Have you ever had the misfortune to live next door to bad neighbours?!
I must confess: I’ve certainly lived next door to a few interesting folk over the years …
Bad Neighbours Awards #1
There were the neighbours whose preschool kids thought my house was simply part of their yard. They would come running THROUGH my house – from the front door right through to the back. This was long before we had kids ourselves. Needless to say, security screens and a fence became an immediate priority!
Bad Neighbours Awards #2
Another set of neighbours seemed nice enough, until we discovered his habit of drinking to excess on the weekends. He would then sit out on their front verandah, amusing himself by wolf whistling and yelling obscenities – which would be bad enough at any time of the day. But this particular fellow liked to do it at two or three in the morning!
Bad Neighbours Awards #3
In our last house, the neighbours planted fast-growing trees along the fence line which blocked our water views. I’m sure it wasn’t deliberate, but it was still annoying!
Bad Neighbours Awards #4
Then there was the time our neighbours wanted to shift the fence – which was in perfect condition – to sit on the correct boundary line. It had been erected, long before either of us moved there, so that we had a bit of their land in the front, and they had a bit of ours at the rear. Really not worth bothering about unless you’ve got more money than sense – which they must have had, because they ended up paying for it to be done.
Bad Neighbours Awards #5
I got to thinking about bad neighbours, after some new people shifted in next door a couple of weeks ago. We were glad when the last lot moved out – that had two yappy little dogs. I couldn’t even set foot in my own backyard without them going off. At least the owners were pleasant and did their best to keep their pets quiet.
Bad Neighbours Awards #6
So back to these new neighbours …
We quickly discovered they like to sit on their pergola to smoke and talk loudly ALL THE TIME. I’m talking from 6am to midnight most days!
Unfortunately the smoke then drifts straight into our yard and house – and our bedroom and my study are right next to their pergola – which means we can no longer open our windows 🙁 .
UPDATE 25.02.17: It’s coming up to 3 years now with this smoky, smelly bunch.
We had hoped it was just while they settled in, and that they would return to work but we have since realised they are retired. We also hoped that as they are only renting, they would soon move on.
We have had to call the police a number of times when they have been making a racket after midnight.
I’ve left a polite note in their mailbox explaining that their pergola is right next to my office and our bedroom, and that we can hear every word of their conversations, and would they mind keeping it down?
And there also might have been some shouting over the fence a time or two (not by me!) … plus we have tried to talk to the agency they rent through, only to be told they are “good tenants” … ummm not if you have to live next door to them, trust me!
Nowadays we have air conditioning installed in our bedroom and my office which helps with both the smoke and blocking out their noise, even if it costs money to run it’s worth it!
What about you? Could you give out a few Bad Neighbours Awards too?!
Lisa (@lybliss) says
Oh hell yes! Our next door neighbour is a nice enough guy, but he was going out with (and fathered two children with) an absolute scrubber. She’d get drunk and they’d fight. He’d be heading of to a early morning shift at 4.30am and she’d be on the front porch calling him a man whore.. charming ! All outside our children’s bedroom windows. My 5 year old could use the C-word in a perfect context ! Alas the police couldn’t do much as they were on their own property and he owns the house. The cops were at their house so often we didn’t even bother looking when they pulled up out the front of our house. Thankfully after 6 years of it, they’d ended the romance ( for what it was) and she only drops by occasionally to scream obscenities from the driveway.
Now we have a yappy dog over the back fence but I’d far prefer that to the other rubbish
Janet Camilleri says
Actually you’ve just reminded me, I lived next to a couple like this way back when I was flatting, except it was her 3 year old that would then stand on their balcony shouting obscenities at everybody!
Rebecca says
Oh yes I could…. I cringe when I think of them. Luckily, I have only had 1 set – I feel for you!
Bec x
Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me says
I meant to say last week that I LOVE your new logo, it’s very you! Well done lovely. Our neighbours suck because they have big bamboo that hang over our fence and clog up our pool!!
