There's nothing I can do about screaming children is there?

[loveka]

I feel broken atvthe moment by trying to sell my house for a new life in another part of the country. We have had 2 sales fall through on exchange.

We now have new neighbours next door but one. They throw their children out in the front garden , shut the door, then ignore them for 5 hours. The children are 2, 6 and 10. They scream and scream at the top of their lungs. They fight and cry. I have never heard anything like it. We can't hear each other speak, can hear then in every room of the house, we can't sit in our own garden it's SO loud. At the weekends they are joined by up to 10 friends. It's like being next to a school playground.

We are never going to be able to sell our house now. Their garden is at the front of the house, nothing at the back. So it's the first thing viewers will hear and see as they approach. Our Estate Agent pushes the peace and quiet angle in the blurb, and it did used to be so quiet as we ate not on a road and surrounded by fields.

We are putting in a tall fence, which will block off a beautiful view (was a selling point) and will try to speak to them. But as it's summer the children will want to be outside I'm sure.

I should have been in my new life for a month now, running a new business and starting afresh. I can't believe that yet another thing has come along to stop it happening.

Just wanted to say that you have my sympathy. We are in a kind of similar situation - sold our house and it fell through the day before exchange. Both houses near to ours were empty but now have new tenants, so our road looks so busy littered with cars now and one of the families are really loud.

If it's as bad as you say, can you go round and have a word? Do you have other neighbours who are also pissed off with it? Otherwise, I would start to log days/times when the kids don't tend to be there and try to arrange viewings around that.

Um, can you wait until winter to try and sell when the screaming children will hopefully be inside or at least in school?

The fighting and crying I would be ringing non urgent police and suggest you have concerns. .
Or Ss. .

I'm afraid I agree with Justhadmyhaircut, a 2 year old left unattended and ignored for 5 hours? I would be inclined to contact ss as well. Hope you get things sorted.

View only during school hours.

I was also going to say this doesn't sound like appropriate child care to me. Can you start to log a few days and times the children are outside, including a note of any adverse weather conditions (are they out in the hot sun without hats and access to drinks for long periods etc) and talk to SS?

This makes me sad. Poor babies :(

Alternatively, befriend the family and take their kids out for ice cream when the estate agent comes round to do viewings?

Make a referral to children services it certainly doesn't sound good.

Is it owned or rented? Contact the agent and complain if rented

My friend is a social worker so I have asked her. The 2 year old I guess is being 'minded' by his older brother. The parents are in the house, they just don't tell them to be quiet. They don't seem to care about the amount of noise at all. I have seen the 6 year old hurt the 2 year old though which concerns me, but I can imagine the response I'll get if I tell them this.

Unfortunately our next door neighbour is their landlord. He won't do anything as it took him 9 months to rent it out, mainly because it's so expensive for what it is. Neither of the parents work, so I assume they are on housing benefit. He won't want to rock the boat.

We were thinking of a noise reducing fence. Has anyone any experience of these?

landlords can be held liable for tenant behaviour, and this is well beyond normal child noise.

if one child is hurting a todller due to this appalling parenting, is there no hope that social services would be interested?

So in June there are are children who should be at school who are outside get ss involved.
Blocking a view, I have houses with lovely views I have never considered them
When buying as you can't buy the view.

July even are you in Scotland?

Keep going out and telling them to pipe down. Every time you hear a child being hurt go and knock the door and tell the parent that you saw their child getting hurt and they should check he is ok. Keep doing it. Become a pain in their arse to the extent that it is easier for them to either supervise them properly or keep them inside.