Person Asks The Internet What They Can Do After Their Neighbor Refused To Move Their Trampoline As It Impacts Their Happiness
Moving out from an apartment into a house is a dream that many people have. A house is often more spacious, you can have your own personal garage and a garden that you can get creative with or use for growing vegetables. It feels like you have more privacy and you may think that it’s a calmer environment.
That is not necessarily the case and it all depends on the neighborhood and especially the people who live right next to you as it can become a painful experience, like it did for Jynxed, a user of the online forum mumsnet.
Their neighbors have very noisy kids and have put a trampoline right next to their back door, which makes Jynxed hear the racket even more and they are afraid of all the flying items that could damage their patio. However, the parents of the kids don’t really care and the homeowner can’t do much about it.
More info: mumsnet
Homeowner is really fed up with neighbor’s kids screaming practically at their doorstep and their parents refuse to do anything about it
Image credits: Rick McCharles (not the actual photo)
The Original Poster (OP) lives in a house with a pretty big garden which is 80 feet (24 meters) long. Their neighbors have the same size garden and they could have put their children’s trampoline anywhere, but decided to place it right up against the fence and very close to the OP’s back door and patio.
The OP can’t move their back door, but they don’t want to move their patio either, especially because they installed a pergola as well. They have a vegetable garden and a greenhouse at the other end of the garden, so these would have to be relocated to a different spot in order to move the patio further from the neighbor.
The neighbors put up a trampoline in their garden, which wouldn’t be a problem if it wasn’t so close to the OP’s back door and patio
Image credits: Jynxed
The neighbor, on the other hand, doesn’t have much in their garden and according to Jynxed, even though they said that there is no other place to put the trampoline, they can clearly see that there is plenty of room.
While the OP understands that children need to play and they can be noisy, they would prefer if the parents moved the trampoline further from their fence as not only do balls keep flying into their garden with the risk of knocking over pots and plants or hitting them in the head, but it also makes them feel uncomfortable as the kids can look into their kitchen when they are using the trampoline.
The OP asked the neighbors to move it slightly so the balls the kids use when they play wouldn’t hit their pots and heads when they sit there
Image credits: Jynxed
This situation has affected both the OP’s well-being and happiness and they are at a loss because asking the neighbors nicely didn’t help, and they don’t think they can complain to anyone as the trampoline is on the neighbor’s property.
People in the comments were understanding and thought that the OP’s request of moving the trampoline wasn’t that outrageous. They suggested all sorts of things the OP can do as revenge and in an update, Jynxed said that they will document all the damage that is being done to their property and if the parents refuse to move the trampoline, they “will destroy every ball or frisbee which comes over the fence” as well as allow their teenage kids to blast music on full volume.
What also bothers the OP is that the kids can see inside their kitchen using the trampoline to look over the fence
Image credits: Jynxed
Many people who’ve read the story related to the OP because they went through the same thing and had to endure children screaming in the neighboring garden or looking into their houses while standing on the trampoline.
As Lombardo Homes found out while surveying people, the most annoying thing neighbors do is being noisy. It’s more annoying than them not cleaning up after their pets, being nosy and having parking issues.
The most annoying ways that neighbors create noise, according to the same survey, are loud music, loud talking or shouting, loud pets and loud children.
But the neighbors refused to do so even though they have plenty of space to put the trampoline in a different place
Image credits: Jynxed
The loud noises aren’t only annoying and inconsiderate. Constantly being exposed to noise is a stressor and according to a study by Heidi A. R. Jensen, Birgit Rasmussen and Ola Ekholm, it “may potentially exert negative health effects among the exposed individuals.”
It is because “the most prevalent and immediate response to noise is annoyance, which is an individually experienced phenomenon that may activate physiological stress responses and result in both physical and mental symptoms.”
The study showed that people felt more bothered by fatigue, they had a higher chance of increased pain in various parts of their body, they got headaches and it sharpened their depression as well as anxiety.
This situation caused the OP stress and they are now at a loss about what can be done at this point
Image credits: Jynxed
Image credits: popofatticus (not the actual photo)
It’s impossible to have peace and quiet all the time when you are living with other people and we understand that. However, we also expect our neighbors to be more considerate and react when we tell them that their activities are bothering us.
