Trying to get people's thoughts on this:
We used to hire a person for our lawn mowing at around 9am in the morning on the weekday. The neighbour complain that it was too early on a weekday so we moved to the weekend. Now they want us to only do lawn mowing post 11am on the weekend to accommodate.
What's the best way to resolve this?
edit: We only call the lawn mower once every 6-8 weeks
What's the best way to resolve this?
Honestly ignore them…. They just want to complain. The times you are mowing the lawn is 'legal' and 9am on a weekend is fine.
One day you can't even fart in your own garden ;)
Well it is a greenhouse gas.
I’d just like to sit in my backyard and breath fresh air, instead it’s the daily putrid smell of chimney smoke.
Your fart would smell better than the crap that my neighbours burn daily.
Have there been ongoing issues with this neighbour?
Did you just move in ?
Move it to 11am if you can, and tell your neighbor in the face that you're the best neighbor they can have, don't push their luck.
Tell your neighbour either the mower can do it at 9am, or you'll buy one of these and the neighbour can come and do it whatever hour, for free, https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/e4/6e/ece46e9b4e7bfdcef078…
Might just use scissors :)
Not your problem. During the week you could start earlier. So 9am is fine. But if no issue to book it later, why not..
My neighbours lawn mowing service starts 7am week days.
That’s pretty early though, I’m barely awake at 7am.
When does everyone else mow their lawns? Round here it’d be strange not to hear a mower on the weekend.
in the afternoon
When I can't see the road from my house any more
I would genuinely ask why your neighbour asked you you to accommodate his time…
If it's a legitimate reason that you feel you could be accommodating to and doesn't affect you why wouldn't you do it. Since you have other people doing it anyway.
I get along with all my neighbours and do so on purpose. You live there and the last thing you want is confrontation with your neighbours.
Just read the other threads here about neighbours. You don't want a bad one… or be a abnoctous one yourself.
abnoctous obnoxious
yes exactly…
WOW what a terrible neighbour. Mowing at that time on a hot day would damage the lawn. Obviously they don’t care about how their lawn looks but at least you do. Tell there where to go!!!!
Tell them there is an additional fee to mow after 9am and ask if they’re willing to pay for it….see what they come back with…… They should be grateful of the fact you’re willing to keep the place looking respectful and tidy. If anything you should ask them to pay you money. The gall of some people, seriously?
Some good responses. Find out why and what suits them best. If it suits you and the gardener, just do it I reckon. But if I was doing the lawn myself, I would say stuff you and I will do it whenever it suits me within the local law provisions.
You are too accommodating for your neighbours. You rarely get your grass cut and when you do it's within the local area hours of expected noise. I completely understand that your neighbours would be annoyed with the sound of a lawn mower during the week, since we're in lockdown. But it's not like the lawnmower is going all day! Your neighbours are being unreasonable. If they want peace and quiet, they need to move to a large farmland block.
I now my lawn once every two weeks in the spring, never outside of legal times, if my neighbours suggested I do it at a certain time, I'd entertain the idea….. If they complain I'd tell them where to go.
Tell them that's when the lawn service can do it but if your neighbour would like some pocket money you can let them do it exactly when it suits them.
Tell them that the world doesn’t revolve around them and that they can stick their complaint up their backside.
That is a crazy unreasonable request for something that happens so infrequently. What's the history between you two ?
Wow.. Hearing a lawn mower for 20 mins or so (I don't know how much lawn you have of course), once every 6 to 8 weeks and they are complaining about that?
That's suburbia, if they can't handle that they should get a rural block in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours around.
Spot on, I mow my lawn weekly in spring and most of summer before it gets too hot so say by 9am and have never had a complaint. Actually sometimes it inspired others to mow their lawns.
Before deciding how to handle it, you need to ask why? There maybe a very solid reason and I can think of many.
As a person with chronic health issues, I am Barely alive before 11 am. I am also very sensitive to noise. So the last thing I would want is a mower starting at my window before then. However, if it started elsewhere and then mowed near my window later while the engine was still going, it would be less intrusive to me.
They could be caring for someone and not getting to sleep until 2 or 3 am. A hypersensitive child that gets terrified.by the noise (say autism) …. So ask why.
