Would you say something?

[The sooper nanny]

Hey there

Im having a small issue with our neighbours. WE are living in a duplex so our houses are very close. The teenage son next door who isnt an adult yet smokes drugs, has parties and is generally noisy, which I tolerate..

Now they have set up a skating ramp outside their front door which echoes through our house and especially to where katelyn sleeps. They do jumps up ramps and its bang, bang, bang... sounds like construction work. It occasionaly wakes katelyn but not often and they seem to do it after school, which is often when I want to sleep, several times Ive had to go without :sleeping:

My issue is, do I say something to the parents and risk causing problems...(who are very nice) do I go out in my pyjamas with a screaming baby and tell them to stop and look like a mad woman?? They are respectful with the times they are doing it but he knows we have a newborn and I think its very intrusive and selfish... or is that just me? :detective:

[Angroc]

It sounds to me like they are intruding on your personal space, even if it is only with noise. Do his parents know he is smoking drugs?
I would make an annomous complaint to your landlord or the body corporate and let them know what is going on. Maybe have a chat to his parents first though and let them know that you have some concerns about noise.
We had a similar problem with neighbours sons over the back revving their motorbike engines EVERY night between 6 and 7pm when DD was going to bed. I told them I didnt mind the noise, but if they could do it a bit earlier I would appreciate it. Thankfully they were ok with it and the parents werent even aware of it happening and the boys now do their motorbike thing between 4 and 5.

[iMischa]

tough situation shaz... i used to live in a townhouse and ended up with enemy neighbours because i voiced my concern for something they were doing which affected us in a negative way...they had teenage sons as well and their million friends (or..customers iykwim) were parking in our carspot constantly, coming and going and at all hours of the night...

i asked them to not park in our spot...quite reasonable i thought...but they got very nasty:S in the end i wish i hadn't of said anything.

[EmmasMummy]

I would go to the real estate or land lord..... People can get nasty for no reason at all.

[melissajayne]

I would go over there and try and talk to them. Although when we did we ended up with the police on our door.
If that doesnt work definitely go to the real estate/landlord

[crazymuma]

Sorry if this offends you but I feel like I have to say it - the drugs aside (as that is another matter) I personally don't think anyone has the right to ask the neighbours kids to be quiet in the afternoon after school - sorry but I don't think you missing an afternoon sleep is enough of a reason to complain to the real estate - seems very selfish in my eyes.

Yes definelty complain if the noise is late at night but while the suns still shining I think kids have a right to be kids - and that means riding bikes, skateboards etc.

[bronny-jane]

i would just go and have a chat, if they seem nice, i bet they would understand, new baby and all:)

i wouldnt yell about it, people take it nicer when you are friendly about it:thumbsup:

[The sooper nanny]

thanks for your advice ladies, it is a tough one.... the neighbour on the other side can even hear it in her house, so its loud.... she said I should say something to them... DH isnt keen, he said its well within their rights, but my point was respect and having some forethought.... this son seems to be on a long leash and they have voiced that he does get himself into trouble. The parents seem to be out a lot. Im going to give it a fortnight... if it disrupts us just once more, Im going to go out there with the baby and ask if they would mind keeping it a little quieter.... As tempting as it is to wait til she is screaming and have a rant at them.
Its the last thing you need when youve had a bad day hey?:rain:

[Myztik]

Maybe you could find out where the nearest skate park is to you and ask them if they know about it? There's heaps of skate parks around perth.

[EmmasMummy]

Is a difficult situation when living so close together..... Like crazy mumma said kids should be able to play outside freely.... but you also have a right to live comfortably.... We are in a complex of 6... and atleast half of them play music really loudly every afternoon.... Its just plain annoying... esp with baby when DD is sleeping I like some quiet time to just chill out/ sleep/ study....and then they come home and start with the music.

I guess you can only tell if you think they will listen go talk to them .... Maybe they could move it further away or something ..... if not go to ur real estate.

Is it in the driveway??? Is also a safey hazzard if u are trying to drive in and out.

[crazymuma]

The reason I said what I said was I also live in a block of 6 flats - my kids ride their bikes and scooters in my backyard every afternoon - the most noise is their laughter.

Not long after moving in I had a neighbour tell me that they always had an afternoon rest - they would appreciate it if I could either take the kids to a park and play or keep them inside of an afternoon - all so they could sleep :cool: Not a chance!!

