Move next year or wait them out

[Sunshineandgreywardrobe]

Not an AIBU as such but posting for advice.

We are currently trying to decide whether to move next year or extend our house. We love our area and street but moving to something larger within budget is out of the question so it’s an extend or move out of the area choice for us. We were pretty up for an extension project until our new neighbours arrived next door (semi detached).

Next door is rented and we’ve never had any issues in the 8 years we’ve been here until new tenants moved in several months ago. We first saw them walking our dog and said hi on the way past which was ignored. The next interaction was one of the male occupants at the door asking if the car parked outside his house was ours - we have a drive so we use that but parking can be an issue and so it’s not guaranteed that you can park directly outside your house. They have no drive. I said it wasn’t ours, pointed to our only car in the drive but he seemed to think we were trying to hoodwink him and he was thoroughly unpleasant.

Since then we’ve had to put up with constant DIY noise and loud music. We relented until a couple of weeks ago when the music was so loud it could be heard throughout our house above the noise of our own tv at usual volume. We work from home and whilst we expect neighbour noise this was a bit ridiculous at 2.30pm on a Monday. I went next door and asked politely if they could turn it down a bit - as I say I expect some noise. The response to that was that we ‘let our dog out at 1am’ and it barks. We’ve never let the dog out at that time - we are not even awake at that time. I calmly explained it’s not us and also highlighted the large number of dogs in the street that bark occasionally (none are incessant) and behind so it could be coming from anywhere although I’ve never noticed this myself.

The music and DIY continues. Yesterday evening about 9pm I let the dog out who ran and chased a cat in the fence and barked for a few seconds. I went out immediately and brought him in. I don’t want to listen to dogs barking either - he barks he comes back in that’s the rule but generally this will only happen if there’s a cat or something like that. As I went out into the garden I heard ‘shut the fuck up’ being roared out of a window.

So basically we have some not very nice or reasonable people living next to us now. The male of the house makes me extremely uncomfortable - I might be being slightly irrational about that but there’s something really off about him. I generally don’t get that sort of feeling from people. As they are renting I’m tempted to wait them out but given the non-stop DIY I’m worried they are in it for the long haul. I can’t complain to the council either as we will then have that come up on searches if we move.

Any advice? We really will be gutted to leave the area.

You could move and end up with worse neighbours

Yes I know moving is a gamble as well. If we were to move areas we could afford to go to a detached property - I know this doesn’t guarantee a lack of problem neighbours but I’d hope the obvious neighbour issues (parking rows/noise through the walls) could be avoided. Whilst a detached house would be lovely we’d be giving up what we now consider to be our home. I’m so torn on what we should do but I don’t want to feel anxious in my own home.

Do you know who the landlord is? If so you could have a quiet word.

I think if I was you I would just do nothing for six months or so. See how things go, then make a decision.

Yes we have contact details - the landlord did some extensive repairs to the roof before the current tenants moved in so we were in touch with them due to that (and not once did we complain about the noise from that I should add!).

I suspect given my interaction with them they will likely get the same defensive response and an accusation that our dog barks. I’m not sure whether they are a landlord who cares more about the behaviour or their tenants or their profits so it could massively backfire and we get more bad behaviour from them.

We have got a while before we need to decide I suppose.

Wouldn't the landlord be interested in the amount of DIY going on? You're not usually allowed to do DIY in a rental property.

I think the landlord would be interested in the constant DIY noise. They might be setting the place up as a weed farm. Happened to my father in law's friend's rental property, caused 1000s of damage.

Agree with pp. Contact the landlord and tell them the tenant seems to be doing DIY and you wanted to make sure they are aware.

I think it genuinely is home ‘improvements’ they are up to based on some of things they’ve done to the outside of the house - installing satellite dishes (x 2) and painting the front door as well. I suppose I’m just worried about a backlash if the landlord doesn’t care - if they genuinely are doing things to improve the appearance of the property they might not mind.

We need to replace two of the fence panels in the garden soon - they are the ones which slot into place so it’s a quick fix but I suppose that could be my way in to drop it into conversation as I’ll need to mention it to the landlord so they can let the tenants know so we can agree a good time to do this.

We have had more parking issues since we moved to a detached house with a drive than in either of the other properties we have lived in (without drives!)

I am living next door to neighbours having an extension built, so it has been 4 and a half months of banging and crashing 5 days a week and the occasional Saturday too. We get on well with our neighbours, but I am utterly sick of it and would not ever want to subject nice neighbours to it myself. On the other hand, if they were rude, horrible people to begin with, I might bite the bullet and do it.

If you can move. I have had nightmare neighbours who are renting for the last 12 years and still no sign of them moving. If I had the money I would move in an instant.

whilst I understand that DIY noise can be annoying, it hopefully won’t be forever. Also your own extension will undoubtedly lead to some disturbance which they are less likely to tolerate if you complain to them.
Id limit complaints about any noise before 8am and after 8pm and hope that the DIY stage doesn’t last too long.

We’ve never complained about the DIY noise, nor the noise from the roof repairs by the landlord which was basically a whole new loft fit out and roof. We also lived through an extension on the other side and didn’t complain as we realise that work is needed from time to time.

It was the ridiculously loud music i.e. not a noise that that is unavoidable. I know it was the day time but it shouldn’t be so loud that I can’t hear the noise of a meeting on my laptop in my own home.

I would contact the landlord and make him/her aware of the DIY, I’d be furious if my tenants chose to do DIY without my explicit say so.

But these all need landlords approval. Have they got it?

I’d move. I’ve had bad neighbours and they generally don’t move!

I’d start looking. It’s not worth the hassle.