They could just be a whiner and then I would have no qualms ignoring them. I worked in an oncology/palliative care ward years ago. In all that time there was only one family that were over the top with their demands. They complained because some staff were laughing in our staff room - which was not close to that room at all. Their attitude was "How dare they laugh while our loved one is dying". The whole world was meant to stop and be silent. I've since learnt though that in some cultures, this is how it is. When a family member is dying or has died noone is to have any enjoyment - even if they are thousands of miles away.
The whole world was meant to stop and be silent. I've since learnt though that in some cultures, this is how it is.
I think it just some people will complain about anything and everything. (especially if they are "stressed", which is likely if they have relative in the palliative care ward.)
But this is happening once every six weeks….
Talk to them and see if there is a reasonable reason for this. They may be a shift worker or essential service provider for example or have medical reasons. If That is the case I would try and be respectful to their needs provided it didn't mean I had to spend all of my time thinking about them ahead of my own rights. If they just want to dictate how you live to fit in with their lifestyle then fek 'em!
no idea how big the lawn is - but maybe consider an electric lawnmower?
Saying that - 9AM is more than reasonable on a weekday! if you were out there at 7AM I'd be annoyed, but hey you're allowed, and its not like its EVERYDAY :P
I get that you're trying to accommodate your neighbour, but it really is a 2 way relationship
It’s a lawn mowing service to it will be whatever that business uses. I can’t imagine a lawn mowing business using electric. It’s completely reasonable to mow with an electric mower every 6-8weeks at 9am. If it’s a two way relationship the neighbour should stop making unreasonable requests.
I’m a shift worker and if someone wants to mow the lawn or do any other work inside the legal hours I couldn’t care less.
I’m the one who chooses to work unusual hours and don’t expect anyone to accommodate to that.
If someone said to me 9am is too early I would start at the earliest legal time the next time.
Get 2 sets of ear plugs, one for them, and one for you to stop you listening to their complaints because these seem like the kind of people that will never be happy.
"9am is a perfectly legal time and I will not be changing it. If you have a problem with that, you can lodge a complaint with the local council."
I strongly suggest you move it to the earliest possible time allowed by your local council.
If once a every 6-8 weeks he is bitching about noise then I wonder how he raised his children if he had any
Tell them you can't do 11am as you need to phone the police station at that time and charge your ankle braclet. Your parole might end in 2025 and you can discuss the problem with them again then.
I like it a lot.
Show them the wood chipper scene at the end of fargo and tell them that's what happened to your last neigbour who complained about the lawn mowing
11am is too hot in summer. Not acceptable. You should be able to mow the lawn whenever the mood strikes you (within council requirements obviously). Afternoons are often a pleasant time to mow too.
I would just follow the guidelines set by your council. I can't believe your neighbour would complain, lawn mowing is the sound of suburbia.
The other option is to buy an electric mower that is quieter if it is really going to be a problem.
I've found no one ever complains about our Ryobi battery operated mower, no matter how early or late :)
The person who usually complains is the operator.
9am is fine, I’d tell em to get bent I’d they think 9 is too early.
I’d Give them a dose of pantera if they keep complaining
It might be courteous to ask why? They might have a legitimate reason.
Otherwise you have no obligation to do it when they want to.
Tell them to shut up and mind their own business. 9am on a weekday is totally reasonable. If they have a problem, call the council so they can get laughed at and hung up on.
God these Karen's and Kyles are getting more and more desperate for attention
Coordinate with surrounding neighbors and have either: 9am mowing every day, or 1 day of solid mowing (spread the noise throughout the day).
Do this weekly.
edit: We only call the lawn mower once every 6-8 weeks
neighbour = sook = ignore
Ask them to mow for you whenever it suits them.
Tell neighbour you don’t choose time, contractor chooses based on compliance with local council noise restrictions.
Slippery slope. Don't change anything
Give the neighbour the lawn mowers number and tell them to organise it and let you know.