Do you think the OP was asking for too much? Would you be bothered by the trampoline being too close and having to hear children screaming every day? How would you handle this situation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
People in the comments had plenty of petty suggestions as they felt the OP’s pain and irritation
Oh no! My kitchen knife slipped out of my hand whilst making sandwiches outside at 3am and completely tore apart your precious trampoline!
The night before Halloween is always so full of mischief iykwim
Load More Replies...
Ever hear of a Perkins Rose? It's a climbing heirloom rosebush with lots of tiny thorns and beautiful small pink flowers. I have two. One I have to keep trimmed back near the house. (Rozilla) If we don't she takes over the porch. Jr. is out in the yard, and every Halloween I'm tempted to buy a skeleton and put it inside. Prune with long sleeves and gloves, or you'll look like you've been herding cats. Anyone thinking of coming close to one of these things, will be eaten alive.
I have a firethorn bush (Pyracantha) grows really fast as well, flowers and berries in autumn, really pretty. It lives up to its name!
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I have the same issue, they have a large yard and it could go anywhere, but the trampoline is placed right next to our living room, it stands 1m higher than our already 2m fence, and is right up against it, so when they use it it bang bang bangs all the time. Because of the height of it and position, I'm always distracted by these shadows and flashes, and inevitably look up to see the neighbour herself and her two kids using the height difference to look into my house and look over my property, it's so bad I've had to install cameras (and have hours of footage of this happening, plus other things like rubbish and weeds being dumped over, and black paint dripped down etc). If you can't tell already, it's deliberately placed there to annoy us as the crazy woman and I had a disagreement she's never gotten over. They're renovating right now so have moved out, and she actually brings the kids over to use the trampoline for this. I actually have zero issue with the noise of the kids, it's the loss of privacy as a punishment that's the concern. She's a real crazy bat with zero respect, I'm actually going to miss the builders as they're really pleasant, with great taste in music! :D
Very bright lights pointed directly into the trampoline. No more distracting shadows for you. Temp blinding for them. Put it on a motion sensor
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Plant a large (tall and wide) shrub next to that wall, one with lots of long sharp thorns—-that also attracts a shitload of bees and wasps. Position it right where the trampoline is. When their kids continually get shredded by the thorns, and stung by bees and wasps, I guarantee they’ll move the f*****g trampoline.
I'm guessing this is in the UK due to the terraces. Official options - call the council re noise nuisance. Unlikely to work, they're busy and underfunded. Unofficial options - bbq while their washing is on the line. Karaoke parties after kids' bedtime. Get a hottub (lots of people are selling second hand post lockdown) and invite all your middle-aged friends to parade around in their skimpy swimsuits. Dog-sit a dog that barks a lot. Build a sturdy conservatory that blocks out their view. Plant Leylandii - they are evil but needs must. Or black locust trees that are fast growing and v spiky. Put your compost heap next to the fence - actually that shouldn't smell too bad, so make comfrey or nettle 'tea' on an ongoing basis. Play classical music. Sunbathe naked - the kids might not mind but the parents will...but if your fence is high enough not to see over if the trampoline wasn't there, that's on them.
I gotta say the screaming drives me up the wall. I'm all for playing, laughing, etc. but shrieking for hours just does me in.
I've had the same issue, although I've now moved. We had a tiny garden as did the neighbours but they chose to put a trampoline in theirs. It meant we couldn't use the garden ever because the children would be on the trampoline and constantly watching us with every bounce. It made living there awful and I was so glad when I moved.
In some areas you must have netting around the perimeter of the trampoline. It's purpose is to keep those using it from flying off and cracking their thick skulls open. Check local laws. If your neighbors don't have one of these nets report them to child welfare services.
Our neighbors have a trampoline (the kids don't use it too much) and it has a screen around it.
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Two things... One: some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids. Second: Noise pollution and stress induced noise is real, even more in these days, and it should be taken more seriously, there should be more hard laws that regulate this... I too have neighbors with bloody murder screaming children, all day barking dogs, and/or loud music... it's infuriating, stressing, and it causes a lot of anxiety...
Heavy Metal music - it's usually loud and sometimes obscene. Iron Maiden, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath...
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Because your neighbor's won't move the trampoline for whatever reason and you can't make them I would buy noise cancelling curtains for the kitchen window and build a taller fence. The last thing you want is to end up on a show about how one neighbor killed the other one over a trampoline and noise. The only other alternative is to move.
