Washing line in shared backyard, AIBU?

[Beeloux]

Hi all,

Moved into a rented upper floor flat recently with a yard shared with downstairs flat who also
rent.
I put up a washing line when I moved in and neighbours commented how they never got around to putting one up (they’ve been living there almost 2 years). They started hanging their washing on the line using my pegs which I didn’t mind at first. However they’ve started leaving the washing on for days at a time.

Weather has been good this weekend and they’ve had their washing hanging bone dry on the line since Friday morning. I’ve been waiting all weekend to hang my washing out (I have a baby and toddler who are both ill at the moment so have a large mount of washing. I ended up having to squash all of my washing onto my drying rack and leave it outside in the yard. I just checked before and they’ve removed all of their dry clothes and replaced it with another set of washing hogging the whole line!

AIBU to be pissed off about this? Forecast shows it’s raining the majority of next week. I have no space for a tumble dryer in the kitchen and there isn’t any other nails where I could erect another clothes line in the backyard (tenancy contract states I can’t drill any into exterior walls).

Why on earth didn't you knock on the door and tell them to take their washing in? You could have had it done and dried in the time it took them to do their next load

Just take it in for them. I was in a shared house and it was the same. You just move it when it's your turn to dry.

I'd have taken their washing down, popped it in a bin bag and left it by their door.

Yep me too!

You should have just moved the washing off to dry your own once theirs was dry

That’s annoying and CFish. However, I would have knocked on the door with a bag for life full of their clothes

It's a shared yard.

You put up a washing line, they're using it. Just take down their dry clothes and hang up your wet ones.

It's your washing line?
Just take their stuff off and put yours on!

I don't know if I'm being weird, but I'd hate to stare out my window into the communal garden and see a line of washing. Mine or anyone else's.
I guess that's just me. But I always dry my clothes indoors on an airer. Someone has taken to leaving their washing drying on an airer, outside of their own garden, in the communal area. I find it unsightly and annoying!
Not saying you've done anything wrong btw. I just have a phobia of looking at drying clothes outdoors I think!

And don't leave your pegs out again! It's a pain but take them in every time

I was brought up in a Glasgow tenement. You took your rope, pegs and clothes poles in when you were finished with them.

we lived in a very boggy area once and neighbours didn’t want to put down slabs as she “liked grass”. But it made her garden pretty unusable as it was so muddy so she took to hanging her washing on my line. CF indeed.

OP you need to do as others have said - it’s a hassle but better than sitting stewing over a load of wet washing!

Thanks all, I will do from now on. Wish I’d put it in a bag now and hung mine up.

Another thing is that they’ve recently got a cat which has fleas (not sure if it’s been fully treated yet). They keep hanging the cats blankets/bedding on the line. I know it’s probably a really stupid question but could it contaminate the pegs/line and pass the fleas onto my laundry? Never had a cat so I don’t know how it works.😅

I would have also taken it off and handed it to them, they probably won’t want you to keep knocking so hopefully this would stop them for doing it again.

They are being CF. Take your pegs in with you next time for sure

YABU not to be embarrassed at how passive you are.

Who on earth wouldn't just take the clothes off their line and get on with hanging their own up? 😳

Sorry OP but come on, this is beyond ridiculous.

Yes that’s weird. Better to save the planet .

@olympicsrock I never ever use a drying machine. I just keep my laundry inside my home when it's drying. I don't think the neighbours want to see my undergarments, nor do I want to see hideous clothing blowing in the wind for days, blocking my view of the outdoors.
It's totally my own choice, as I understand some people don't have space. But laundry is ugly! Especially other people's.

I'd be more worried about the fleas spreading to my flat.

There is no reason the cat should have fleas.

OMG a shared washing line, I can’t imagine anything worse.

Get a retractable line a put it back after use.
Then pegs in a peg bag and take them in

This would piss me off too. I would not leave my pegs out. If their washing is left on the line and it is dry then I'd remove it, put it in a big bag and hang it on their door handle. I might even have a word and tell them that they need to get their own washing line. They are being very inconsiderate.

Can you take your washing line down when you aren't using it?
Or buy a high dry instead

I always hang my washing out, I love the fresh smell of clean washing and, if its been blowy, so much easier to
iron! I always bring my pegs in too…

Take their washing off the line and put in a bag outside their door.

Hang out your washing.

When your washing is dry take the pegs (and the line if easy) home with the washing.

You've been a right mug up to now. Can't believe you've let them walk all over you like this!