This certainly sounds very unreasonable. I can't help wondering how they cope with rubbish day. Maybe they are lucky and have a later pickup. At my place, we hear the rubbish trucks starting around 5am and we hear them 4 times over about an hour (garbage and either recycling or green waste on both sides of the street). Has your neighbour complained to Council asking them to change rubbish pick up times? And that would be far earlier and it happens EVERY week. He won't have complained to Council though, as he knows it will go nowhere. He's just trying his luck with you. Absolutely nothing wrong with 9am on a weekday or even a weekend!
Here is me, mowing every week. How do you only mow 6-8 weeks. Do you not feed your lawn.
As per a lot of comments you have been too understanding to your neighbours. Especially if they havent given you a good personal reason as to why they asked you to move times.
In the interest of not having the worst possible relationship with the neighbours I would let them know the following:
Then… Move on with your life.
The gardener of the strata complex I was living in worked at 9am, the druggos in the next apartment over weren't happy with that and started to abuse the gardeners, it escalated to threatening them with scissors and physical harassment on the streets. It was fun watching the cops arresting them.
Most council rules are no equipment to be used before 9am on weekends and 7am on weekdays. Find your local rules and speaking to him about it or ignore him
9am on a weekday is completely reasonable. If they have an issue with it because they have night shifts or something like that then that is unfortunately his problem and why he gets paid extra money for those shifts. It's not your responsibility.
i'd just move my mowing to 11am. i know it might not be the answer you want to hear, but if it's a minor change for you that may make their life better, then why not? good relationships with neighbours are things that pay off, moreso over time and moreso during a pandemic lockdown. maybe they are a shift worker, maybe not, but is it that much of an issue for you if you mow a little later in the day?
just my 2c of course
If you are a vengeful and spiteful person:
1) Pick one thing the neighbor does, which you don`t like as well.
2) Tell them straight away, demanding them to change it just because.
3) Do nothing to move the gardener.
4) On the next occasion they complain about the gardener's hours, tell them they still did not address your concerns in a satisfying manner, and tell them to get stuffed.
5) See the neighbor turf war begin.
6- 9) ???
10) Profit.
But seriously, tell the neighbor he is being unreasonable, and unless he is willing to chip in on your costs, you will not do anything anymore because there is no council regulation against that. Move on with your life, and if the neighbor still gives you grief, just ignore him. If he is petty to the point of willing to have bad relationship with you over 1h work done every 2 months, then he is not work bending backwards for anyway.
The kind of neighbor who complains about law mowing - once every six weeks! - is not the kind of neighbor you want to go to war with.
You will lose.
Possibly a shift worker, reasonably, if you stick to the same day and the same time while letting them know they should just be able to wear earplugs for that morning
There’s two options.
Do you have any other power tools, e.g. angle grinder, circular saw. Run those at 9am and he won't complain about your lawnmower ever again.
You do not need to change if you don't like as it's not against the law to do so.
But if it's out of courtesy with their reasonable explanations then just change the mowing time. e.g. they are doing shift work etc.
After all you want to be friendly with your neighbours. Don't you?
Point them to some earplugs deals on ozbargain.
Maybe noise cancelling headphones if they have the money.
Just communicate with them.
Sometimes the law is the law but sometimes a little compromise will go a long way
Always make the effort to be friends with your neighbours from day 1. It will lead the way for situations like this to not escalate. If they see you as a mate rather than just a neighbour, chances are a little inconvenient noise will not be bothersome enough to keep bugging you about it
I see a lot of neighbourly disputes come about simply because people don't talk to each other much anymore. In fact they only see others as an obstacle in their way or an inconvenience. Just 20 years ago neighbours use to go round each others places on the weekends, birthdays, bbqs etc etc.
I'm trying so hard not to assume these neighbour are not Boomers, but damn they are the worse generation (profanity)
I'd think more like the opposite - with elderly people liking to get up early. It could be that the neighbours are shift workers or something along those lines.
This is why I hate suburbia
9am is already more than reasonable.
Do not accommodate them and do not try to be the nice guy, they will take you for a wimp and continue to push unreasonable demands on you.
You will just be reinforcing entitled behaviour.
They are welcome to be annoyed and they are allowed to be angry at being woken - I would be - but I would never approach a neighbor over something like this.
my neighbour does it 7:30am on saturdays, it kills me.