Plant something along the fence that grows tall & has thorns. We had a similar problem, but they weren't right next door they were 2 units over. Their kids would jump on the trampoline and scream basically ALL DAY LONG (I worked from home). I asked their Mom, very politely, if maybe she could get them to quiet down or at least take a break for a few hours every day. I was basically told she could do whatever the F she wanted to in her own yard and shut the door. Called the HOA (it was a condo) and was told pretty much the same thing. As long as there was no illegal activity and the noise ended before 10:00pm, they was nothing they could do.
That's a difficult situation. They're being assholes but not really ... like ... probably nice and apologetic, "sorry, you know ... kids, right?" but cause you grief. If you start keeping anything that gets lobbed across the fence or start heckling the children you'll be the a*****e. Maybe you can invite them to your place while their kids are doing their trampoline thing. Explain it in plain terms ... hopefully they can reduce it a little. OTOH ... who uses a trampline for more than a few days. They'll get bored by it, or knock their teeth out, break limbs ... it's short lived.
Install a camera. Use your patio if you want to, maybe with noise cancelling headphones. Ignore the kids, sit with your back to them. Shut the blinds if they look in, same as you'd shut them if the sun was too bright or if you wanted privacy at night. If another ball flies over, take it inside your home and initiate a policy that you only return it to them if a parent comes over with the kid/s to retrieve it - not shouting over the fence on the kids behalf, but walking over to your front door to knock and ask for it. Show the parents photos of damaged property and ask for reasonable replacements or compensation. If you have an HOA, copy them on these emails if the parents aren't responsive to replacing your damaged property. You can't make the neighbors not use their yard, but you can have more control over your own space than you currently seem to feel that you have.
Talk to your local council regarding noise ordinances. These typically go by decimal levels acceptable at different times of day. If you can establish that they are going over limits excessively your local authorities may be prompted to action. Also check with your local representative regarding how close it is to the property line, some places have laws about how closely things like sheds etc can be placed to the property line and this may apply.
The last suggestion wouldn't work, the kids would love jumping on the trampoline and getting wet! The noise only kids can hear is genius!
This article should be called "woman feels entitled to police her neighbors yard". That being said, there's plenty she could do if she wants petty revenge.
Only thing is please don't get a mosquito device, one of our mercifully further away neighbours has one and as a 31 year old autistic person with very sensitive hearing, I literally cannot walk down that section of road without almost collapsing from pain. If they lived closer I would put metal on my headphones and brick their house until it shuts up.
I see this as two groups of people that are both jerks. The neighbors could be decent and simply move the trampoline. And OP needs to understand that this is part of life, the situation is temporary, and the kids they are complaining about today are the people that will be taking care of them when they get older. Want to know the side of the "get off my lawn" crowd? Here it is. That said, just like your neighbors can do what they want with their property, the OP has options for their own property. I saw the "sunbathe nude" comment. Or just get some naked people cut outs that are visible if the kids are jumping. Or plant a pile of bee attracting flowers next to the fence. Or start a compost heap or other smelly option. There are bright lights that can make your point. Or bird feeders that will decorate the trampoline nicely. Large shrubs will stop the viewing. You can keep the balls that come in your yard.
I would get a wood chipper and every ball that makes it’s way into my yard I’d throw it in there and make sure they’re watching when I do it. Heck I’d even glare with an evil menacing smile.
If you really believe that your own children were angels that never annoyed anyone then you may be delusional - all our children have misbehaved and frustrated other adults at some point. That aside, it's very frustrating when your neighbours cannot behave in a respectful way and control the children at least some of the time and I am totally sympathetic. I would Invest in a high frequency alarm system and switch it on when they are out playing. I don't recall the name - WASP maybe - but only children can hear them and they are used outside shops and in other places where groups of children cause a nuisance. No one will even know it's there and you won't have any confrontations with said neighbours. Good luck xx
You might love your own kids shouting and making creaky noises on a trampoline but that doesn't mean you will like other kids doing the same. Especially when they are also destroying your property and invading your privacy. Your freedom to enjoy yourself in your own garden stops being important when you are impacting on other people's freedom to do the same.
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Minding one's own business doesn't replace broken pots and injured plants. The only solution to shrieking children is to influence their growth and development with your particular taste in music.
Load More Replies...
