Neighbour has an opinion on where I put my bins

[Opink]

We live in on a very quiet cul de sac. The homes have large front gardens and small drive ways. Almost identical to photo attached (not my street just an illustration of our set up). Houses also have a side yard/paved side garden where people keep their bins.

Well I have decided I will keep my bins in front of my garage at the front. We have a dog who gets let out throughout the day. I have a lot of anxiety around my dog being let out as I am not always convinced the side gate is left shut. It gets opened when it is bin day. Every time I let the dog out I have to check to see if gate is close and when I see someone else letting the dog out I shout at them to check. It’s just unnecessary chaos. Ideally I will just put a padlock on the side gate so teens don’t mess up by leaving it open. We live 3 turns away from a somewhat busy b road.

Anyway, a neighbour has since come around and said please can I put the bins back into the side garden as it is unsightly. Granted I am the only person on the cul de sac with them out. But who cares??

I am not the arsehole, right?

edit: whoops looks like I took out voting somehow

Don’t bother, there is no need!

The fact that your neighbour thinks your bins are unsightly is neither here nor there. You're not obliged to make your property look pretty for your neighbours. I find the gross frilly blinds in my neighbour's front window unsightly. I find another neighbour's horrible plastic grass unsightly, along with the weeds sprouting from someone's block paved drive. That doesn't mean they have to change those things just because a random stranger like me happens to find those things pig-ugly. It's their property and they can make it as ugly as they like.

We keep our bins in front of the garage now too. However, there is usually a car park in front of them on the drive so it doesn't really look like the picture as you can't actually see them most of the time. Lots of our neighbours do similar.

Being told what to do in your own home by some
busy body imposing THEIR IDEA of a good neighbourhood on me is too much to ask, yes.

Guessing your neighbour is a boomer? Maybe suggest some voluntary work or an ou course to brighten up the days?

I don’t want to always be shouting at dh and the kids when I hear them letting the dog out the back. The rule is you have to check side gate before opening back sliding door but im sure this is not done 100% of the time. Whenever my son is taking the bins out I basically am having a nag. Im sick of it tbh.

🤣🤣🤣

Too many people!

Your neighbour is free to have opinions.
You are free to give absolutely zero weight or importance to your neighbours opinions.
You are also free to put your bins whereever you want to on your property.

Amazon UK has them. Search 'heavy duty gate spring' and 'auto gate latch'.

Dad put them on the gate for our dog too, she'd watch the gate like a hawk and would slip out before you knew it if the gate was left unlatched. He also had remove a cross piece on the gate she was using to jump up and 'scramble' over the gate and finally had to dig a trench under the gate and bury a line of bricks standing on end to keep her from digging under it.

She was a real 'bolter'. Beagle/Fox Terrier cross.

@OpinkIf you don’t use the garage for a car, can you put the bins in there instead?

My wheelie bin is too big to go through the garden gate. I have to leave it just outside and it does look scruffy. Previous owners on our side and next door made it to narrow. Our drive is rather steep and the various things I have bought to hide it have been a disaster.

Theres a difference in what you talk about and the OP leaving her bins at the front

However, if anyone wants to leave a sofa on their own drive or front garden and so on it's up to them.

I wouldnt ever dictate to anyone what they can do in their space even if I wasnt thrilled about it.

You are entitled to keep your bins where you like but I’m glad I don’t live opposite you.

Imagine knocking on someone's door or even approaching them to tell them where they should keep their bins just because they look unsightly lol.
The absolutely stupid fucking things that people moan about amazes me.
Keep your bins wherever it's easier for you and tell your neighbour to stop looking at them if it's getting in his way of living his life and having to come and speak to you about it

again, why moving in an area that attracts you if you are so keen on spoiling it? There are plenty of places with no space for bins, why not settle there?

Bins are not necessary when you have the space to put them out of the way.

Bins outside do look cheap.

can we please stay away from the judgemental ageism?

It all sounds a bit of a faff constructing a bin store and all sorts.

A couple down the street are keeping their three bins in their front garden, when all our houses have plenty of room at the side or the back and they could be stored out of sight. I’m unreasonably annoyed about it, I’ll admit.

They recently constructed some fancy railings at the front of the garden (it was all open to the road previously) but all you can see still through the beautiful and probably very expensive wrought iron railings is their stinky obnoxious black, brown and green bins.

if anyone wants to leave a sofa on their own drive or front garden and so on it's up to them.

but would YOU want to leave in a place where neighbours dump their furniture and rubbish on the front lawn?

especially when you've got room for a pony

no, it makes the garage stink in hot weather, see further up the thread.

I’m not sure when house hunting, top of the priority list for anyone is too ensure there is no option for putting your bins away?

Can you imagine the estate agents spec

Full GCH
Double grazing
Conservatory
Close to schools
No area for bin storage, so good to leave them out the front

🤣🤣

Well its your choice but they have my sympathy.

Hang on a second - you only use the garage for tool storage??? Why don’t you put the bins in the garage!

Son brings them out for bin day and puts them back.

Absolutely unrelated, but consider putting a spring closer on your gate. Absolutely necessary for anyone who has a dog, other than that, park your bins where you blooming well like