Neighbours complaining about noisy dc in garden

[Xmasinthegarden]

We got the dc (8 and 5) a lot of presents for the garden (mud kitchen , outdoor toys, football/goals basketball hoop etc) they both have AuDHD and need to let off steam in the fresh air.

They were in the garden 10-1. Then back out again after lunch 230-430.

We had had a text from the neighbours at 115pm saying ‘we have guests today and would appreciate a little less noise from the garden thanks’ which I ignored but when the dc went back out at 230pm we had them knocking and telling us that they have family there and some are quite elderly and want peace and quiet and their niece has a newborn and all the commotion from our garden is very irritating as they are trying to relax in their conservatory. I said that the dc were not being that noisy and they wouldn’t be out there past 430 anyway. They said if this happens again tomorrow they will file a ‘noise complaint’ and may call the police!

The dc were just playing, not screaming or fighting. Just running about. Some ball bouncing yes but nothing terrible. They play out pretty much every day and this hasn’t been an issue before ? The neighbours moved in Feb this year so obviously it’s their first Xmas here but they would have known our dc play out a lot ?

They have text now with a ‘gentle reminder - tomorrow needs to be a calm peaceful day. Thanks for your cooperation’ wtf !!!

AIBU to ignore this ? We are home in the morning them leaving at 1230 to see my parents so if the dc play in the garden it wont be for that long just 2/3 hours in the morning.

This just proves that your NDNs are fucking pedantic cunts.

I hope you gave them their tat back and say it wasnt needed or welcomed.

Patronising cunty neighbours. And CF's at that too. Ignore and let your kids play how THEY want in THEIR garden.

I didn’t see any “arguments” from you, just a nonsense silly comment. As I said, the law in this country judges your views to be unreasonable and what the OP is doing to be perfectly reasonable and normal. Perhaps you should reflect on why that is the case.

@HelplessSoul wow I bet you are a lovely and considerate neighbour.

I have no problem with the sound of kids playing, it's part and parcel of living near other people. Basketball in a back garden is just antisocial and I'm sure the posters who think it's a problem have never had to put up with it.

Really? Strikes me more as neighbours at their wits end with the noise. Parents can have a real blind spot as to how loud/rude their kids are. Same with owners of yappy dogs.

They sound a bit bonkers or totally socially inept (again, this is coming from someone autistic!!). I suppose at least they tried to do something to make up for their horrendous messages yesterday, perhaps having reflected and realised how unreasonable they were being and trying to offer and “olive branch”.

You don’t want to get into a dispute with neighbours, even though they’re completely in the wrong here, so I would take this as a gesture of apology from people who aren’t capable of actually using the word “sorry” (amazing how many of them there are around!). You’ve been extremely kind with what you offered to do to help them out today and I hope they are suitably grateful, have learned from this and now feel embarrassed about their inappropriate messages yesterday and will not bother you again.

You dealt with this very graciously by not retaliating to the idiotic messages sent to you yesterday. Let’s hope the gift is meant to indicate that they’ve learned from this unnecessary stress they have created and their unreasonable behaviour won’t be repeated.

It is silly to talk about the law. Who mentioned the law? It will be:
the council, and also
the consequences.

The very reasonable neighbours have reached their limit and asked for a peaceful day. One day. The op was so beyond entitled she has decided to tell them to fuck off. I expect the very reasonable neighbours may no longer be very reasonable neighbours. Just as many people on this thread have suggested. If you buy an attached home, or even a detached home in a neighbourhood, you need to be mindful of your neighbours.

The op’s justification for selfish behaviour is getting her children to sleep at night. Id be thinking about what exactly my children need to sleep at night and what my neighbours might be able to do to prevent that if provoked beyond what is reasonable.

Sometimes you need to think your actions through.

Eh?
I thought it sounded like a good compromise.
This thread is very clearly split berween parents who don't seem to "hear" just how noisy their children are and those who are ultra sensitive to the noise that children make.

There is a middle ground.
Given that the neighbours haven't complained before I'm inclined to think that the OP's children were extra noisy yesterday.

Talk about stretching the truth eh.

CF NDNs only moved there in Feb. Wits end? LOL

Also, if they dont like the noise when sat in their conservatory, they can you know, fuck off back inside?

SMH.