Oh no! My kitchen knife slipped out of my hand whilst making sandwiches outside at 3am and completely tore apart your precious trampoline!
The night before Halloween is always so full of mischief iykwim
Load More Replies... Ever hear of a Perkins Rose? It's a climbing heirloom rosebush with lots of tiny thorns and beautiful small pink flowers. I have two. One I have to keep trimmed back near the house. (Rozilla) If we don't she takes over the porch. Jr. is out in the yard, and every Halloween I'm tempted to buy a skeleton and put it inside. Prune with long sleeves and gloves, or you'll look like you've been herding cats. Anyone thinking of coming close to one of these things, will be eaten alive.
I have a firethorn bush (Pyracantha) grows really fast as well, flowers and berries in autumn, really pretty. It lives up to its name!
Load More Replies... I have the same issue, they have a large yard and it could go anywhere, but the trampoline is placed right next to our living room, it stands 1m higher than our already 2m fence, and is right up against it, so when they use it it bang bang bangs all the time. Because of the height of it and position, I'm always distracted by these shadows and flashes, and inevitably look up to see the neighbour herself and her two kids using the height difference to look into my house and look over my property, it's so bad I've had to install cameras (and have hours of footage of this happening, plus other things like rubbish and weeds being dumped over, and black paint dripped down etc). If you can't tell already, it's deliberately placed there to annoy us as the crazy woman and I had a disagreement she's never gotten over. They're renovating right now so have moved out, and she actually brings the kids over to use the trampoline for this. I actually have zero issue with the noise of the kids, it's the loss of privacy as a punishment that's the concern. She's a real crazy bat with zero respect, I'm actually going to miss the builders as they're really pleasant, with great taste in music! :D
Very bright lights pointed directly into the trampoline. No more distracting shadows for you. Temp blinding for them. Put it on a motion sensor
Load More Replies... Plant a large (tall and wide) shrub next to that wall, one with lots of long sharp thorns—-that also attracts a shitload of bees and wasps. Position it right where the trampoline is. When their kids continually get shredded by the thorns, and stung by bees and wasps, I guarantee they’ll move the f*****g trampoline.
I'm guessing this is in the UK due to the terraces. Official options - call the council re noise nuisance. Unlikely to work, they're busy and underfunded. Unofficial options - bbq while their washing is on the line. Karaoke parties after kids' bedtime. Get a hottub (lots of people are selling second hand post lockdown) and invite all your middle-aged friends to parade around in their skimpy swimsuits. Dog-sit a dog that barks a lot. Build a sturdy conservatory that blocks out their view. Plant Leylandii - they are evil but needs must. Or black locust trees that are fast growing and v spiky. Put your compost heap next to the fence - actually that shouldn't smell too bad, so make comfrey or nettle 'tea' on an ongoing basis. Play classical music. Sunbathe naked - the kids might not mind but the parents will...but if your fence is high enough not to see over if the trampoline wasn't there, that's on them.
I gotta say the screaming drives me up the wall. I'm all for playing, laughing, etc. but shrieking for hours just does me in.
I've had the same issue, although I've now moved. We had a tiny garden as did the neighbours but they chose to put a trampoline in theirs. It meant we couldn't use the garden ever because the children would be on the trampoline and constantly watching us with every bounce. It made living there awful and I was so glad when I moved.
In some areas you must have netting around the perimeter of the trampoline. It's purpose is to keep those using it from flying off and cracking their thick skulls open. Check local laws. If your neighbors don't have one of these nets report them to child welfare services.
Our neighbors have a trampoline (the kids don't use it too much) and it has a screen around it.
Load More Replies... Two things... One: some people shouldn't be allowed to have kids. Second: Noise pollution and stress induced noise is real, even more in these days, and it should be taken more seriously, there should be more hard laws that regulate this... I too have neighbors with bloody murder screaming children, all day barking dogs, and/or loud music... it's infuriating, stressing, and it causes a lot of anxiety...
Heavy Metal music - it's usually loud and sometimes obscene. Iron Maiden, Alice in Chains, Black Sabbath...
Load More Replies... Because your neighbor's won't move the trampoline for whatever reason and you can't make them I would buy noise cancelling curtains for the kitchen window and build a taller fence. The last thing you want is to end up on a show about how one neighbor killed the other one over a trampoline and noise. The only other alternative is to move.
