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Oh dear, neighbours :(

(28 Posts)
OurNan Wed 30-May-18 16:52:07

I share a drive with (usually) lovely next door neighbours who have always been delightful. Last week I had a new tumble dryer delivered and the old one was left at the end of my drive on my garden, as always for the scrappy to pick up. Today my neighbour has come round asking me to get it moved as “it looks a mess”. It’s my drive, they have a right of way over the first bit of it, but my garden is my garden. What do you think? Obviously ideally it would have gone before now, but the friend who said they would do it for me hadn’t had time yet, and no scrappy has gone by in the last 6 days. I would never tell a neighbour their property looked “a mess”: that seemed just rude to me and has made me quite upset. I live alone and can’t move it myself. What would you have said?

Eglantine21 Wed 30-May-18 16:57:59

Said “I know it does. Can you help me move it? Otherwise I’ll have to wait for my friend to help me.”

Mapleleaf Wed 30-May-18 17:05:00

Did you explain to them that you are waiting for the scrap man to come and collect it and/or your friend to come and move it? Could you ring your friend to ask them when roughly they will be able to come and move it as your neighbour has asked for it to be moved. Failing this, you could contact your council to come and take it away, but there would be a charge for this - you would have to ask them what this charge would be, though it shouldn’t be extortionate. Good luck.

kittylester Wed 30-May-18 17:26:16

Our council will collect two large items per year free of charge.

Belgravian Wed 30-May-18 17:29:29

My council charges £17 for three large items.

Put a note on it saying £50 and it will be gone within the hour!

Your neighbour was rude.

loopyloo Wed 30-May-18 17:33:33

Our council, Redbridge will take up to 3 items away for free. Worth checking your council..

Jalima1108 Wed 30-May-18 17:37:32

You could agree with your neighbour and ask him if he would like to take it to the tip for you, otherwise you will have to wait for the scrapman to come.

Some firms will take away the old item when they deliver the new one, but there is usually a charge. JL charged £15 to take away our old freezer but it was better than trying to struggle to the tip with it and we don't have a scrapman coming round.

OurNan Wed 30-May-18 17:39:06

Thank you. Yes the council will take it away but £25! Certainly a lot to me. And they would have taken at least a week to pick it up.

You’re right, I should have asked her to help, but I was so gobsmacked at her rudeness! When I’d pulled myself together and dried my tears (of shock I think) I went round and asked her husband to give me a hand with it into my very small car. I couldn’t lift it on my own. He did, all done now, but I feel as if somethings been “broken” unfortunately. Ah well.

OurNan Wed 30-May-18 17:40:03

I meant some trust or pleasantness had been broken by the way, not any part of me!!!

NfkDumpling Wed 30-May-18 17:41:12

I just put a sign saying ‘Free’ on unwanted stuff and it usually vanishes quite quickly. Our council charges for everything.

I’m surprised your neighbour spoke to you like that though, you’d have thought they knew you better than to think you considered a tumble dryer to be a garden ornament.

Belgravian Wed 30-May-18 17:52:47

Set your alarm for 2.am then quietly pop out and collect an unloved Traffic Cone and put it in the middle of their front garden.

Listen for when they go out and leave at the same time and greet them loudly in your best Hyacinth Bouquet voice, "Really! I can see you had fun down at the pub last night", sniff loudly and March off!

Gerispringer Wed 30-May-18 18:24:09

Where I live if you leave your bin out when it’s not collection day people get annoyed. I agree they should have been more polite but I would probably be critical of a neighbour leaving a large domestic appliance in their garden for more than a day or two without explanation.

Belgravian Wed 30-May-18 18:28:10

Gerispringer

It would have looked obvious to me that left on its own it was waiting to be picked up.

Unless the op's front garden looks like the one on the photo....

Belgravian Wed 30-May-18 18:28:21

in

Gerispringer Wed 30-May-18 18:39:46

Waiting to be picked up - yes but unless you tell them people won’t know. My road has a Facebook page so anything like that would be flagged up straight away.

MawBroon Wed 30-May-18 18:56:40

I have just paid £40 for the council to collect 2 sofas from my drive. It took over a week but fortunately I was able to have them tucked to one side so not really an eyesore.
All I had to do was remember to park on my neighbour’s drive (she’s away) so that they had easy access yesterday.
Maybe a word to your neighbour when you put it out might have avoided unpleasantness?
It is always worth a lot to be and have good neighbours.

M0nica Wed 30-May-18 19:06:29

If you have nice neighbours and you want to keep things nice, agree with them, say it concerns you and would they help you get it to the tip/other place of disposal.

When I buy new appliances I always arrange for the lorry delivering the new one to take the old one away. It is so much simpler and no more expensive than the sum charged by the local council to do the job for me.

oldbatty Wed 30-May-18 19:09:55

since you are in such close proximity I dont think you should let a thoughtless remark cause problems.

Just say " sorry about the delay in moving the old drier, it will be gone by>>>>>>>"
Dont let this fester.

Doodle Wed 30-May-18 19:51:01

ournan people aren't mind readers and your neighbour had no idea you were planning for the old drier to be taken away. I cannot condone their rudeness but I think if you had said oh it's only there until someone collects it on..... that should have been fine.

I can understand why you were upset (as I would be) but I think it's best forgotten now.

loopyloo Wed 30-May-18 19:54:11

Had the old tumble dryer broken down?

LadyGracie Wed 30-May-18 20:10:13

I’m dreading next week when we have to put 2 complete divan beds and a king size mattress out before 6am for the council to collect, it has to be left on a pavement which we don’t have, our house has a shared drive with 2 other houses, it’s going to have to go on the pavement outside another neighbours house.

OurNan Wed 30-May-18 20:21:36

I did tell her I was waiting for it to be picked up, that’s when she said it looked a mess!

cornergran Wed 30-May-18 22:02:41

I can understand why it was upsetting but I’m remembering that we all have bad days. I think if I usually got on well with someone I’d put it down to her having a bad day, benefit of the doubt really. Try not to dwell on it, you’ve dealt with the removal now so best to look to the future and try not to worry, I suspect all will be well once the feelings settle.

OurNan Wed 30-May-18 22:28:27

Yes, I have indeed put it down to her having a bad day. I’m not going to fall out with her (I am an adult really) but I still think it was rude. I wouldn’t dream of commenting on what neighbours have in their gardens. Each to his own and live and let live. Mr Neighbour was nice and helpful though so that’s good.

Eloethan Thu 31-May-18 00:15:23

I think it was very rude to make such a remark after only a few days had passed. Like you, I would never think of commenting on a neighbour's garden - unless it was in such a terrible state that it was attracting vermin.