Listening devices

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longwalks1
longwalks1 Posts: 3,738 Forumite
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This is a genuine post people, so please bear with me..

Our newish neighbors have been next door for a year, and honestly whatever me and mrsbritishboy talk about, indoors, even fairly quietly the following day the crazy neighbour is talking about loudly in the garden. It’s NOT coincidence, in the last month we’ve spoken about all sorts and within a day, she’s in the garden talking loudly about the same food/idea/holiday/clothes/tv programme/memory from childhood/animal/holiday destination/new car/ everything

Could she be listening in on us? There really is no other explanation

We live in a solid, well built 1930s semi detached house so it’s not even as though it’s a new build

Is she a weirdo?
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  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,554 Forumite
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    Maybe your louder than you think?

    Had your hearing checked?
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
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    I hope that you're currently experiencing a phase of those "almost unbelievable coincidences" that happen occasionally.

    Otherwise... I'd try deliberately having some really odd conversations involving very specific things that are unusual. Talk about a holiday to explore the banana fields of Uzbekistan, discuss the idea of getting a mongoose as a pet so you can have fresh eggs in the morning... or whatever else you can think of.

    Map-makers include false information (non-existent streets) on their maps to identify anyone who reproduces them without permission. This is based on the same idea... Drop in some information that it would be impossible for your neighbour to be talking about unless they had overheard you, and see what happens...
  • longwalks1
    longwalks1 Posts: 3,738 Forumite
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    forgotmyname wrote: »
    Maybe your louder than you think?

    Had your hearing checked?

    We used to talk indoors at a normal level, no we as good as whisper even with the TV on

    And nothing wrong with our hearing
  • longwalks1
    longwalks1 Posts: 3,738 Forumite
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    esuhl wrote: »
    I hope that you're currently experiencing a phase of those "almost unbelievable coincidences" that happen occasionally.

    Was hoping the same, but its continuing. Down to the same plants we are buying for the garden, what foods we are going to have for evening dinner, even spoke about changing the car the other day, and she was in the garden talking about the same car the following day....

    Otherwise... I'd try deliberately having some really odd conversations involving very specific things that are unusual. Talk about a holiday to explore the banana fields of Uzbekistan, discuss the idea of getting a mongoose as a pet so you can have fresh eggs in the morning... or whatever else you can think of.

    Have tried this with choosing a different car, pretty unusal meals and bits for the garden. It cant be coincidence??

    Map-makers include false information (non-existent streets) on their maps to identify anyone who reproduces them without permission. This is based on the same idea... Drop in some information that it would be impossible for your neighbour to be talking about unless they had overheard you, and see what happens...

    Can she really be listening in on us???
  • Lorian
    Lorian Posts: 5,706 Forumite
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    Does mrsbritishboy hear the neighbours doing this - or do they do it just to you?
  • googler
    googler Posts: 16,103 Forumite
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    britishboy wrote: »
    It’s NOT coincidence, in the last month we’ve spoken about all sorts and within a day, she’s in the garden talking loudly about the same food/idea/holiday/clothes/tv programme/memory from childhood/animal/holiday destination/new car/ everything

    To whom? Her own family? Friends/relatives?

    Assuming a worst-case scenario of the neighbours actually having a listening device in or around your home, you need countermeasures.

    Have you looked around in your attic? Is it a shared attic, or is there a dividing wall?

    Which of your rooms share a boundary with the neighbour? Have you closely examined these and the areas above and below for interference?

    Do you have any rooms which do not border the neighbour? Have you tried talking about random topics there, to see if they percolate next door?
  • esuhl
    esuhl Posts: 9,409 Forumite
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    britishboy wrote: »
    Can she really be listening in on us???


    If you've been talking about multiple topics that are so obscure or nonsensical that she couldn't have come up with them via any other method, then yes -- she's listening in on you.


    But... I'd still have to question how likely this is. What would she have to gain by repeating your conversations? What could be her motivation?
  • shaun_from_Africa
    shaun_from_Africa Posts: 12,858 Forumite
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    esuhl wrote: »
    What would she have to gain by repeating your conversations? What could be her motivation?
    Having lived next door to someone who was to put it politely "very strange", I know that not everyone has to have a logical reason or what seems like sensible motivation for doing something.

    My ex-neighbour had a habit of going into the gardens of the houses on each side of her house in the middle of the night and moving any plants that were in pots.
    She never damaged or stole them, simply moved then a couple of feet around the gardens.
  • longwalks1
    longwalks1 Posts: 3,738 Forumite
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    Lorian wrote: »
    Does mrsbritishboy hear the neighbours doing this - or do they do it just to you?

    We both hear it, the vast majority of things we discuss, within a day next door are talking about it at elevated levels in the garden
  • longwalks1
    longwalks1 Posts: 3,738 Forumite
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    googler wrote: »
    To whom? Her own family? Friends/relatives?

    yes to her own family, her partner and children
    Assuming a worst-case scenario of the neighbours actually having a listening device in or around your home, you need countermeasures.

    Have you looked around in your attic? Is it a shared attic, or is there a dividing wall?
    strong well built houses, all solid walls, no plasterboard walls, no shared attic, solid brick built dividing walls
    Which of your rooms share a boundary with the neighbour? Have you closely examined these and the areas above and below for interference?

    Only our lounge, havent examined for interference as unsure of what you mean

    Do you have any rooms which do not border the neighbour? Have you tried talking about random topics there, to see if they percolate next door?

    lots of rooms, hadn’t thought of that as most evenings we use the lounge, will try your idea out

    As above, thanks everyone for your genuine support with this
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