Neighbour issue

LifeisYours

I have recently purchased a house and a neighbour issue has occurred. Unfortunately, my next door neighbour is a smoker and does it by the back door throughout the day, the smell then lingers into my kitchen, back bedroom and also the bathroom ☹ On top of that I get the cooking smells from the back door on top of the cigarette smoke!

I have to keep the windows and back door closed to stop the odour coming in (dreading the summer).

I have politely tried to speak to her about it as I would like to avoid any issues however she is being stubborn and won’t come to a resolution.

When I viewed the house the neighbour was away at the time and I was advised by the vendor she has never had any issues with her neighbours.

I know she has a right to smoke on her own premises however I just don’t know what to do. Selling up now is going to be a major issue as I could potentially make a big loss with house prices falling and incur additional costs so soon. And a potential red flag to potential buyers selling so early.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Schwarzwald

I understand it’s an annoyance but it sounds a bit extreme wanting to sell because of some smoking and cooking smells (from a non commercial premise).

How often does she smoke and are you at home all day out?
are you allergic to the smoke?

probably unlikely you can change her behaviour so need to look for your options.

you say it is a house, cant you open the front windows to air the property?
Maybe buy some air refreshers for indoors etc

or simply, give it some time, make you get used to it and mind shifts from annoyance to acceptance

fewcloudy

LifeisYours said:

I have recently purchased a house and a neighbour issue has occurred. Unfortunately, my next door neighbour is a smoker and does it by the back door throughout the day, the smell then lingers into my kitchen, back bedroom and also the bathroom ☹ On top of that I get the cooking smells from the back door on top of the cigarette smoke!

I have to keep the windows and back door closed to stop the odour coming in (dreading the summer).

I have politely tried to speak to her about it as I would like to avoid any issues however she is being stubborn and won’t come to a resolution.

When I viewed the house the neighbour was away at the time and I was advised by the vendor she has never had any issues with her neighbours.

I know she has a right to smoke on her own premises however I just don’t know what to do. Selling up now is going to be a major issue as I could potentially make a big loss with house prices falling and incur additional costs so soon. And a potential red flag to potential buyers selling so early.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

I realise how annoying/worrying this might seem at the moment, but my advice would be that you try to keep a sense of perspective if at all possible.  The alternative is that it escalates and is allowed to grow out of proportion and might ultimately spoil your enjoyment of your new house. Or cost you a lot of money if you feel you HAVE to sell now (you don't).

The vendor may have been correct/honest, and the neighbour may not have caused any issues at all, and in fact been a really good neighbour.  And from the neighbours point of view, she may be saying to her friends that she has been enjoying a quiet smoke at her back door for years, not causing anyone any trouble, she gets a new neighbour and within weeks/months she's already complaining.

For me, the fact that you casually throw in the issue of cooking smells on top of the cigarette smoke tells its own story. That is not at all unreasonable of your neighbour, and I'm not sure what you expect her to do? Stop smoking and cooking?

We see some neighbour horror stories on here, but this need not be one of them.  As already suggested, try to shift your focus away from this as a big problem.

Ramouth

Perhaps have a look at positive input ventilation.  It may help prevent smells coming into your house as well as helping with radon and condensation (which are the most common reasons for fitting them around here).

Slinky

A better route to this would have been to put up with it for a while, befriend the next door neighbour, then ask her if she minds moving further away from your windows/door a few months down the line.  Too late now if you've already upset her.

JuzaMum

I am an ex smoker with asthmatic children. My next door neighbour smokes in her garden. Our gardens are small so there is no possibility of it being further away. I wouldn't dream of asking her to stop. Occasionally in summer I can smell it in my house but it soon clears. 
Unfortunately once you focus on something it can become bigger than it really is. If that is the worse thing she does you really are better of than many. Try not to think about it and get on with enjoying the many good things about your home. 

jrawle

OP: a sympathetic reply here. Cigarette smoke is disgusting and there is no reason you should have to tolerate it on your own property. It can constitute a statutory nuisance and councils are obliged to investigate complaints. The process is similar to making a complaint about a neighbour's noise.

As someone suggested, the first approach may have been to ask the neighbour in a friendly way whether she would mind smoking further from your home. However, I fully understand why you may not feel comfortable doing so. Many people resent the smallest complaint, even put most politely, about some aspect of their behaviour. With smoking, the situation is far worse as, after all, it is an addictive drug.

As with noise issues, you should keep a diary of all the times that the smoke has caused you a nuisance, how long it lasted for each time, etc. Do this for a week or two, then contact your council's environmental health department, and see how it goes from there. You can emphasise that you would be happy for the neighbour to smoke further away from the property so that it would not impact on you.

Is it an attached property? Do you think the smoke would enter your property from inside the neighbours house? The question is why she is smoking outside. Could it be a rented property? If so, you could also contact the landlord to complain about the nuisance. Some rental agreements will include a clause about not causing nuisance to the neighbours. You can find the owner's details from the Land Registry website for £3.

I hope you find some of these suggestions helpful, and that it makes you feel better to know someone understands what you are going through. Someone who isn't bothered by cigarette smoke (or noise for that matter) simply could not understand why this is such a big problem for you.

diystarter7

Hi OP

Either sell up and buy a detached house preferable one built no later than the 60's as they have much bigger garden hence space aound houses or similary semi-detached, EoT that has your and theur kitch etc at the other end from yours.

Complaing re smaoking especaillu food smells, I dont believe you have a leg to stand on as the stench of smoking and food smells you don't like but others may is from their house/garden. IMO, having a word with them will only inflame the situation.

I do feel for you and just wished smoking was banned from all pubic spaces inc people gadesn fron and back where they were a 100 yards within the next property.

Good luck.

diystarter7

Slinky said:

A better route to this would have been to put up with it for a while, befriend the next door neighbour, then ask her if she minds moving further away from your windows/door a few months down the line.  Too late now if you've already upset her.

Hi

Depending on which way the wind is blowing or still air on a warm/hot day, the stench is noticiable.

Years ago when we had a large victorian house in London it had one of those small, open porches just in front of the front door. 
If the milkman had been, the stench hang around for hours from their smoke.
Worse still these days in London and possibly other places many people smoke this stuff from tims and its not weed and no offence to any smokers but it smalls as bad as dog mess - sorry no offence intended but that is is the only way I can describe it - not sure what it is or mixed with something but it is smell that that but lingers a lot furhter than dogs stuff and once up your nose takes hours to rid.

Thanks

Getting_greyer

I think if my neighbour came round and politely asked if I could smoke a fag a bit further up the garden due to the smoke genuinely affecting them I reckon I'd do it. As long as it was a polite request rather than being all mumsnet about it.

If your neighbour does eventually agree to discuss it, don't mention the cooking smell as won't achieve anything.

youth_leader

So sorry OP, I agree with having a positive ventilation unit installed in your loft to ventilate your whole house, it will disperse it and make it far less noticeable. 

I do sympathise.  As a non smoker now vaper (giving that up soon too) I can smell cigarettes a mile off. I can't believe I smelt of a bonfire doused with water for forty years and am sorry I didn't stop when my daughter cried because the kids on the school bus ribbed her about 'stinking' of smoke .