To dislike my renovating neighbours

[Neighbourseverybody]

Mid terrace house in a semi gentrified neighbourhood of north London. I expect noise and I get noise. Neighbours one side have a kid who we call Jimmy Page. He plays the guitar from dawn till dusk and he’s relatively tuneful so hey whatever. Neighbours other side have a yappy AF little dog. What you going to do?

Neighbours THREE doors away bought their house off an elderly couple 3 years ago. Bank of mum and dad gen z geezers who work in marketing and talk about “Glasto” but didn’t know who was playing. So I think they’re big time charlies but whatever good luck to them. Talk of floating fireplaces, a gym and a basement. Ok it’s another house on our street doing a side return and a loft I figure. It’s going to be 6 months of skips and noise I figure. 2 1/2 years of renovations later they haven’t been home once and live off site in a house belonging to one of their parents. I know that has a smack of jealousy. Their builders live on site and have been the whole time on a building site with no bathroom or running water as they took the entire back off the house and every floor out and dug out a basement. The builders have no English and I suspect would fall into modern slavery territory given they’re camping in the garden and seem scared of the foreman. There are cracks in my wall appearing but I haven’t got a party wall as I’m 3 homes away but they’ve taken every floor out. Their builders have been sitting on our roofs smoking, walking along them all like mary poppins. Ulitities and satellite tv have been knocked out for periods. Builders block three parking spaces with bins for deliveries. They don’t care - they’re away, the best one being they were in the Maldives when I texted about men on my roof. I work from home and they work all hours drilling and smashing out of council hours. When I complain to them they apologise that they’re not home so can’t do anything.i probably should’ve escalated it to the council but I mainly want it to be over so I haven’t.

They say they’re moving back next month. Allegedly. I’d guess 4 more months as I’m a construction project manager funnily enough. They’ve had two kids in the time they’ve been away: that’s how long we’ve endured this. They’re excited to move back according to their messages. I just feel intense irritation at their excitement. I don’t want to be friendly. I think they’re idiots and selfish. AIBU to tell them that they are the worst project managers and most selfish idiots? Maybe I hold that thought in my head to be neighbourly as I’ll have to live next to them for years and we have a nice little street. The people with the yappy dog are the neighbours nearest and they’re getting compensation for using their garden so they think it’s great they’re being paid. Maybe that’s just terraced house life. I’ve made my (factual moderate tone) points to them repeatedly on text (they don’t answer the phone). Shall I tell them they’re idiots or just be relived when it ends.

If you genuinely suspect modern slavery, why haven’t you reported it to the police?

Report the fact you think its slavery

I’m glad your not my neighbour

I'd be speaking with the police regarding suspicions of slavery and to the council with concerns over out of hours working/walking on the roof/cracks appearing etc to ensure they have all the necessary planning/approvals/agreements in place to do the work being undertaken. Have you checked your local planning portal to view the plans, to ensure they match with what you can see being done?

Have you spoken with any other neighbours to determine if they are also getting cracks in their properties as a result of the excavations?

You'll get some hare because honestly you do sound jealous.

But the real issue is the cracks.
Have you spoken to houses 1 and 2 (the in-between ones?)

I'd be focused on that not their Maldives holidays

Report the slavery you suspect, it's not hard to do. For the sake of those embroiled in it, you have to.

The rest of it - apart from the cracks in the walls - sounds like unmitigated jealousy.

I don't think you're jealous. I think you're identifying the problem with entitled twats. Of course, you want to be neighbourly, however, they're going to continue to be entitled twats once they move in. And that's the bit you haven't really identified, you talk of relief once it's all over, but it's not going to be over is it?

This. Absolutely disgusting that you haven't, you only care about cracks in your walls. These are people not property.

so much irrelevant info in OP.

key Q:

Did they get planning permission for all this work?
are they in breach of building regs?
wtf are they doing on your roof?
find out the relevant parts of the council and report. Folllow the process.

If you hadn't said north London, I would have thought this was a couple I know in SW London! The same bank of mum and dad, living rent-free in parents' house while building work is being done, several holidays, glasto etc. These ones have one child, not two.

Anyway I don't think you're being unreasonable. The one positive is that as everything is getting done in one go, there'll be no further building work for a while when this is finally over.

Yeah. I can't get past this either ... There are men scared of somebody & living on a building site not fit for housing them. Figure out what language they speak & email there embassy at least so they can get in touch with somebody if necessary.

Sounds like the siblings/cousins. Haha

This! Come on OP.

I have sympathy for the rest of the situation but if you have not / do not report the slavery aspect then you’re not a decent human being.

What a nasty post. Is it an exercise in how much you can criticise everyone on your street? You missed out ‘smashed avocado’ BTW.

A lot of spiteful words to say ‘I think the builders are victims of modern slavery and they’re causing cracks in my walls’. Nothing else needed.

If you genuinely suspect modern slavery and it's not just exaggeration for effect you need to report it.

I would be furious about the cracks and the people on my roof too. I would also be concerned corned for the safety and well being of these men. Please report, report, report. Report the modern slavery concerns. Report to HSE. Report to the council. At least that way you have done everything in your power to safeguard these individuals.