Hell is a terraced house with a hot tub, bar and outdoor tv.

[SorbetSarnie]

Or more accurately, hell is what I'm going through living next door to this abominable set up.

Family from hell moved in not that long ago. Drunken pot smoking father who attended a house party in the mid 90's and apparently never left, a wife who to be fair seems like she's lost the will to live or smile, and an assortment of teenagers who like to invite all their mates round and shout about dildos and cumming in people's eyes.

The garden has slowly morphed into something resembling a butlins, which is fairly impressive as we all only have narrow postage stamp gardens. It started with a hot tub, progressed to an outdoor bar, and has culminated this weekend in some sort of wooden shack thing made of fences with a tin roof, housing an outdoor television.

The second the sun comes out it is thumping tunes ALL day, which to be fair sometimes gets turned down a little at 11 pm. Unfortunately tonight it has now been replaced by some shitty action movie being loudly played in the garden, as the family members converse in their usual dulcet yells. Must have affected their hearing with all that drum and bass.

Yes, we have tried talking to them. The father seemed to indicate through grunts that he had understood my attempt at communication with a primitive life form, however we were then treated to angle grinding in the street regularly for a few nights, as he loudly complained about the 'stuck up bitch next door' and proclaimed that I'd be 'having that'.

No, I currently can't move. I'm working on it but realistically not going to be any time soon. I'd imagine the house would be a hard sell at the moment too, most prospective owners would run a mile.

I guess I just wanted to rant, I'm so tired. I've actually found myself on the brink of tears a few times tonight, mainly from frustration. They went away last week and it was wonderful. The entire estate was practically silent, just the usual buzz of every day life going on made me really appreciate just what loud obnoxious bastards they are.

I had something similar with my neighbours, I realised the other day its all gone silent for the last few weeks, I spoke to another neighbour and they told me there had been so many complaints that if the family have one more complaint in regard to their anti social behaviour they will be evicted. I only made one noise complaint, but all the other neighbours who were affected had been doing the same so there had been a fair few made, I was asked to make a log of all the times the loud music was played until the early hours, and so it seems were the other neighbours.

God posts like this make me absolutely dread the day my elderly neighbours on both sides decide to sell up. Even though we are in a detached, the thought of an outdoor bar or hot tub and especially a TV makes me feel physically sick!!! I have every sympathy for you OP.

Sounds as though their shack with tv isn’t that weatherproof so hopefully a couple of rainstorms will wipe it out.
Shit neighbours are one of the most stressful things possible. Massive sympathy.

Op if you really can’t move house, and I am assuming you can’t. How about sound proofing your house, and putting in air conditioning?

We viewed a house that was close to a very busy noisy road, and could not hear a single thing. Sound proofing these days is excellent.

I am so sorry they sound awful, I hope you are managing to get some sleep now.

There is just no excuse for such poor behaviour. It will catch up with them in some form or another, but for now we only have one day of very hot weather left, and then it is going to rain. So you are spared too much of this!

I feel your pain. I had nightmare neighbours above me who owned their flat. I was advised to keep a note and dates and times of all the noise and bullying issues, but the local authority didn't help me at all really. In the end, the only thing I could do to solve it was move. Sorry you are going through this. It's the worst.

Get a diary and write in every single what they do ,and what time
Then get the email of the noise control at the council ..or whoever you need to complain to ,and complain every single day .
If they harass you report to police and complain to council about that .
You can't be the only neighbours they are annoying,others must be complaining to

I’d make sure to be super noisy in the early morning

🤣🤣🤣

Sorry you are not at all being unreasonable, it sounds like absolute hell. Ignore my vote - it's clicked the wrong one, sticky phone - thanks kids - so ignore that vote!!!! It won’t let me change. Mumsnet. Like other posters have said council anti social behaviour, I know you don’t want to stir the pot but who can realistically live next to all of that? To be in tears, it’s obviously affecting you. Worst case scenario as a temporary thing. Could you rent yours out and rent yourself somewhere else? Sending hugs, ear plugs, 10ft fences, wayward sprinklers …until
then xx

Same here only it wasn’t the selling up, it was more the permanent kind of exit. New neighbours moved in a few months ago and so far, so good!

