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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think my neighbour's Halloween decorations epitomise how abusurd their setup is? (Pic attached)

140 replies

Carla786 · 07/11/2025 21:59

My 'next-door neighbours' have still not moved in, 3 years after they claimed to be arriving in their forever home. There's been a recurrent pattern with the house next to me where it gets redone by the latest buyer, elaborately & noisily & then gets sold on. No one has ever lived there for much longer than a year. (We suspect there is some kind of property-trading ring going on : our house was bought by my grandmother's parents in the 30s when prices were lower, but obvs have skyrocketed since. It seems criminal when there are so many people waiting for homes. Several other houses on the street are the same, it feels a bit ghost-town & def not neighbourly)
It was the same with this neighbour. They did heavy building works for a new basement & granny flat, among other big changes -noisy & very dusty, which was bad for several of our family who have asthma. Not to mention that I was doing my A levels then . And these are still nowhere near complete 3 years after they started. They haven't moved in : OK, it's not finished yet, but I suspect they'll follow the same pattern as previous owners.
But ofc they wanted to put these lovely decorations up, at the house they've never yet lived in & probably won't- and they're still up today.
My mother sent the pic (I'm at uni)- she's a bit of a conspiracy theorist & thinks the gravestone messages are a threat. I definitely don't go that far, though it feels bad taste. I love Halloween but have never liked gravestone decor, esp as the local cemetery is round the corner & we often visit my grandfather's grave.
MN verdict? Are the neighbours CFs, with this as the icing on the cake? Or are we overreacting?

TLDR : Neighbours who have taken 3 years to move in due to noisy dusty building work for a supposed forever home have decided to put up gravestones on the front lawn of a house they've never lived in and probably never will. Gravestones went up before Halloween & are still here today.

To think my neighbour's Halloween decorations epitomise how abusurd their setup is?  (Pic attached)
OP posts:
Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:03

NB : I should probably have put a note saying the post is needed for context. I agree the picture alone is not unreasonable.

OP posts:
UnhappyHobbit · 07/11/2025 22:07

I think you are overreacting. And possible too invested in what your neighbours are doing.

toadinthebucket · 07/11/2025 22:09

What's a property trading ring?

Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:09

UnhappyHobbit · 07/11/2025 22:07

I think you are overreacting. And possible too invested in what your neighbours are doing.

Hmm..is it too much to expect the neighbours 'dream house extension' to not take 3 years? The Halloween thing is really just annoyance at the ridiculousness of them bothering to put gravestones & skeletons up for an 'ideal family home' they'll probably never move into.

OP posts:
Greggsit · 07/11/2025 22:11

I can't see what they're doing wrong. You said they are actively working in the house, but it's not livable yet. Surely it's a good thing that they are going to the trouble if putting up decorations?

Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:12

toadinthebucket · 07/11/2025 22:09

What's a property trading ring?

Well that's my mother's opinion more..I don't personally think it's a ring. I do think it's weird & wrong that most people on the street essentially buy up houses, develop them noisily & extensively, then sell them on to people who repeat this cycle & never actually live in the houses, or at best very sporadically. We barely have any actual neighbours, just temporary developers.

OP posts:
Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:14

Greggsit · 07/11/2025 22:11

I can't see what they're doing wrong. You said they are actively working in the house, but it's not livable yet. Surely it's a good thing that they are going to the trouble if putting up decorations?

If it were like that, I wouldn't mind really. It's more that I think it's ironic given that I suspect they're not planning to ever move in (I mean, if you did want a dream home, wouldn't you move in a bit earlier and prioritise that over extension, granny flat, basement etc?). A big thing they spoke about when they introduced themselves was that they had an 8yo daughter, so we hoped this lot would be different and actually want a family home, but this seems less likely.

OP posts:
Flannelfeet · 07/11/2025 22:15

Its a Friday night, you're at uni, why are you not out getting pissed with your friends and enjoying yourself?. I was in a local shop today and the owner still had a velvet pumpkin in the window with silver sparkling spider webs, i told her it was gorgeous, she said I really need to take it away now but I love it too! Keep it there all year.

Maybe the new neighbours love that skeleton and gravestone? You never know. 👻

AmIthatSpringy · 07/11/2025 22:16

what a strange thread

Flannelfeet · 07/11/2025 22:17

AmIthatSpringy · 07/11/2025 22:16

what a strange thread

How bizarre 🎶

Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:18

Will reply later on, have some stuff to do now. I stress that the issue is with overall behaviour, it's not just griping about gravestones.