Plant something along the fence that grows tall & has thorns. We had a similar problem, but they weren't right next door they were 2 units over. Their kids would jump on the trampoline and scream basically ALL DAY LONG (I worked from home). I asked their Mom, very politely, if maybe she could get them to quiet down or at least take a break for a few hours every day. I was basically told she could do whatever the F she wanted to in her own yard and shut the door. Called the HOA (it was a condo) and was told pretty much the same thing. As long as there was no illegal activity and the noise ended before 10:00pm, they was nothing they could do.
That's a difficult situation. They're being assholes but not really ... like ... probably nice and apologetic, "sorry, you know ... kids, right?" but cause you grief. If you start keeping anything that gets lobbed across the fence or start heckling the children you'll be the a*****e. Maybe you can invite them to your place while their kids are doing their trampoline thing. Explain it in plain terms ... hopefully they can reduce it a little. OTOH ... who uses a trampline for more than a few days. They'll get bored by it, or knock their teeth out, break limbs ... it's short lived.
Install a camera. Use your patio if you want to, maybe with noise cancelling headphones. Ignore the kids, sit with your back to them. Shut the blinds if they look in, same as you'd shut them if the sun was too bright or if you wanted privacy at night. If another ball flies over, take it inside your home and initiate a policy that you only return it to them if a parent comes over with the kid/s to retrieve it - not shouting over the fence on the kids behalf, but walking over to your front door to knock and ask for it. Show the parents photos of damaged property and ask for reasonable replacements or compensation. If you have an HOA, copy them on these emails if the parents aren't responsive to replacing your damaged property. You can't make the neighbors not use their yard, but you can have more control over your own space than you currently seem to feel that you have.
Talk to your local council regarding noise ordinances. These typically go by decimal levels acceptable at different times of day. If you can establish that they are going over limits excessively your local authorities may be prompted to action. Also check with your local representative regarding how close it is to the property line, some places have laws about how closely things like sheds etc can be placed to the property line and this may apply.
The last suggestion wouldn't work, the kids would love jumping on the trampoline and getting wet! The noise only kids can hear is genius!
This article should be called "woman feels entitled to police her neighbors yard". That being said, there's plenty she could do if she wants petty revenge.
Only thing is please don't get a mosquito device, one of our mercifully further away neighbours has one and as a 31 year old autistic person with very sensitive hearing, I literally cannot walk down that section of road without almost collapsing from pain. If they lived closer I would put metal on my headphones and brick their house until it shuts up.
I see this as two groups of people that are both jerks. The neighbors could be decent and simply move the trampoline. And OP needs to understand that this is part of life, the situation is temporary, and the kids they are complaining about today are the people that will be taking care of them when they get older. Want to know the side of the "get off my lawn" crowd? Here it is. That said, just like your neighbors can do what they want with their property, the OP has options for their own property. I saw the "sunbathe nude" comment. Or just get some naked people cut outs that are visible if the kids are jumping. Or plant a pile of bee attracting flowers next to the fence. Or start a compost heap or other smelly option. There are bright lights that can make your point. Or bird feeders that will decorate the trampoline nicely. Large shrubs will stop the viewing. You can keep the balls that come in your yard.
I would get a wood chipper and every ball that makes it’s way into my yard I’d throw it in there and make sure they’re watching when I do it. Heck I’d even glare with an evil menacing smile.
If you really believe that your own children were angels that never annoyed anyone then you may be delusional - all our children have misbehaved and frustrated other adults at some point. That aside, it's very frustrating when your neighbours cannot behave in a respectful way and control the children at least some of the time and I am totally sympathetic. I would Invest in a high frequency alarm system and switch it on when they are out playing. I don't recall the name - WASP maybe - but only children can hear them and they are used outside shops and in other places where groups of children cause a nuisance. No one will even know it's there and you won't have any confrontations with said neighbours. Good luck xx
You might love your own kids shouting and making creaky noises on a trampoline but that doesn't mean you will like other kids doing the same. Especially when they are also destroying your property and invading your privacy. Your freedom to enjoy yourself in your own garden stops being important when you are impacting on other people's freedom to do the same.
Load More Replies... Minding one's own business doesn't replace broken pots and injured plants. The only solution to shrieking children is to influence their growth and development with your particular taste in music.
Load More Replies...
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