make new neighbours think we are the neighbours from hell.

[ASBONEIGHBOURS]

The house behind us has been vacant for about 18 months. We got notification that it had been sold and planning permission had been given for a massive extension which will bring a 2 storey extension to within a few meters of our rear fence.

We put in every complaint and objection that we could but to no avail.

Their bedroom window will look directly into our full length patio door living area and give full view of our garden.

AIBU to behave so badly and encourage our children and pets to do the same that the builders will tell them we are crazy and they should rethink the position of their window !

Some early ideas - develop loud vocal tics when in the garden, some exhibitionism at the windows. Children to repeatedly kick balls over fence. Hang weird satanic Blair witch effigies from the tree and possibly some stuffed animals with fake blood.

Any other suggestions ? They have a small child apparently!

Cymbal playing dog
140 Cockerells
Carpentry
Bagpipes

I like the list so far and could possibly combine at least 3 to improve efficiency 😁

But I will really miss the naked sunbathing and garden sex - surely that's what working from home was invented for ?

Can you plant trees to block their view?

At best, starting a fight won’t work, at worst, it will escalate making your life miserable and end in a neighbour disputes that makes your home hard to sell.

I do know someone who had a similar issue after a developer “accidentally” cut down their trees on the boundary and refused to replace them and called my friend some racist names. They painted huge “Stop the War” (this was 20 years ago…) banners in Arabic on sheets that they hung on their house. The builder eventually coughed up for new mature trees after the house failed to sell for a year.

Your neighbours haven’t actually done anything wrong, annoying as it is. Trees are good for everyone and the environment.

They will probably have better things to do than stand in their bedroom looking into your garden. The bedroom is where I spend the least time and im never near the window 🤷🏻‍♀️

I feel for you, OP. In France it's illegal to install a window overlooking someone else's garden. If there's no way around it, they have to use frosted glass. Quite right too.

The house off side the back of our house had to put obscured glass on their upper floor to keep our neighbours right to privacy - maybe worth looking into..

If the extension is within a ‘few’ meters of the fence, I’m assuming you have a garden of at least 20m in length (which is a general rule of thumb for back to back habitable rooms). If that’s the case then screening on your side will help without significant impact. They also won’t want to look into your house… do you stand at your bedroom window staring into others gardens/houses - probably not.

Errr I mean, you WOULD be a neighbour from hell; not just seem that way.

🤣

If you just carry on with your normal day to day activities you will barely notice each other.

If you do some of the things you are suggesting you are giving them something to watch and that will feel intrusive for you.

I assume it has not been built yet.

Have you exhausted every avenue of complaint?
Can you in some way allege individual members of the planning committee might have failed to declare an interest?
Local government ombudsman?

Do you stare out of your bedroom window into other's gardens OP? Why would you assume they would do that to you?

If they have a small child/baby to look after I doubt they're remotely interested in what you're doing, unless you're making lots of noise/bother like suggested.

Just carry on! I'm sure they'll catch on quick and keep their curtains closed 🤣

The builders wont care and it will be too late when the owners move in.

Unfortunately this would be very unwise. You don't own the property behind you and it being vacant for 18 years must have meant at some point you knew someone would move it. It's not ideal but you have no leg to stand on and you can't terrorise them, at the most you can move if you really can't stand it.

Cats are fuckers and shit in everyones garden but their own. I used to have constant cat shit in mine. Sadly (or not), the offending cat died of old age. They got another cat, so the crapping resumed, plus it would chase my dog. Sadly that one got run over - I was genuinely sad it got run over, but not sad I now no longer have to deal with cat crap or cats bullying my dog in her own garden.

Your children need a large trampoline with a tall surround very close to your back fence. I found that opera, played very loudly worked better than pop music but that could depend on your neighbours taste. A large paddling pool can encourage “shrieks” of delight along with some loud performance parenting. This may not work if your children are over 18 in which case I agree with the poster suggesting the bagpipes. You could form a pipe band and you could be the drummer!

I may have had a little problem with a neighbour in the past and Dniece plays the bagpipes.

I could hire my kids out to you for a reasonable price. Job done.

Loads of windchimes, that would be one of the worst things my neighbours could buy. I can't bear the sound of them. I was in a garden centre the other day and a lady was 'testing' them all before she bought, I had to leave the section as I could t stand it.

I was just going to say this

You can get that one way film
You can see out perfectly (as normal)
But they cant see in

18 months not years, complaint is with the ombudsman, definitely have contravened laws about boundaries between houses but planning was permitted and planning office are refusing to acknowledge mistakes.

Pool and trampoline added to the amazon inbasket !

Clever dogs can also be trained to use sub-woofers 😄

Leylandi

Dog is a springer so may enjoy cymbal playing on the trampoline ?