After the neighbour whinged for quite awhile I told him to go **** himself!! Told him to contact the real estate if he had a problem or to go to hell - and to make a point for the next few days we also pumped the music :D
Anyway he went to the real estate and their answer - they told him to find somewhere else to live as you can't ask a neighbour to be quiet through the day just cause you need a sleep :laughing:
They told him to feel free to complain if I have a party going late into the night but otherwise leave me and the kids the hell alone :smiliedance:

[The sooper nanny]

crazymumma I challenege you to have someone thumping agianst your wall for hours when youve been up half the night with a newborn.... Im not talking kids wither... these are big strong tennage boys..... thanks for making me feel great, being selfish and all.

[Chickadee]

Shazzi, I don't think you're being selfish. You're sleep deprived and I don't blame you. But I do agree with crazymuma's point in that you can certainly ask them to be quiet, but you're going to be relying on their goodwill to do it. There is very little, if anything, that the landlord or council can do to support you if the kids are on their own property during daylight hours.

[Lozie]

IMO if they constructed a skate ramp outside their house that has to be violating something, if it was a normal suburban block with a front yard and fence and that then i wouldnt worry about it but ur in a duplex? there is common courtesy that need to be taken when living in such close quarters to neighbours, I personally would speak to the parents and if they would do nothing about it i would got to the council and real estate or body corporate whatever you have there. You and your family have the right to live in comfort in ur home without parties and skate ramps disturbing your home or waking ur baby. i would speak up now cause the longer you leave it the harded it will be to get something done about it.

[garfield13]

We had issues with our neighbours doing things when we lived in townhouses (eg:they parked on the naturestrip in front of our townhouse and over our driveway so are car was blocked in) We spoke to them politely about this but it ended up very bad. So from my own experiences i will never go to a neighbour again.
We had new neighbours move in a few mths ago here with a little dog, they were locking it out every night in their yard, which is near dd room, and it spent the whole night every night barking.
After about a mth of this i left a polite anonym letter in the letter box and it has now stopped

[pennylane]

Is the area where they have erected the skate ramps etc' duplex common property?? If so just quietly give the real estate or body corporate a call,they're normally pretty discreet about it,they'll just send them a letter saying they passed the property and saw it and want it removed and will remind them that its common property and can not be used for personal purposes.

I dont think your being selfish,its not like your depriving a bunch of 7 year olds a bit of fun,he's a teenager-Im sure he knows its bound to annoy his neighbours,if he's just mucking around on his board,fine.But jumping ramps and stuff is SOOO noisy,surely he can find somewhere more appropriate??.

[~BEXTER~]

I thin you should talk to the son, if that does not work then talk to the parents

I think if you talk to him and tell him you need it to be stopped by 5 or something then I don't see the harm.

Maybe ask him if you could have a few days a week where he doesn't use the ramp?

but I do think he should be able to use in the after noon for a for a few hours, living in duplex's means you have to put up with a little more noise im afraid.

[iMischa]

*hugs for her fellow june bub mum*

[bronny-jane]

crazymumma I challenege you to have someone thumping agianst your wall for hours when youve been up half the night with a newborn.... Im not talking kids wither... these are big strong tennage boys..... thanks for making me feel great, being selfish and all.

your not being selfish at all... its not like your asking them to stop forever.. you need to get sleep or you'll be all over the place;)

ive asked neighbours to quiet down when i had a newborn:yes:.. they were 18 year olds having a party, i just asked if they could keep the yelling down as i had a newborn, and needed my sleep.. they were excellent :thumbsup:

[The sooper nanny]

thanks for all of your support... Havent had the best of weeks and when Im sleep deprived, I get very tetchy.

the driveway isnt common ground but having said that, its right on top of our nursery , hard to explain but we have a thin brick wall spearating our properties and ours is set back a bit. They havent used the skateboards today (yet)!! and Ive taken to putting katie in her cradle in her bedroom to sleep at the back of the house. I guess my argument is that I shouldnt have to do it, I have a right to be comfortable in my own house.
but..... Ive decided Im not going to say anything atm, but if it continues, Ill go out and ask them to take the ramp down from near the nursery as its waking the baby. Its not the skateboarding Im contesting... its the banging that I find insanely irritating. Last weekend they had a party and the music was pumping til after 4am. I just think thats really disrespectful to ANY neighbour, not just me. We have a lot of elderly people around here, its not fair on them either.

[nothanksbye]

i would leave it.
I dont think you are selfish but I do think sometimes as mums we forget about others rights to enjoy life.

with my first i was so worried about nois..with my 3rd its my own kids making all the noise! lol.

its hard but at the end of the day teens have to be able to have fun too.

my 12 week old is the best sleeper and i think its cos she has to sleep through so much noise!!

