Neighbours child bouncing tennis ball against side of my house

[Louey82]

Hi
Im after some advice to see if anyone else has had success with approaching neighbours regarding bouncing ball against wall of house.
I had an extension built last year and the neighbours who can see it, at end of their garden, have never been happy with the finish of it. It’s beige smooth render.I paid extra to have coloured render rather than painted to avoid disruption to them going in every few years to paint,and building control have ruled it a ‘non-issue’, basically the neighbours are moaning for no reason. I’ve met with them several times,each time have left when they started shouting,and now their children have started throwing a tennis ball against the wall, to further damage the render.
Any ideas on how to resolve this would be appreciated please,I live by myself and tbh have had enough of it. Emails have been sent verging on harassment,a solicitor has read them, however I’d like to nip this tennis ball thing in the bud.

Well until I got further down your post I was going to say just go and talk to the parents but thats probably not a great idea.

Did they object to the extension at planning approval stage? Is it specifically the render or the actual extension they have a problem with?

I don’t have any legal advice, only sympathy that you have to live next to horrible people. You might find that the ball bouncing stops by itself when children go back to school in around a week. Kids are always more annoying at the end of the holidays so hopefully it’s just that.

Yeah that’s what walls are for to children: to bounce balls off.

Are the balls going into your garden? If they're bouncing the balls back to themselves then how close to thier garden is your extension?

Is there any border between the building and the property boundary?

If so, id put a trellis on the wall, or even better, grow something protective like a pyracantha (if I was evil) or something slow growing if access or maintenance is an issue. Anything to make it less enticing to bounce.

If it's built bang up to the boundary then no easy answers, although as it's the back of a garden I'd chance the trellis, just make sure you don't swap one ball bouncing problem for a climbing up on the roof one! Trellis should just support the plant weight, or even just have wire.

I would tell the kids to stop, every time they do it.

Yes they objected to the extension pre planning and several times during it being built. What they look at now is the same as before the work was done only closer. It hasn’t blocked any light etc
and has improved privacy for them. The render isn’t the best finish, the builder won’t come back and access is only through their garden,I can’t see the wall. They wanted £2.5k payment for scaffolding to go up when the work was being done,there was no way around putting scaffold anywhere else as it was on the boundary wall.
Appreciate your comments,I’ll give it till end of holidays and I’d still persisting,email them

How can they touch the wall of your extension, is it forming part of the fence because its right on the boundary line? So if they brought the fence in to block it they'd lose some land?

Unfortunately sounds like you've made an enemy for life there OP so there is no way the parents are going to help you stop the kids bouncing the ball.

Does the wall of the extension now form the boundary between your properties?

Diagram please

Did your scaffolding end up in thier garden and did you pay them for the inconvenience?

Why did you need the extension anyway if you're living alone. Anything that needs fixing or looking at then you'll need access through thier garden, I can see why they're pissed off tbh.

The extension was built to accommodate family members who were due to move in and sadly didn’t.
The end of their garden is the length of my garage anyway so access would’ve been needed anyway should maintenance be needed (Access to Neighbouring Land Act 1992).
And yes,they were paid for scaffolding to be on their side.

Guess you’ll have to suck it up OP ….kid will lose interest in time…..and winters on it way

If I've understood this properly, you've built right up to the boundary? Tbh you were lucky they agreed to let you put the scaffolding in their garden and have access. I don't think they had to. It was a mistake to build right up to the boundary line, such that you can't even access for maintenance without being on their land. What if they want to put something in their garden which is in the way of your being able to access the back of the extension?

Can you not get the back wall rebuilt so it's fully in your land with enough space to put a fence behind? Failing that, interior soundproofing?

Typical victim blaming

Don't let it continue, tell them to stop it and that it is private property

How long has it been going on?

I'm guessing that in this situation, the neighbours probably think of themselves as being the victim - they've objected numerous times but still had a plain beige render building plonked right at the boundary. During the building they had scaffolding put in the garden - great when you've got kids - and tradesmen aren't known for their ability to avoid damaging plants etc and tidying up brilliantly behind them.

If there was a fence there before the kid probably kicked a ball off the fence. Now there's a wall so they're bouncing a ball off the wall.

OP's problem is how to protect the wall without enraging the neighbours. The law being on her side won't make the neighbours less annoyed. I would suggest taking a penny floater round for the kids (very soft, lightweight football) which won't damage the render or offering to put Trellis etc up for them, although if it's going in their garden they might decline.

It’s rather unclear who is the “victim” in this scenario…. I wouldn’t fancy being the neighbour or their kids given the building works, scaffolding, building right on their boundary etc. Doesn’t sound like there was much give and take on either side, so the neighbours will now have little sympathy with complaints.

I don't think that there is much you can do OP.

I would just be hoping they don't put a shed against the wall with a roof that drains back that might cause damp but again I think that there is nothing you can do.

For your own mental health don't dwell on things you can't control.

I think possibly you are now hyper focused on this wall.

If you can't see it - would it matter if the neighbours painted it any colour they choose?

Honestly, she's not going to bounce all day forever. I think it's ignorable in the grand scheme.

I’d ignore it. It’s what kids do and from the sounds of it if they find out it’s bothering you, they’ll do it more. They clearly hate what you’ve done.

God this would drive me mad OP so I sympathise. I doubt the intention is to damage the render, it’s probably just fun, although agree the parents aren’t going to ask child to stop given the history.

All I can think of is that you try and plant something that will grow up it - something self suckering like Virginia Creeper or ivy - you’ll have to plant the roots at the end of your extension and hope it grows round the side you can’t see . A wall with leaves all over is less good to bounce against and looks nicer too.