So your neighbours had some bubble wands just hanging about the house at the ready or have been out to the shop already on Boxing Day to buy them
yikes

Don't you sound delightful

Dear God. Stop. You have completely read this wrong. They are giving the boys something quiet to play with. This is not an apology for their very reasonable message yesterday. It is them showing the op that she can be easily be more considerate.

@Xmasinthegarden Have you removed the balls from the garden as well as ordered sponge ones? The balls are the issue.

Yep completely agree with this.

total arseholes

Totally disagree with this.

You can the people on here who would be shit neighbours to have. If you buy a house with neighbours you should be considerate. Even if the law says your DC can play noisily outside doesn’t mean you should let them do this for hours on end. Trampolines and basket ball hoops are not really designed for suburban gardens where the constant bounce or thump noises are extremely annoying.

It’s a bit like mowing your lawn, legally you can mow your lawn at 7am but most normal people would be considerate to their neighbours and mow later

I think them coming round with the bubble wands and mentioning the ball shows it’s the ball thudding which is an issue. Which ties in with them never having a problem before yesterday. Though odd that they happened to have a couple of bubble wands lying around.

like others have said balls thudding are a particularly annoying thing. Hopefully the new foam ball will help.

If neighbours had have you DC/baby staying with them maybe they had some bubble wands for them, or they came in crackers or from visiting Father Christmas etc

Local shops can be open early too

Now that you know that it's the balls that are annoying them, I hope you've removed them. I can't blame the neighbours for being upset, it's extremely irritating to listen to balls bouncing and thudding off walls and pavement.

I'm glad you've ordered the sponge balls instead and you've let them know this in order to put their minds at rest. It's hard to relax when you think noise that puts your nerves on edge is going to start up any minute!

Better to try and work with your neighbours so that everyone is happy.
Ignore the posters here telling you to do whatever you like and to hell with the neighbours-that attitude is awful and if you act in such an entitled manner it will only lead to stress and tension with your neighbours.

As you're so fond of swearing - fucking entitled people who think they can make as much noise as they like for as many hours as they like, day in day out and not give a shit about neighbours.

I long for the days when people had actual consideration for each other. Much better days.

Let them play.
i understand your neighbours frustrations but I’m sure a little background music on their end would drone out the noise.
I get its annoying from their perspective but it’s to be expected in a residential area. If they want silence then move to a house with no neighbours.
Your respectful of times. Your children aren’t out overly early or late so they just need to suck it up.

Check your spleen before it bursts.

The OP's kids were not in a battle for the Worlds Nosiest Children Outdoors contest, nor were they out there for hours on end.

But dont let facts get in the way....

What? The Council is the body that applies the law in the case and decides if something constitutes a valid noise complaint or not.

In this case it does not, as the thread describes in detail including posts from someone who works in noise enforcement for a Council!

What a ridiculous post.

I hope you used the bubble wands they kindly gave your kids

or keep them in this am. Play with indoor presents they got

They don’t need to be outside for 3hrs

if you feel they do to burn off energy then take them for a long walk in a dog free place if need be

or where dogs have to be on leads

They are prob thinking /dreading the next 10 days till kids go back on the 5th if they are going to be outside all day making noise

I was trying to give the OP a positive perspective and giving the neighbours the benefit of the doubt that they may have come to their senses and are embarrassed about their behaviour.

Perhaps they’re more rational than you and they have done so.

If not, then they can knock themselves out making spurious noise complaints about completely normal activity in a residential area and be laughed at by Council staff, while also registering a “neighbour dispute” against their property which will: 1) make it less valuable; 2) make any potential buyer in future very wary of dealing with them because the details will be disclosed and show they are totally unreasonable people you would not be wanting to deal with during a house sale; 3) will have no effect whatsoever because children playing in their garden during the day does not constitute nuisance noise in law because it’s perfectly reasonable and in such cases it is the complainant who is automatically found to be unreasonable, so the complaint will be dismissed immediately; and 4) if the neighbours continue such behaviour the OP can report them to the police for harassment, which is actually a crime and of which she has already gathered significant evidence that would be pertinent, were this harassing behaviour to continue further.

This is the legal position, whether you like it or not, therefore this is what society judges to be reasonable, implicitly therefore judging your position as the completely unreasonable one. Let’s hope her neighbours have more sense.