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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Difficult neighbours

6 replies

Allisnotlost1 · 11/06/2025 22:11

Throwaway username so I don’t doxx myself.

I live in a victorian terrace, so I expect to be able to hear the neighbours sometimes - and vice versa. The gardens are all quite small and most of us have dogs, so it can get quite noisy. I’m not averse to that and I’m not immune from making noise myself - everyone yells at the telly/partner/kids at some time.

my neighbours both sides are nice people, I get on with them. However on one side, they are overcrowded - two adults, two older teenage boys who seem to have friends stay over, a mid-teen a primary aged boy. So it’s noisy. The littlest one is often awake until 11pm and I can hear them all running up and down the stairs, the door banging and shouting. Just family noises, but it’s every day and night. The mum works in a school, one of the older boys is in college and works, the younger kids are at school, so there’s usually at least one adult at home. They also have at least four dogs, a cat, reptiles and at some points have bred rabbits. One of their dogs jumps up at my fence which drives my dogs mad. Their house stinks. You can smell it at the front door, it wafts into my back garden when their doors are open and into my house when it’s windy as it comes through the floorboards. They have a growing pile of broken furniture and plastic bags on their front door and they never open their door for a delivery. Even the postman apologises when he knocks. I work from home a few days a week so have often taken parcels. They usually ignore the card for several days and don’t answer when I knock so they’re sometimes stacked in my house. I’ve stopped taking things since they had live insects delivered which I assume were frozen and began moving as they thawed.

As I’m writing this I’m realising what a nightmare they sound. Anyway, that’s my reason for the thread. AIBU to expect more consideration for others and - more importantly - what (if anything) can I do to get them to move all the shit off their front garden, clean their stinking house and shut the fuck up occasionally.

OP posts:
Lmnop22 · 11/06/2025 22:32

I fully sympathise with you and agree they should be more considerate.

But honestly, the answer is nothing. You can’t make them keep their house or garden clean and you can’t make them be more respectful and quiet in the home. Doesn’t sound like a conversation about any of these issues would be fruitful and will likely just add to the situation and cause a scene/deliberate acts of annoyance.

Cross your fingers and hope the older boys move out ASAP.

Shesellsseashellsnotinmystreet · 11/06/2025 22:35

Contact the environmental health about the rubbish. Risk of rats.
Sounds grim.
When we had noisey ndn we used to play a radio to mask the din..

DramaQueenlady · 11/06/2025 22:42

If you're on your own, could you try head phones, play music through them it's shuts out alot. Ear defenders too

Bollihobs · 11/06/2025 23:26

The noise is trickier to solve but the questionable hygiene in the house and the rubbish in the front garden are definitely things that can be reported to your local council/Environmental Health.

"If a neighbour's rubbish is creating a nuisance, such as attracting vermin or causing a smell, you can report it to Environmental Health. Environmental Health will investigate and may require the neighbour to remove the rubbish. If the neighbour does not comply, Environmental Health can take further action, including issuing a legal notice or even removing the rubbish themselves and charging the cost to the neighbour."

Allisnotlost1 · 12/06/2025 17:41

Lmnop22 · 11/06/2025 22:32

I fully sympathise with you and agree they should be more considerate.

But honestly, the answer is nothing. You can’t make them keep their house or garden clean and you can’t make them be more respectful and quiet in the home. Doesn’t sound like a conversation about any of these issues would be fruitful and will likely just add to the situation and cause a scene/deliberate acts of annoyance.

Cross your fingers and hope the older boys move out ASAP.

Thanks, I know you’re right - I think I just needed to write it down! I’m not super hopeful of them moving out but you never know. I have offered to help them with the garden rubbish - when taking my own to the tip, for example - but don’t know that reporting it to EH will help.

OP posts:
Allisnotlost1 · 12/06/2025 17:43

Bollihobs · 11/06/2025 23:26

The noise is trickier to solve but the questionable hygiene in the house and the rubbish in the front garden are definitely things that can be reported to your local council/Environmental Health.

"If a neighbour's rubbish is creating a nuisance, such as attracting vermin or causing a smell, you can report it to Environmental Health. Environmental Health will investigate and may require the neighbour to remove the rubbish. If the neighbour does not comply, Environmental Health can take further action, including issuing a legal notice or even removing the rubbish themselves and charging the cost to the neighbour."

Edited

Thanks - I did see this sort of phrasing when I googled but it’s not clear from my local council how in contact them. They seem to suggest environmental health is only interested if there is evidence of a pest problem. I’ll look again.

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