Semi detached house - neighbours children in our garden!

[CrazyAboutFurBabies]

I wasn’t sure where to post this to be completely honest but I couldn’t find a category that was appropriate!

We have been living in our home for 2 years now, it’s Freehold. We have a large garden out front that is also next doors (by this I mean there is no fence/trees etc in between to distinguish who’s is who’s) only our title plan shows that our half is ours and their half is theirs. (Theirs is a council house)

The children next door (she has 5 kids who range from 8 to 16, 4 are comprehensive age boys who are very boisterous with terrible attitudes) use our garden to play football on and use it to walk across to get to places when they could just use their own?!

Am I being unreasonable to be pissed off at this? Hubby says ‘aw they are not doing any harm’ (our living room window is on the front of our house so we can constantly see and hear them back and forth)

I want to bloody run to b&q and put a fence up without causing any trouble! (For context we are doing a renovation so can’t afford this right now it was our next years plan to start on the garden) But it is OUR front garden after all! But would you say anything in the meantime or am I being a grumpy cow??

Yes I think that posters have just latched onto the fact you mentioned it's a council property and assumed that was code for ~Those Kinds Of People Who [insert shit stereotypes here] ~ because, well, stigma towards social tenants is rife.

Just put a bloody fence up if it bothers you.

https://www.therange.co.uk/garden/fencing-and-landscaping/garden-edging/picket-fence-edging?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=22263799643-&utm_content=174801041226-&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22263799643&gbraid=0AAAAADFuktwvKkQf8RlFe7VaqYNe6bgaO&gclid=Cj0KCQjww-HABhCGARIsALLO6XxHNHoA1riLYWYKJxOUZ4ryASOvRK8RU3vcU7f_jgi0p9EetB6gOsMaAqq9EALw_wcB#106499

The range & home bargains are selling these small picket fences for £5 each at the moment, it will create a boundary in the short term? You could plant some plants your side of the picket too… short term solution.

What do you mean, regarding the trees in her garden that you were cutting back, "even though none were hers."
Were they in your garden or hers?

Check if there is a covenant on the property that prohibits fencing between the gardens. If there isn't, you could just put up a low fence, which shouldn't be very expensive. If there is a covenant or restriction, perhaps you could put something free-standing along the boundary instead, e.g. some large wooden planter troughs or some big, heavy plant pots. It might not completely stop them coming over onto your side but it would make it clear where the boundary is.

im open plan front garden, had kids on bikes and scooters over my frontlawn daily drove us and our dog mad. try b and q black metal posts stick in and fence that links together, never had a problem since, get asked a lot where i got it from,

I really don't think that this sort of fence will deter kids of that age playing in the OP's garden, it's too small, they'll just jump over it.

I think you will need to put some sort of wire fencing down the middle of the gardens, to a height of at least 2 feet OP, and then plant a row of hedging on your side of it. It would probably be worth investing in either conifers, (as long as you keep them well trimmed, as conifers don't like major cutting back), or laurel, which grows quickly, is evergreen, and you can grow it to any height you want. However, if you want it thick enough to deter kids, you'd be best advised to trim them regularly for the first few years so that they thicken up. If you're not allowed a proper fence, then put some prickly roses or similar in, which will put the kids off of forcing their way through.

I think you might need to prioritise the fence in order to keep your sanity , and stop neighbourly relations deteriorating.

There might be a height limit within a certain proximity to the road, so check your local planning regulations. I’d put the highest fence you can just in your side of the boundary, then plant a fast growing, spiky evergreen hedge on your side of the fence to cushion any thuds from footballs etc.

If you’re growing a hedge, the fence doesn’t need to be pretty.

@BakelikeBertha your post appeared as I posted!

Fence. No boundary I couldn't get too upset about kids playing

Yes they are. It’s likely to be in the neighbour tenancy agreement that they shouldn’t cause nuisance to other neighbours. Neighbour disputes are one of the biggest complaints that Council Housing teams deal with. I used to manage an ASB team

I grew up in a council house in the 70;s and all the fronts were open. Not one single kid played on anyone else's property, be it rented or subsequently owned. It's called 'respect' for others.
I don't think it's worth talking to the neighbours, the parents obviously don't care or they'd have spoken to their kids already.
The only way is a fence or large planters. Plants or flowers on their own will get trampled.

I can , I read a thread once where someone was surprised that NHS workers paid tax and into their pensions as they thought that public sector workers didn’t pay tax . I’m never surprised by how dense some people are .

As PPs have said, you need a physical barrier - whether a fence, planters or start a hedge.

You can do it very cheaply - I'm not the best at DIY but I put one up between me and my neighbours 'shared' front garden when I got my dog, to keep him safe. I used cheap trellis between posts I hammered into the ground. Did the job and looked ok, then I upgraded to a more solid wooden fence after a couple of years.

They sound awful, sorry you have shitty neighbours.

Sorry I think a fence is the only option to stop it, even then you’ll find balls going over to your side. Least a fence makes it clear it’s your garden. I reckon if you just dig a boarder they’ll trample over it, destroying anything you plant.

A fence sounds a priority to me.

Get a sprinkler set to the side so it only sprays your half of the lawn and a remote controller for it!

Could your DH do a simple feather edge fence, posts and concrete. Otherwise I’d put up with it, purely as playing children are unlikely to respect can imaginary boundary line.

Thanks! I will have a look and yes my dogs go mad too!

Social housing is a prerequisite of new housing developments. You literally can’t get away from it if you huy a new build.

It’s worth checking your deeds to see if you are allowed to erect a fence at the front. We are definitely not allowed in our road.

Her kids have been taken away before? If that's right I think it's really harsh to be pissed off with them playing.It sounds like a patch of grass and it doesn't sound like you've ever asked the kids not to? It sounds like it's assumed to be a communal area and no one has ever corrected it.

We have the same layout and we have similar to this, look around you can do it for less than £100

We found putting our sprinkler on to water the garden stopped them coming in.