AIBU to think our neighbours' pool and garden noise is excessive?

[Foxy200]

I’m really trying to be fair and not overreact, but the situation with our new neighbours is starting to affect our ability to enjoy our own home.

They’ve installed a pool, with the heater right on our boundary, and it runs constantly at around 50 decibels in our garden. It’s not just a faint background hum, it’s loud enough that we can clearly hear it inside the house, even with the windows shut.

They also have a young son who plays football most days. I completely understand children playing (we’ve never had an issue with normal family noise and have kids between the ages of 12 and 7) ), but this can go on for long stretches (around 3 hours today), with the goal set up right next to our patio despite them having a large garden. So we get a constant thudding against the fence, again loud enough to hear from inside.

The main issue is weekends. Last year they entertained every single weekend. Families over, lots of children in the pool, which in itself is fine, but the overall noise level is extreme. It’s not just children playing; it’s also adults shouting and screaming.

If this was occasional, we’d just accept it as part of life. But it was every weekend, all day, often into the evening, and sometimes as late as 11pm or beyond.

I honestly can’t overstate how loud it is, at times it feels like living next to a holiday resort rather than in a quiet village. Today it’s already the same: hours of football right next to where we sit, plus people over and constant shouting.

We live in a quiet village and other neighbours (including those with children and pools) are nothing like this, which makes it feel particularly intrusive.
Last summer we barely used our garden at all because of it, and even being inside the house didn’t escape the noise. I really don’t want a repeat of that this year.

So… am I being unreasonable, or does this cross into excessive? And how would you handle it ?

It sounds excessive but I don't think there is anything you can do about it. In your situation I would be looking to move.

Yeah, you need to move.

Sell your house in winter?

I'd probably plant lleylandi or something along the boundary but it's only going to have a minimal effect on the noise. I think unfortunately you need to move.

Presumably you’ve spoken to them about the pool heater to see if it can be re-sited?

Outrageous that you are expected to move! Plant fast growing, over hanging, multiple dropping trees etc. then see what happens.

But first try finding a way they can hear what you are experiencing at full
volume. Are there other neighbours having the same issues that you can recruit? Speak to local noise officers.

i’m so sorry you are experiencing this. Surely your long standing residency in the area without issue must stand for something.

Who's fence is it? Yours? I'd be leaning over and painting it with anti climb paint.

Omg that's so annoying

I’m sorry that you’re going through this. Some people are oblivious to how annoying they are or just really inconsiderate. Having a similar issue with a neighbours hot tub. It’s so loud and they are talking very loudly with music being played loud every night.

Sympathies. My neighbours basketball hoop and screaming (and I mean full on high pitched screaming during fun play) kids made me move.

Would a pool without planning permission be OK? I'm not sure, worth checking.

Noise complaints need records and times over a period, and if stopping by 11pm I doubt there is much you can do.

Does the pool have a cover? Lob a bag of bird seed over... Or bath bombs.

We haven't spoken to them yet, just trying to get a sense of whether we are being unreasonable, what do others experience. We have never had this situation before, but had an elderly couple there before and they were super quiet.

Unfortunately we can't afford the stamp duty to move

That sounds unbearable to me and I would be putting my house on the market later in the year, but just a word of caution. If you decide to move, try not to get into a dispute with them as that has to be declared and could jeopardise any sale.

@Foxy200 how big are your gardens?

We have a pool which is next to boundary with neighbour, but their garden is huge so they don’t have to sit directly the other side of the fence.

I've been thought vaguely similar with neighbours noise and also a noisy pump machine thing from neighbours renovating.

-If you can speak to the neighbours firstly it 'might' help
-Check your councils noise pollution info and what times are considered unacceptable
-Start a noise diary
-Install a free decibel counter on your phone and measure the pump noise from say 1,2, 3m away and record
-Do you know any of the neighbours either side of their property who might also being affected by the noise? Speak to them too.
-If no change, complain to the council with supporting evidence and ideally with other neighbours on side and also complaining.

Environmental health, should give you a noise app to download and log the level of noise. Then take it from there. The heater alone should get them on board.

It sounds awful OP. We have some (much less significant) issues with our most recently moved in neighbours and over time it's really chipped away at my mental health. Sounds daft so some I'm sure but the constant noise is so wearing and I find I'm on edge expecting it. We are prepping the house for sale.

I don't think it would be unreasonable at all to speak to them based on what you say, it seems excessive and intrusive as well as antisocial late at night - but with that being said these things rarely go well. I'm sure they already know they are making noise and can be heard, and likely just don't overly care.

Speak to them

If they are dicks and wont meet you half way....
Research carefully and plant THE most annoying trees (think shedding)
Poplar or willow (fast growing and huge amounts of shedding)

I'm in the play stupid games win stupid prizes camp.

If they want to inconvenience you inconvenience them right back.

You should hopefully be able to do something about the noise from the heater. I live somewhere a lot of people have pools (Aus) and the usual solution to pump/heater noise is to put equipment in a noise proof cupboard. I would talk to your neighbours and explain the noise thing and hopefully they will deal with it without having to resort to Council as any dispute will have to be declared if you do decide to sell at a later stage. Kids bouncing balls off the fence, similarly a friendly “ can they not do that” is the best way to start.

Ultimately though you might just need to adjust to the fact that you no longer have quiet neighbours but noisy ones. Most kids’ noise will not be termed unreasonable and unless it is late at night having friends around is unlikely to hit the threshold of unreasonable noise. This is one of the reasons we are so reluctant to move from a house that will soon be too big for us - I know noisy neighbours would drive me nuts.

I would speak to the council about what is an acceptable noise level.

At the very least I suspect the neighbours may need to put a noise reducing box around the heater - our neighbours were required to do that for their air con outdoor unit.

The repeatedly kicked ball and social life, not sure. You might be able to argue it’s a statutory nuisance but depends how often and how loud.

It sounds miserable. To give you some hope though, our neighbours were similar but have quietened down as the kids got older and maybe the novelty of house/pool parties wore off. It has taken a few years though.

be careful of willow, the roots go under your house..

I'd try to speak to them initially. If there wasn't any improvement it would be through asbo route.
They might be oblivious they bought in a quiet residential street and realise their mistakes and move.

Unfortunately the council will probably come back and say that this is acceptable noise within normal docestc hours. Unless it is noisy DIY or after 11 pm they are unlikely to be doing anything wrong so far as the law is concerned.

Like one poster upthread I am reluctant to move from my 3 bedroom detached although there is only me here. I use one bedroom as an office and one as a storeroom for my business. The small area between my house and next door shuts off the noise of the grandchildren playing in the garden.