voyeuristic neighbours

SNAPP_2

Is there any law to stop neighboutrs staring in to my home and garden frpom thier upstairs window?!  
New neigbours are blanantly watching me in my home and my garden.  They stand at thier upstairs window constantly throught the day and evening, they even open thier window, lean out smoking and watch me when im just going about my home. My kitchen windown and dining room french windows over look my back garden, thier house is around the corner so thier house is at 90% to my meaning they can see right in.  It is so bad that i have now bought blinds putrposely to prevent then looking in but this means I have to have blinds closed 24/7 and im the one living in the dark!  I have a lovely gardnen and now I cant even see it un;ess I go outside, when im outside they are watching constantly.. They litereally spend hours looking out and watching me.. Surely there is a law against this.. I cant live my life freely anymore! Please help / advise !

OrbitHeadache

Sounds like harassment and stalking.

In reality will be impossible to prove they are entitled to look out their window and will deny ever doing what you describe

gwynlas

I think they are not actively watching you but just standing at window. You say they are smoking so obviously rather than going outside they stand at window so are visible to you. It might be that due to angles and reflections that they cannot see into your home. You should not live behind closed blinds but if you feel you need added privacy get mirrored film. Personally I would give them something to look at and walk around undressed if they could see in they would be installing their own blinds

apw81

Objectively, are you in danger of making more of this than it actually is? Generally, people have little interest in the neighbours.

When I was a yoof, hanging out the window to smoke was because I shouldn’t be smoking inside at all. Maybe they’re not supposed to smoke inside, or they want to avoid masking the place stink. 

When they’re not smoking, are they genuinely just standing at the windows looking at you all day long? I don’t know what you could do about this that can be proved, since they’re inside their own home—they wouldn’t admit to it so difficult situation. Ignore them as best you can. But, if they were saying/shouting things, heckling, whatever, then that would be something to chat to the police about.

However, you don’t need to live in the dark, that’s optional; if you buy daylight blinds you get both light and privacy. I have these in all my windows. I can watch people passing by my house all day long without them knowing a thing, it’s great. Daylight blinds are less effective at night (when the house is lit from inside) but that’s what curtains are for.

mi-key

Venetian blinds or vertical blinds would mean you could just angle them to block the view and still allow plenty of light in. Or nets work well during the daytime. 

I think you may be being a bit paranoid though? Is there any reason you think they would want to spend hours watching you? I sometimes stand at my window watching the wildlife outside, but I'm not looking into anyones windows. Unless a house is very close to yours, you can't really see anything inside someones house anyway 

Undervalued

OrbitHeadache said:

Sounds like harassment and stalking.

In reality will be impossible to prove they are entitled to look out their window and will deny ever doing what you describe

Not in the legal sense! Not by a long way.

Undervalued

apw81 said:

Objectively, are you in danger of making more of this than it actually is? Generally, people have little interest in the neighbours.

When I was a yoof, hanging out the window to smoke was because I shouldn’t be smoking inside at all. Maybe they’re not supposed to smoke inside, or they want to avoid masking the place stink. 

When they’re not smoking, are they genuinely just standing at the windows looking at you all day long? I don’t know what you could do about this that can be proved, since they’re inside their own home—they wouldn’t admit to it so difficult situation. Ignore them as best you can. But, if they were saying/shouting things, heckling, whatever, then that would be something to chat to the police about.

However, you don’t need to live in the dark, that’s optional; if you buy daylight blinds you get both light and privacy. I have these in all my windows. I can watch people passing by my house all day long without them knowing a thing, it’s great. Daylight blinds are less effective at night (when the house is lit from inside) but that’s what curtains are for.

If they are the OP could only know that by standing in their garden looking directly at the neighbour's window all day!

FlaatusGoat

Grow a tree at the end of your garden, or put trellis up with that fake green stuff you can get

TELLIT01

Does the OP never look outside their own garden?  I often look out of my bedroom window and can therefore see into adjoining gardens and properties.  The reality is, I have not the slightest interest in what they are doing despite looking outside my own garden.

MorningcoffeeIV

SNAPP_2 said:

Surely there is a law against this.. 

Surely if there was, people would have heard about it.

jonnydeppiwish!

And there was me thinking it was the neighbours who were walking around naked 😂