anyone have had bad experiances with neigbbors?

Adrian-H · #1 01-05-2007, 08:43 PM

im just wondering if im not the only one out there.

have you had bad experiance with neighbors?

i have had bad experiances with two neighbors, becuase they play there music to loud, during any time even during night time, general sleeping times.

this neighbor i have at the moment plays his music, during the night time, and plays it to loud, that it disturbs sleep. he plays his music practically whenever hes around, it is very disturbing and i see it as an invasion to my privacy and well being, basicly because it is,

i see that he is very inconsiderate not to even think if his music disturbs anyone.

matt · #2 01-05-2007, 08:49 PM

Simple. Call the cops.

There are noise pollution laws. Pure and simple.

The bigger problem might be getting the folk in blue to actually turn up

MortonH · #3 01-05-2007, 10:58 PM

When I lived with my parents in the UK, we got new next-door neighbours. The first thing they did was install an outside light at their back door. For some reason, they mounted in facing sideways towards our house and garden, and then they left it on all night, every night. There was no reasoning with them about it, and of course my parents didn't want to fall out with them about it.

If the same thing happened to me now I'd go round there at 3am with a ladder and a hammer...

RB (Andrew) · #4 01-05-2007, 11:04 PM

Sorry to hear that Adrian.
I can only imagine how annoying that would be.

We've been relatively lucky with good neighbours, but I've heard some horror stories.

Have you tried approaching him about it?

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #5 01-05-2007, 11:40 PM

I guess I'm through putting up with neighbours with loud music, barking dogs and outside lights. I ask them first, and then if they snub me I ...well.. I'm now known as the "neighbour who doesn't take any nonsense". I go straight to the police if I can't get them to stop whatever they're doing, and in the case of barking dogs I go to the council. I really push my rights to them these days and they usually go along with it. I do, however, try diplomacy first.

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #6 01-05-2007, 11:57 PM

I only have one neighbour (such is the luxury of country living) and he has no electricity.
He has a generator running until about 3am every morning while he watches TV. The generator is annoying, but I'm up observing or on the net till about 3am anyway.

Apart from the generator and him being slightly strange, he is OK.

He was against me painting the streetlight black as it was his only light source because it shon in his window. Then I showed him thru my telescope and how the streetlight affects the views, to which he then suggested I put a LOT of black paint on the light

Ric · #7 02-05-2007, 12:26 AM

My back neighbours have two back verandah lights which they leave on all night, I sure it's deliberate. I solved the problem last week when they were away, I jumped the fence and replaced the two 100 watt clear bulbs with two 25 watt pearl and reduced my light problem by 75%. The best bit is that they didnt even notice the difference.

Kee was cracking up on our side, she reckons it's the funniest thing she has seen done in a long while

Cheers

ballaratdragons (Ken) · #8 02-05-2007, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ric

My back neighbours have two back verandah lights which they leave on all night, I sure it's deliberate. I solved the problem last week when they were away, I jumped the fence and replaced the two 100 watt clear bulbs with two 25 watt pearl and reduced my light problem by 75%. The best bit is that they didnt even notice the difference.

Kee was cracking up on our side, she reckons it's the funniest thing she has seen done in a long while

Cheers

bkm2304 (Richard Brown) · #9 02-05-2007, 04:07 PM

I live in Mayfield East in Newcastle and I have one very annoying, filthy, power wasting neighbour who REFUSES to turn the lights off. The wasted power is unbelievable and only at about 3 - 4am does the light dim enough to be half acceptable. I have even written a polite letter about the possibility of turning the lights off after midnight and received no reply whatsoever.

I am not the only complainant. Others are just as annoyed by noise at 3am or cars and even trucks coming and going from the premises.

So expect to expereince the same uncivil and inconsiderate treatment if ever the world's biggest coal loader decides to move into your neighbourhood.

Omaroo (Chris Malikoff) · #10 02-05-2007, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bkm2304

I live in Mayfield East in Newcastle and I have one very annoying, filthy, power wasting neighbour who REFUSES to turn the lights off. The wasted power is unbelievable and only at about 3 - 4am does the light dim enough to be half acceptable. I have even written a polite letter about the possibility of turning the lights off after midnight and received no reply whatsoever.

I am not the only complainant. Others are just as annoyed by noise at 3am or cars and even trucks coming and going from the premises.

So expect to expereince the same uncivil and inconsiderate treatment if ever the world's biggest coal loader decides to move into your neighbourhood.

Throw rocks.....

rogerg (Roger) · #11 02-05-2007, 05:02 PM

I have one neighbour who's hobby is pig hunting. As a result he has a dog that barks at us every time we walk past, unless it's eating a carcus. The dog does shut up eventually. I want to suggest a solid fence (we just have wire fences) but I haven't done that yet. I think he'd take it well. I get along OK with him (perhaps we have the upper hand, as my partner works for the WA DEC department who enforces the fact that pig hunting is illegal, and he knows it).

I have another neighbour who is the only rental in the street. That neighbour is the only one in the street that plays loud music and has "friends" visit that spin their tyres in the street. I overhear discussion about drugs. She has a young kid. I feel sorry for the kid who will have lost part of her hearing already. She turns off the music after 10ish so I won't complain, but wish it wasn't there at all. She is interested in astronomy and has done everything to help prevent light being a problem for me, which I greatly appreciate. I have had unpleasant dealings with the landlord over a boundary retaining wall that is leaning (he seemed to think it'd straighten its self). But that is agreed on in writing now and just has to be actioned. That caused great stress for several months for my partner and myself. I'm still not really over that.