Their world is probably very small - basically just their house.
Log off the internet and go have a yarn with your neighbour, rip a beug beforehand if you have to.
Be kind, you'll need your neighbour's help soon enough.
Can’t stand people that make noise before 12pm on a weekend.
thank you!
In the eastern suburbs, every muppet is awake by 6 am, so that's when they bring out the effing blowers, tradies come for pointless jobs and a horde of idiots from the area rush to the beach in the loudest fking cars known to man.
People who wake up earlier are often so smug about it. Thing is, they go to bed earlier too.
Sorry if I missed it in the thread earlier, but just so I understand, what's the inconvenience to you if you move it to 11? Since you're not doing the mowing yourself I mean.
Man I'm glad I don't have wierdo neighbours
It sounds like they stay up late, therefore 9am is horrible for them. Can you get the mower man to come 11am weekday?
My advice would be just be real.
Ask them why 9am doesn't work, if they say sleep in or baby or x, say you have to mow the lawn sometime, preferably during the week, but ask what time in the day is good, and see if mower man can fit it in within a week or so time span. Done. Assume they're good people and want to work with you, and it will turn out better than assuming they're nuts and uncooperative (cos ppl are good really, we're just strung out and stuff). And if they are being unreasonable just say it, but I don't think it would come to that. And you're being really nice, accommodating them.
My understanding of the noise pollution regulations is you can use your power tools for home maintenance from 8am to 12pm weekends or 10pm weekdays… Depending on your state.
9am weekdays or weekends is fine.
Neighbour should get some 30+ db reducing earplugs to use once every 6-8 weeks.
Do they mow their lawn? If they do get a lawn mowing service that uses an electric lawn mower, then when they mow their own lawn, complain about the noise,pollution and smell coming from their petrol mower.
Change it to the earliest time your state allows. (profanity) them.
They should go to live in a quiet place 1 or 2
Buy a V8 commo and straight pipe the LS and sit on the limiter lol.
OP, I would happily Mow your lawn….my own way. Involves accelerant and some matchsticks.
Are these neighbours for flamin real?
I have chimney smoke where I live every single day of the year. It’s absolutely disgraceful people are allowed to burn their chimneys on a daily basis with no proper laws. I have to put up with black, grey or brown smoke. It stinks, it’s smoky and often with a chemical smell from treated wood. I can’t do what I want when I want in my own backyard because of these disgraceful people. I can’t open a window when I want.
Yet some neighbour is having a winge cause you mow a lawn every six weeks. This post ain’t for real. Having a neighbour mowing a lawn once every six weeks isn’t a problem. The fact they are telling you it is is nonsense. Tell them to come live next to my terrible neighbours who burn crap everyday and see what’s that’s like when you have nowhere to turn. What absolute drivel and quite frankly your being a pushover. Gees to live next to a neighbour where your only problem is they mow the lawn once every six weeks. Is that some kind of utopia?
Just ignore your neighbour.
What's the problem here? Just book it in at 11am next time.
Don't start a war with your neighbor over something so trivial.
OP isn't starting anything. He's even moved the day from a week day to the weekend already at the neighbour's request.
9am is perfectly reasonable. He's not "starting a war" at all. He's ending it buy not doing anything else for the inconsiderate neighbour again.
If you know something is annoying your neighbour, and you do it anyway, then that is going to cause conflict.
OP has to live next to this person.
9am! That's a luxury. My neighbor has someone come to mow every fortnight at 7am ;)
Ask your neighbours to mow your lawn so that they can choose when to do it.
9am….. are you joking…. where is your respect
Tell him to get f$%ked
Move the time if no problem, but I would ask why. I mostly do my lawns in the afternoon as its too hot during the later morning - the rest do too.
Another option might be one of those electric robot lawn mowers, assuming it wont get stolen, you can even buy them in bunnings now.
You have shown your effort to resolve that, but it is impossible for you to please their neverending demands.
Remind the said neighbour 7am is as early as you can do it legally so mowing at 9am is already doing them a favour.
Are they shift workers by any chance?
Move it to 8am on weekends and gift them ear plugs. They can complain to whoever they wish to.