Insight: I had neighbours ‘from hell’ (BSL)

A few years ago I moved to where I live now and it was the best decision I made. The move meant I have been able to have a fresh start and take care of myself after experiencing an awful time in my old house with terrible neighbours. I feel ready to share my story and encourage anyone else in a bad situation to just get out of there.

Back then I lived into a rental property by myself with my three children in a semi detached house – I had moved there in a hurry after splitting with my then- partner. It was a new area and wasn’t the best area but it was affordable.

I remember when I first moved in I hardly saw my neighbours and thought it was strange they hadn’t introduced themselves but I thought perhaps they were busy or worked long hours. I was still curious who I was living next door to.

As time went by I saw the couple who lived next door but they never looked my way to say hello, purposely ignoring me when I was outside which I thought was odd.

Then one day I had missed a parcel which had been delivered to their house and so I went round to collect it at lunchtime and introduce myself.

After waiting ages, I was met by an angry looking man. He opened the door and yelled something at me. I apologised and said I was deaf and didn’t catch what he said.

He shouted something about him being asleep and proceeded to threw my parcel out at me, which wound me up. I told him there was no need to throw my parcel. He said “are you deaf and dumb?” and shut the door in my face.

I couldn’t believe it. I was shocked and angry but I just went back home and tried to forget about it.

As the weeks went on, I felt more intimidated by the neighbours next door. The woman would always be outside in her garden which overlooked mine smoking a cigarette and silently intimidating me staring at me.

My older daughter told me she had heard the neighbour shouting at them to “shut the **** up“ when they were playing outside which meant they played out less as they didn’t feel safe. As weeks went by we also noticed rubbish and cigarettes would end up being thrown over our garden.

My children would also complain of hearing the neighbours television loudly through the walls late at night or arguments from them too.

To put it bluntly I felt like a nervous wreck. I had just come out of a difficult relationship and the last thing I wanted was confrontational neighbours.

It all came to a head one afternoon when I found piles of rotten wood being discarded in the bottom of my garden – which I had witnessed being thrown over. I’d had enough.

I went round to speak to them and when they did answer the door I asked them to stop throwing rubbish over into our garden.

The lady launched herself at me attacking me pushing me backwards and telling me to get off her driveway. My eldest daughter said she heard them calling me a “deaf ****” and laughing afterwards.

It got worse with loud noises, shouting and banging and so I contacted the police. The police managed to visit me with an interpreter who was brilliant and they could see I was very distressed and felt highly vulnerable.

They could only have a verbal chat with the neighbours and they assured me that sometimes “that’s all that is needed.”

Nothing major happened after that but my children still complained of loud noises from next door and I felt highly uncomfortable at home, always happier when we were out of the house. Being deaf and the only adult in the house made me feel very vulnerable.

I decided to just get out of there immediately as I knew it would be a long wait to find another rental place in the area or even further afield. So I moved back in with my parents temporarily after telling them everything that had happened.

It meant I had a longer commute to work and longer travel for the children’s school but it was worth it. And now I’ve found my own place with lovely new neighbours, I look back and can’t believe what I went through.

Don’t stay in situations where you feel safe or threatened. It isn’t worth it. Just get out of there.

This blog has been written anonymously as part of the Insight series  where readers are invited to share their story or news about their interesting job with The Limping Chicken. If you have a story to share please email rebecca@rawithey.com

Image courtesy of i-stock photos.