I have a 3rd neighbour who is a charming old bloke that runs an engineering business at home. He's got more heavy engineering equipment than I could remember in his workshop. He is very friendly and offers to machine up absolutely anything I need for my astronomy. We chat generally a lot too. He's interested in astronomy but doesn't actively do any. He's great.

So all in all I don't have it bad, but I do dislike the second mentioned neighbour, which is the one right next to my observatory and I get very stressed over dealings with any neighbours, I hate it. I think that's largely because for the first 26 years of my life I lived on a 10 acre property surrounded by state forest, now I am on half acre with 3 neighbours.

Good luck with your troubles Adrian, I sympathise.

Rodstar (Rod) · #12 02-05-2007, 06:47 PM

My immediate neighbours are very well trained when it comes to my observing. On one side, they have even said to me just bang on their wall if they want any lights off while I am observing, and if they realise I am observing after having turned an external light on, they apologise profusely. I think what has helped them to be so accommodating is that I have let them have some views throught the scope....just as in Ken's example, once they knew what the issue was, they immediately did everything to help.

My view is that it is best to try every conciliatory approach possible first with a neighbour before calling in the authorities. You never know how long your neighbours will be there for....having an ongoing war with the neighbours can make home a miserable trench. I have a number of past clients who will testify to that fact!

Sometimes, however, enough is enough, and there are laws to protect you against what the common law calls a "nuisance". This may be constituted by actual damage, or simply noise, or other things which interfere with your enjoyment of your land.

I recall a very funny episode of Seinfeld where a bright red neon sign was erected on the wall outside Kramer's flat. That would defnintely constitute a "nuisance"!

Since getting my BIG scope, which performs best in the hours before dawn, there is far less light pollution about if I observe at that time. Added to that is the benefit of reduced convection currents in the atmosphere. Sometimes observing at that time can help address the issue of difficult neighbours.

sheeny (Al) · #13 02-05-2007, 06:58 PM

I came home from work in the middle of the day once (when I lived in Newcastle) only to find the neighbour's hose attached to my garden tap and running over the fence filling up the pool!

Needless to say I wasn't too happy, and he was very embarrassed and gave me $50 to pay for the water (how much did he take????

) But relationships were always a bit strained from the on...

As for noise, I could easily be an offender... I have a really nice Denon sound system these days with a great sub-woofer. I do have to be careful with it, as I have occasionally noticed the front fascia rattling when I walk out the front while a movie is playing at volumes that I wouldn't expect that to be the case (and, yes, the fascia is secure!

). I did have one complaint from a neighbour a while ago, and it was a legit complaint - it was later at night than I thought

, but they've since moved...

No complaints from the current neighbours... so far...

But I agree, if noise is a problem, try talking to them first, then call the cops. I appreciate that what I enjoy soundwise can be a problem to others, so do try to avoid the problem. It helps to know if your neighbour works nightshift!

BTW going back a few years, the house next door was a share house with three young blokes in it, one of them I worked with. They used to ask me to turn my stereo (then) up cause they liked my taste in music...

Al.

leon · #14 02-05-2007, 07:20 PM

I have to admit that I have had no problems with neighbours at all, the fellow behind me had a flood light that he would leave on sometimes while i was observing or imaging, however i went around to home one night and explained what i was doing and he couldn't have been more helpful and turned it off immediately.

Now if he knows i'm out side late he either keeps it off, or, if he needs to use it, he makes sure it is as brief as possible.

Leon

matt · #15 02-05-2007, 07:24 PM

This whole question of talking first and then calling the Police is an interesting one.

I'm in two minds which way to go after a friend of mine took my advice and went and spoke first to a few blokes who lived next door about the noise prob all hours of the day and night.

They ignored his requests and continued making all sorts of racket at all hours.

So, after trying the reasonable approach, he then moved to complaining to the Police.

His yobbo neighbours were capable of putting two and two together and figured out he'd called the cops.

I won't go into detail, but it got a whole lot worse before it got better.

He's not so sure that in this instance he shouldn't have just gone anonymously straight to the Police.

My advice - you need to weigh up whether it's worth talking first. If you've got reasonable neighbours who you occasionally talk with, sure.

Astroman (Andrew Wall) · #16 02-05-2007, 08:13 PM

My old neighbor behind us slapped us a bill written on a scrappy piece of paper written in pencil a bill for over $400 to pay for half the fence that he had put up, without consulting us, and before we had even finished building the house. Needless to say, we didn't pay for it and went through mediation to resolve the issue. We were 100% in the right as the fence was put up by him without consulting us first and no forms were filled out too.

We have had other issues with kids throwing rocks and kids in our yard.

sheeny (Al) · #17 02-05-2007, 08:18 PM

Yeah, valid point Matt. It does make a difference what the neighbours are like...

Al.

sheeny (Al) · #18 02-05-2007, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Astroman

We have had other issues with kids throwing rocks and kids in our yard.

Did you keep the kids or throw them back?

Sorry...

Al.

matt · #19 02-05-2007, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheeny

Did you keep the kids or throw them back?

Sorry...

Al.

Yep. Was thinking exactly the same thing, Al.

GrahamL · #20 02-05-2007, 08:34 PM

rough neibourhood eh andrew ?

When I was very young (about 8) I did throw the neibours cat back over the fence .. I walked out back on a cold winters morn and there was blacky stiff as aboard paws in the air . I freaked about him carking in our yard so
thought it best to send him back home.