I have upset my neighbour by complaining about them putting their bins in my garden. I’d like some wisdom. Apologies for the long post.
I live in part of the way along a terrace. About a third of the way up our back gardens a path runs across and is an easement providing a right of way for the gardens of some of my neighbours.
At the edge of the path nearest my house is a hedge running parallel to the path. On the other side of the path is a low fence. Looking out from my house there is a gate in the hedge and in the fence at one side. The path is about 3 feet wide though gap between the hedge and fence is a bit wider.
The neighbour on the side opposite the side where the gates are (ie of the gates are towards the left hand side of my property, I refer to the neighbour on the right hand side) recently put up a fence and gate across the path [that does not block my use of the path to the public highway].
Recently my next door neighbour started leaving their wheelie bins in the space between the hedge and fence, on the path on my side of the gate that they had constructed. As I understand it that they are leaving their bins in the easement right of way.
I suggested to them recently that they should not be leaving their bins there. I pointed out that it was a right of way and not a storage area. They said something about them being behind the hedge. I suggested that it blocked the right of way and that it blocked the right of way – and that it blocked me should I wish to do work on the hedge. They said something about moving their bins.
A couple of nights later they knocked on my door and asked if they could leave their bins their till some work was done on part of their garden. I wasn’t thinking and said yes. Afterwards I thought that where they are leaving their bins is a right of way, and I do not have the right to say that they can leave their bins their – even if I didn’t object.
The reasons I object is that their bins detract from my garden and where they put the bins is one of the places I like to view my garden from – not including the fact that it is a right of way and not a storage area.
A couple of nights later I knocked on my neighbours door and said that their bins should not be there. They said that they were good neighbours [they were getting some people building decking to take down a useable shed form their garden and take it to a dump – I asked if I could have the shed instead – they agreed] now they point out that they gave me a shed, gave me wine after they had borrowed [with my consent] garden tools (I hadn’t asked for anything in return for the loan or even hinted that I would like something), and that they were kind and helpful, and that they had pointed out that the bins would be removed by Christmas, and I was complaining about something trivial. If they had to move the bins then they would think I was unreasonable and “were being an areshole” and they were somewhat annoyed.
Now I have the situation that my neighbours have fallen out with me cause I asked them to move the bins. I am puzzled as to why they could not leave their bins in another part of their garden while the work was being carried out. And if they were “good kind neighbours” then I would have thought they would move the bins if they were aware of how I felt [though that might be different if they felt that I was being petty]
So some questions – was I unreasonable? What do I do to repair relations (I suspect it is better to have neighbours on speaking terms than not – we have a common front path, so I will bump into them regularly)