OP posts:
Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:19

Also, as I've said I love Halloween decorations, though not keen on gravestones- skeleton's fine imo.
It's the context that's the issue, not just the decorations.

OP posts:
JipJup · 07/11/2025 22:24

They're probably winding up the nose-pokes next door.

Slinkyminky22 · 07/11/2025 22:25

I think you need to find something to do.

Sparklesandspandexgallore · 07/11/2025 22:26

I actually think the decorations should come down. Halloween is one day and that is the 31st October.
Are you saying that these people live elsewhere op? If so I don’t understand why they have put decorations up at a house nobody lives. Surely this is encouraging trick or treaters.
As for renovating and then moving, seems odd unless they are property developers. Seem odd that it keeks happening to the same house too. Surely you get to a point where you can’t keep renovating.

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 07/11/2025 22:27

Looks like me on after night of clubbing back in my much younger day.🤣

Flannelfeet · 07/11/2025 22:29

JipJup · 07/11/2025 22:24

They're probably winding up the nose-pokes next door.

🤣. Ive been thinking the same..my name is Michael Payne and I am a nosey neighbour. Curtain twitching nosey buggers!! Ive still got a pumpkin sat out my front door, bet im getting spoken about by the pricks that live next door to me 😬. Oh well, i don't give 2 🖕. 😂

PInkyStarfish · 07/11/2025 22:32

Crikey! In the nicest possible way you need to get a life! You have a very weird fixation on your neighbours and having an obsession like this is not healthy.

youalright · 07/11/2025 22:32

You sound ridiculous. Firstly how do the Halloween decorations effect you. Secondly how does dust in a completely seperate property effect your asthma. Thirdly how does it effect you if they move in or not.

Flannelfeet · 07/11/2025 22:33

PInkyStarfish · 07/11/2025 22:32

Crikey! In the nicest possible way you need to get a life! You have a very weird fixation on your neighbours and having an obsession like this is not healthy.

Especially when she could be going out and getting rat arsed on a Friday night!! 😆 🤣 😂

Flannelfeet · 07/11/2025 22:38

youalright · 07/11/2025 22:32

You sound ridiculous. Firstly how do the Halloween decorations effect you. Secondly how does dust in a completely seperate property effect your asthma. Thirdly how does it effect you if they move in or not.

They have had the house for generations, maybe she is scared that the haunting in her house has been passed to the house next door and thats why the dislike of skeletons and gravestones have came from? 🎶insert dracula tune🎶 muhahaha

lifeonmars100 · 07/11/2025 22:42

I've still got my light up mercury glass pumpkin shining away in my fireplace, it is really pretty so I am going to keep it there and then mingle it in with the my Christmas lights

Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:44

Sparklesandspandexgallore · 07/11/2025 22:26

I actually think the decorations should come down. Halloween is one day and that is the 31st October.
Are you saying that these people live elsewhere op? If so I don’t understand why they have put decorations up at a house nobody lives. Surely this is encouraging trick or treaters.
As for renovating and then moving, seems odd unless they are property developers. Seem odd that it keeks happening to the same house too. Surely you get to a point where you can’t keep renovating.

Thank you! Lots of posts seem to be missing these points & just thinking I'm a Halloween Scrooge .

It is very odd. But that's what's happening....I hope it'll change some day. When my mum was growing up in the 70s the street was just a normal one. It's dad the community feel hasn't been there for a long time.

OP posts:
Carla786 · 07/11/2025 22:46

youalright · 07/11/2025 22:32

You sound ridiculous. Firstly how do the Halloween decorations effect you. Secondly how does dust in a completely seperate property effect your asthma. Thirdly how does it effect you if they move in or not.

There was colossal pile of rubble left in the back garden for months . There was also very noisy drilling in the front garden. I don't know why it's weird to say that living next to huge building site wouldn't affect asthma sufferers. It definitely did.

OP posts:
Flannelfeet · 07/11/2025 22:47

lifeonmars100 · 07/11/2025 22:42

I've still got my light up mercury glass pumpkin shining away in my fireplace, it is really pretty so I am going to keep it there and then mingle it in with the my Christmas lights

I love to hear that!! 👍. Im a bit more of a fancy skull collector, i have loads and keep them out all year, also crystals everywhere and different unusual things that are more suited to Halloween. ❤️