My neighbours have this exact set up. But although they are sometimes loud, they are not ducks about it. And fortunately I share their taste in music.

I couldn’t stand it .I’d get together with the neighbours and drive them out . It’s one of the reasons people are so against new housing where i am , it’s not the houses it’s who’s likely to go in them creating exactly what you’re described .

Oh god I pressed the wrong button- you are NOT being unreasonable/ I have similar neighbours but in an estate where there are a quad of gardens backing onto each other and the buildings seem to trap the noise- anyway the only thing you should feel fortunate you dont have yet is a pair of idiot cockapoos that bark constantly in an ear splitting high pitch at every leaf or bird or breeze.
i fear for you though, your neighbours sound exactly the sort to get idiot cockapoos ☹️

How well do you get on with your other neighbours? Could you approach them, all keep a log/recordings and all complain?

If you can't beat em, join em.

Get a hot tub, get a TV. Crank it up.

See how long they cope with competing TV noises and hot tub noises when they are trying to watch something different.

Feign horror and shock at the very idea that it could bother the neighbours.

I really feel for you, OP. That's my worst nightmare. I think outdoor TVs and loud music etc should be illegal unless you live somewhere miles from anyone. I'm really (over?)sensitive to noise and even hearing someone's quiet radio in the garden puts me on edge. I bought a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and play sea sounds, or wind in the trees or countryside noises if I want to sit in the garden and read. What do your other neighbours think of the situation?

Unfortunately, I think that would just start a war you couldn't win and the neighbours would probably enjoy the battle.

They sound dreadful. One of the worst things is having an awful neighbour move next door to your personal space. I'd try the council with a noise complaint and then follow up with the police if he gets personal with you when he inevitably gets the noise complaint notice through the post.

I have no real advice but:
'The father seemed to indicate through grunts that he had understood my attempt at communication with a primitive life form'
This has made my day! It describes perfectly the kind of people you are dealing with.
I am a very early riser, I got up at 5.30am today so if any of my neighbours want to be loud into the night they better be prepared for me to be the same first thing in the morning, I suspect it is more annoying with a hangover......

Agreed. Being detached doesn’t shield you from outside noise. We’re surrounded on three sides and two of them like a social gathering - thankfully not very often, and it’s loud. Enough to struggle to sleep with windows open.

I lived next door to people very similar to OPs neighbours and no one was interested. They were openly drug dealing, loud house music all night, every night. Fighting, screaming - id ring the police and they’d say they would try to come out, but then never did. They would commiserate with me on the phone though 🤦🏻‍♀️. They’d also harass me going in and out of my house.

i moved away as fortunately it was rented and found out later the main person had died of a drug overdose, another family member also died and they moved out. Hopefully the neighbours now live in peace.

I'd just like to add that comments like 'they sound like council house tenants' are unkind, unhelpful, unnecessary and just plain snobby.

I wasn't being serious.

She's already in a war she can't win anyway.

I really feel for you OP that must be an awful way to be living, especially during the summer when you want to enjoy your garden.

When we moved a few years ago we didn’t even bother viewing a property when we arrived, the neighbours opposite had a sign swinging from their front porch saying “no one leaves here sober” no thanks. Can just imagine what it would have been like living there, I could guess why they were moving.

Please keep reporting to Environmental Health - that's what they're there for. I've lived next door to similar and people like that only understand a form of communication similar to their own. Try:

Bluetooth speaker and search youtube for 'annoy neighbours' music.

Stink spray

Set your house alarm off on purpose

Completely lose your temper at them (they may label you as the crazy woman but they will be careful not to cross you in future)

Randomly let off an air horn close to their windows

Sorry Op, but this did make me laugh

Drunken pot smoking father who attended a house party in the mid 90's and apparently never left,

They sound like a living nightmare. I am all for people enjoying their garden but this is so extreme and antisocial that it is a mental health hazard.

With dysfunctional people like this though, reasoning of any kind just won't work.

It has already been asked, but if they are renters you can surely complain to council, HA etc.

Not point of thread, but you write really well.