Janet Camilleri says
Oh yes, I didn’t mention the joys of overhanging palm fronds etc – too annoying …
Bec @ The Plumbette says
All of our neighbors have been great thankfully! You’ve had some really interesting ones hey?!
Janet Camilleri says
They’ve been interesting – could have been a lot worse I’m sure!
Kirsty @ My Home Truths says
Our neighbour at our last house was plain odd. Seemed friendly enough when we first moved in but then kept coming over to ask guests to move their cars to mow his lawn anytime we had anyone over – coincidence? I think not!
Janet Camilleri says
Definitely not coincidence, a work colleague had a neighbour that did exactly that!
Ness says
We’ve actually been extremely lucky in regards to neighbours. In fact, the elderly couple whom we lived next door to years ago still ring us every year on our anniversary to wish us a happy one. And we have good neighbours here. I’m almost afraid to move in case our luck runs out!
Janet Camilleri says
You are blessed! We’ve had some good neighbours but it’s funny how the bad ones stand out so much more in your memory!
Kathy Marris says
Oh we have had some shockers in our time! We had the continually nagging wife of a poor down trodden man who whined and whinged in an extremely loud whiney voice from sun up to sundown. We had the pot smoking losers who swore at their little kids. We had the ‘yuppies’ that loved to entertain on the weekends to the extent that our house vibrated in time with their loud music. Please don’t get me started – I could go on and on!
Janet Camilleri says
Yes neighbours (or people in general) who swear or scream at their kids really make me cringe.
Tegan says
I live in an area that has about 15 housing commission houses so I have definitely had my fair share of interesting neighbours. When I first moved in there was an old biker on one side who was a really nice guy…I just wish he would put pants on before he came to the fence to say hello (at least he had underwear on!). Right now though I have one house that is terrible. They pull fence palings off, their kids used to pinch Mr 5’s toys and the police were there at least once a week. Just last week I had police in my backyard because a wanted person was hiding in their house!
Janet Camilleri says
Crikey that all sounds a bit scary Tegan!
Melissa @ All Around Oz says
Oh I could write a book on our last lot of bad neighbours. Abusive, bullying, thieves! Their kids harassed and bullied our kids so much that they couldn’t even play outside. Called them retards and p***f** amongst other things! We moved because of them. Much quieter where we are now.
Janet Camilleri says
That sounds awful Melissa. As ours our only renting, we’ve been hoping they’ll move on but they look pretty settled so looks like we might be the ones moving. Did you see the story on A Current Affair this week of Lamborghini Joe? Just thankful I don’t have HIM as a neighbour!!
Melissa @ All Around Oz says
No I missed that. If I watch any current affairs it’s usually The Project.
AofV says
We’ve had our fair share. At one house (which we owned) 3 out of 4 were a nightmare. The alcoholic who liked loud music and whose patio was under our bedroom window, the family across the road who liked VERY loud Greek music, and the ones behind who were scamming the disability welfare system and thought they should tell us how to live our lives. We sold that one to build our dream home. Our Darwin house has a neighbour running a business who tells her customers to park on our property because she says it ‘belongs to the crown’. When we ask her customers to move their cars off our property they abuse us. But then there’s a whole lot of strange about that one. Our current neighbours are pretty good, but yes smoke on their patio so we have to keep the windows shut on that side.
Janet Camilleri says
It probably wouldn’t be so annoying except I am at home pretty much all the time. Some people are just so inconsiderate!
Victoria says
Sounds pretty rough for everyone here and you Janet. We currently have a pair of screaming children who frequent their pool 3 times a day to scream and a Dad with an annoying voice which he uses to try and control them. Lucky winter is coming!
Janet Camilleri says
Yes I’m longing for winter too though not quite for the same reasons!
Kooky Chic says
We had a neighbor drill poison into a tree once which killed it pretty quickly. The reason behind it all, he couldn’t see into our backyard. Creepy.
Janet Camilleri says
I’ve heard of people doing this to get a water view, but yes, this is definitely creepy!