[sharonnscotty]

it seems as though they do it at your complex cause the other parents wouldn't have it.

nope - no way should you put up with skateboard ramps out the front.... crazymumma kids inside the yard are fine but teenages can take themselves away to do this sort of thing.

i would go out looking my worst and have a polite go at them. actually my temper would prob snap and i would tear them new one.... too bad if they never talk to you again! keep at them until they stop it. or give the local police a tip off.

[crazymuma]

crazymumma I challenege you to have someone thumping agianst your wall for hours when youve been up half the night with a newborn.... Im not talking kids wither... these are big strong tennage boys..... thanks for making me feel great, being selfish and all.

Sorry if I have made you feel bad -certainly wasn't my intention. I have two children so know how hard the sleepless nights are - and yes I have done both living in units or with noisy neighbours - I know its not easy.

I'm just not sure what you want - and before you talk to them you should decide. Simple fact is teenagers are noisy - hell kids are noisy - they all grow up. I don't think anyone has the right to ask a teenager not to play after school - just as I don't think they have the right to ask a 7 year old. I'm sure his parents are just glad he is at home making a bit of noise and not running the streets getting into ****loads of trouble.

I think definetly talk to them and see if there is any way they can move it to another area - if not ask if it can be restricted to certain days of the week and finished by a certain time. If it is seriously concerning you then contact the real estate and see if this is even allowed - if not they can deal with it without the neighbours ever knowing it was you who complained.

Is there any way you can get bub to go down a bit earlier for you to have a sleep as well - maybe before the teens get home from school??

[nothanksbye]

i would be so annoyed if my teens were told to go play somewhere else.

teens do have the right to be at home. just cos they can go out does not mean they should not be home.

[crazymuma]

Oh can I just add all my comment are only talking about the kids skateboarding - as for having loud parties till 4am - hell I would be going off my brain about that :laughing: No one would be allowed to interfere with my sleep that time of night - if this is a common thing than I would definetly talk to the real estate.

[The sooper nanny]

i guess its not just the skateboard thing, this has been brewing for a while.... he always has teenagers over, can smell the drugs over the fence. On weekends when the folks are away thers spew in the laneway cos they got so drunk. Girls screaming, music pumping. I guess this is the straw that is breaking the camels back so to speak... Im going to sit on it for a while and get over my sleep deprevation. Ill just have to bit my tongue, for DHs sake especially.... he doesnt want me to say anything. ho hum.....

[shockinamillion]

I think there is a VAST difference between a neighbour telling you to keep the kids inside so they can nap just because they want one and a brand new mum needing a catch up sleep and the sleep of a newborn.

You are NOT being selfish shaz.

[Jaspat24]

We had issues with our neighbours doing things when we lived in townhouses (eg:they parked on the naturestrip in front of our townhouse and over our driveway so are car was blocked in) We spoke to them politely about this but it ended up very bad. So from my own experiences i will never go to a neighbour again.
We had new neighbours move in a few mths ago here with a little dog, they were locking it out every night in their yard, which is near dd room, and it spent the whole night every night barking.
After about a mth of this i left a polite anonym letter in the letter box and it has now stopped

My mum and her DP droppped a letter in a neighbours letterbox about her noisy dog barking all night, then 2 days later she woke up and her dog (my mum's) was dead. They are pretty sure Jack was poisoned. he was only 4 years old, and happy and healthy.
I think appealing to people's good nature is the way to go and not threatening them with landlords, police etc. Even if you ask them for a couple of days a week so you can rest, not every day etc.

[NonnyMouse]

I don't think you're being selfish, just a bit unrealistic. I'd have a friendly chat to them about it to see if you can get them onside, but at the end of the day it's during daylight hours and on their own property and the noise, while certainly annoying, isn't so loud as to be illegal.

Babies or teens, adults or pensioners, all have a right to enjoy their homes, and you can't expect the world to tread quietly just because someone is tired, or sick, or has a new baby, or does shiftwork etc etc etc. In a perfect world, everyone's property would be completely soundproofed, but in reality you have to learn to work around it.

[oleander]

Hmm whats it got to do with him smoking drugs?

Anyway, tell his parents or whoever owns the property, if they dont do anything then take it further.

[MsMummy]

Do you own or rent? If you own, I would contact the body corporate.

Units have (usually strict) body corporate rules.

The body corporate can issue a circular. that's what they do in our complex.

If you rent, you could try the landlord (who will contact the body corporate) but not sure if the owner would be interested.