AIBU to think life was MUCH better when your neighbours didn't have constant access to you?

[SuperTropics]

I need some clarity because I am going flipping mad.

Moved into a new home earlier this year, having some building work done and my builders were being arses when I wasn't around. I knocked on a few doors to apologise and one of the neighbours mentioned there was a street WhatsApp group.

I was immediately sceptical (I like my privacy!) but wanted to apologise to the street without going door to door so asked to join.

What. A. Fucking. Mistake.

The group is full of busybodies taking pictures of "dodgy look men" (read black or brown), cars parked on the street in-front of their houses (this is London!) and other absolute crap.

The moment my building work is done I intend to leave, I know this will ruffle feathers but I'd rather dirty looks in the street then seeing 60+ messages in the morning about "what was that loud noise at 22.20???" or "can anyone borrow me a car permit for my guest?"

AIBU to think that life was so much better when your neighbours didn't have your mobile phone number/constant access to you?

If you want me, knock on my door!

None of my neighbours have my number. I offered it to next door when we were trying to sort out some fence issues and they said no thanks, we'll just see you about or knock on the door. Which was fine with me tbh.

None of my neighbours have my mobile number. Fuck that.

Come off the WhatsApp group maybe?
I dont know if we have one or not.

Im not interested. I dont know the names of my neighbours and I've liked on my street for 38 years.

Just mute the group and chill out 😎

You sound a nightmare. If you don’t want to be in the street WA group, just remove yourself and get on with your life.

My husband is in our WhatsApp group for our neighbourhood, I refuse to join it, feck that. I like when there’s a bit of drama and he fills me in on it but I couldn’t stick listening to Mary from number 3 whinging about teenagers on the corner etc

No street what’s app group here! Have not exchanged numbers either. Say hello and chat if needed but that’s it!

We have a neighbour WhatsApp and it’s only used for parcels if anyone is out and bbqs. It works well. No one uses it for anything else. I feel like we’re all on the same wavelength.

Sounds awful! I think I’d mute it and ignore, I definitely wouldn’t be getting involved.

My neighbors don't have my phone number and I don't have theirs. I do wonder what would happen if the house burnt down while we were on holiday (or some less dramatic emergency) as none of them would be able to contact us.

Just mute the WhatsApp group. That's what I've done with a few groups that are tedious but might be useful at some point.

Don’t even know my neighbours names, certainly don’t have their phone numbers and I wouldn’t be joining a street WhatsApp group - sounds like a school class WhatsApp but worse. We knock on each other’s doors for serious issues (fence down or the time a trampoline scaled the garden wall and ended up two houses away) and otherwise we leave each other alone, which is how we like it.

Just leave or mute the group. I wouldn’t be apologising to a whole street about the behaviour of tradesmen either.

Sounds terrible. I have all my neighbour's numbers and we have a street BBQ every year. I'm very lucky!

I have lived on My street for 25 years. I don’t have the number of any neighbour and have the SM friendship of 1 through Slimming Works. Nothing else.

I've lived in my street for 30 years as have many of my neighbours. We don't have a street WhatsApp and I don't have anyone's mobile number. If I need to ask them about anything I knock on their door but I can go months without seeing or speaking to them and that's how I like it.

Why did you go on the WhatsApp in the first place? Just leave the group, no one will care.

I have never heard of anyone having a WhatsApp group with their neighbours. I’d just leave it if I were you.

Mute it and ignore.

you don’t have to read it

Get yourself off the group!
someone set one up for our little street during Covid and it had its uses but dried up a few years ago.
I do have the numbers for the neighbours who live a few doors down because we became friends - we had kids the same ages at the same school when we moved in and they’ve been a constant source of neighbourly support ever since. And I’d like to think it works both ways! We’ll hang out and have bbqs a few times during the summer and they come to us in the evening of Christmas Day for buffet and drinks.
Other than that we know the neighbours to say hello to etc but that’s about it.
Remove yourself from the group OP.

Are you the poor buggers at the end of this behaviour...

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5428983-new-neighbours-dont-want-to-know?page=13&reply=147918268

At least these nutcases sound helpful every now and again 😂

Mine have "naice" aspirations with nasty intentions!

I think you're right, why bother wait!? Thank you!

My last estate and the one prior was like this. My teenage kids decided to throw a party behind my back when I’d gone away. Fuck me the WhatsApp was terrible! I left the WA group and never looked back. Loads of streets are like this sadly.

You really are, definitely in the minority it seems!

I joined to apologise for my builders behaviour but no good deed goes unpunished!

Wish I'd have just been a ignorant git and ignored them all from the beginning @Buxusmortus 😂

We don’t have a neighbour WhatsApp but there is a Facebook page and my god. Some people do need to get a life. Recently someone point blank took pictures of a bin that was raided by foxes and said ‘neighbour from number whatever come clean this up’. Ok… well if you know the door number then go and knock on the door? wtf

I have never been to any what's apps like that. Not even on the school one. Nowhere where the people are strangers to me. Definitely never given my number to a neighbour. One lady gave her mine but I gave her the landline and took the plug of the phone off for 90% of the time and would plug it in each evening and listen to messages.