New neighbours complaining about our toilet

[Amanda98]

We’ve got a new build where one side of our house completely backs on to a neighbours garden - that’s the back wall/boundary of their garden essentially.

Downstairs, we have a toilet with a window which is on the side of the house where that wall is, and has a small window which opens at the top. Their garden is slightly lowered so it isn’t within reaching distance. It’s a fairly odd design but we’ve lived here for years with no issues.

The neighbours have recently changed. In one of the early weeks in April when it was warm, they put a note through the door which asked we keep the window closed when it’s sunny because of the smell. We don’t really open it much anyway so thought nothing of it.

We’ve since had a further note through this week asking it stays closed on Saturday because they are hosting a BBQ for a family members birthday. We also have family over on Saturday and the downstairs loo is the one they’d naturally use.

Are the neighbours being CF? They surely can’t expect us to introduce a rule where we only crap upstairs whenever they say so!

Drainage issue? Do you have a photo?

I wouldn’t dismiss this out of hand, it’s possible they have a point. But I would ask them to come around and discuss this f2f, in order to get the measure of them. You’ll know soon enough if they are nice people who have a genuine problem or just people who think their preferences are paramount.

If you’re going to ask neighbours to change their behaviours, especially in their own property, you ought to at least have the decency to do that in person.

Honestly, I’d ignore them, it’s complete twattery to expect people to keep their toilet window closed. However I’d be very tempted to post a note through their door saying “No”….complete sentence and all that!

I'd really go for it with some huffing and puffing straining sounds in there even if you're not actually letting out a load. Perhaps even involve a whoopee cushion.

Or you could offer to do the equivalent of when people demonstrate a noise level issue with their neighbours. Offer for them to do a shit in your loo while you stand in their back garden to see if you smell it. Bet they won't take up the offer.

Pooing in a downstairs loo (unless it's an emergency) is wild.

Is there a septic tank connection that’s leaking That would cause the smell. Is there some other type of drainage problem? It’s your house so you can use your loo when you want!

Nothing would put me off a house more than having someone else’s downstairs loo window backing on to my seating area in my garden.

Imagine Saturday when they have their BBQ! ‘Pimms anyone? Oh don’t mind that, it’s just Geoff at number 25 dropping his guts. The smell will be gone in a Jiffy. Now where was I? Oh yes, Pimms Jenny?

I rather think they’re embarrassed about the fact that they have a toilet backing onto their garden. They don’t wish their friends to know or stick their noses up at their house. Should have thought about this before they moved in.

I wouldn’t entertain them on this. They’re your windows!

The ‘Eat cabbage curry and operate a whoopee cushion’ replies on here are amusing me, given that a significant proportion of Mners are outraged by any visitor or tradesperson using their loo for anything other than the most genteel of wees, go crazy when their spouse uses the en suite, and claim to be completely incapable of moving their bowels at work or anywhere other than at home. Obviously, the OP’s loo is not in their neighbour’s house, but I would have thought more Mners would have sympathised with the neighbours if they are, in fact, continually subjected to smells and full sound effects through the window when they’re barbecuing.

How aggressive are you?
They are not “cunts” for not wanting to eat in their own garden to the accompaniment of smells of shite.
Op’s loo window should never have been designed to open into someone else’s garden.

suggest for the duration of the BBQ you leave the window open, and take turns going in for a poo - or at the very least a good fart- and regular flushes, maybe every 15mins.

wholly agree with the Friday night curry and beers suggestion….

None of my toilets smell. What are you doing in there?
Do you have two tpilets? I would be inclined to use another toilet for big poos, if I thought the small was a major issue.

It’s a terrible design flaw. But they need a bamboo screen rather than curtailing you.

Get an extractor fan fitted so that you can vent your toilet even with the window closed.

Problem solved!

Send them a message back to say that you have a serious bowel condition which requires you to run to the toilet at short notice and if you need to open your bowels you have no time to go upstairs.Also say that you are too short to open the window and a relative has to open it when they visit monthly , and they aren't coming to shut it for a month.
Then have a big hot curry and some laxatives Friday night.
Also throw stink bombs out the window.

This tickled me... like really really tickled me 😂

Grow up.

If you think or know someone in the family has had/is doing a crap, you and your OH could go and stand outside and see if it really is smelly outside. That way, you'd know if their request is fair.

The window opens into the neighbours garden…

Our bathroom window is currently open (upstairs) and there are kids playing in the garden below - I will close the window before using the loo in this scenario, I don't understand why people are so hostile!

Unless there is an issue with the drains (which shutting the window won't help) i suspect this isn't really about smells. They don't want their guests to hear sounds of pissing, plopping and flushing while sitting in their garden eating bbq food. But too prissy to state the actual issue and hence just referring to "the smell".

I admit we have a no shit rule for our downstairs toilet because it's right next to the kitchen/diner (though youngest often "forgets").

Could stick a radio in the WC that could be turned on when someone is making noise.

How smelly are your dumps? 💩 Also, is their bbq going to be right under the window because I know I’d feel really weird going for a poo with strangers a few feet away.

As a one off request for the bbq I’d probably be ok with it but it would be a firm no for every summer day. They bought the house knowing that your house backed onto it so tough doo doos (pun intended)

Haha
You can smell his arse down the street is what I meant
He's known for it-its his all vegetable diet mixed in with a bit of that beanfeast stuff