One house causing issues in new estate.

Kindred74

Hi,

Just looking for advice on the following. We recently purchased in a small esate of new builds. One of the houses is owned by the council and tenants moved in about 6 months ago. Everything started out well enough, all our kids were playing football together etc on the green. Eventually their cousins who live nearby would start to come, they would set up bbqs on the green and generally take over it and leave litter. There was also language being used around our kids that none of us would approve of. Fast forward to last week, theor children undid my garden gate latch and helped themselves to some of kids toys. I went out and firmly, but politely, told them that they shouldn't let themselves in and to ask in future. They seemingly went and told their parents a different story as I was confronted that evening being accused of discrimination and frankly a load of nonsense, it was quite intimidating. Since then, the kids and cousins have been continually coming on our property, sticking their fingers at us when we are in the front room.

I know we could report it to the council, but it's sort of low scale stuff. My kids don't want to go outside when their kids are there and I'm not sure what to do. Speaking with the parents constructively is not an option, they've made up out mind about us based on complete falsehoods, we were welcoming to them but we wanted some boundaries too. Has anyone dealt with similar? We are quite upset because we love the house and area.

RichardAnd

There are many such stories like this, I'm afraid. By all means, contact the council, but I don't think that they will do anything. The guards can be called if there is property damage or things being stolen, but I wouldn't expect them to do anything beyond giving the family a warning.

Just this:

"They seemingly went and told their parents a different story as I was confronted that evening being accused of discrimination and frankly a load of nonsense."

I think that you're being generous to the parents. To me, it sounds like you and your community were welcoming, tolerant and polite. Sadly, that is seen as weakness to be exploited by some.

Adhamh

It sounds simplistic, crass and naïve but get your kids involved in boxing and watch their confidence shoot up

Bobson Dugnutt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580611#Comment_122580611

Genuinely terrible advice.

kabakuyu

Start looking for a new location.Things will get worse,you will never be comfortable there with these people around you.If you complain,they will escalate the intimidation and make your life a misery.

SteM

You could try to wait them out to see if they move on in a few years, but from the sounds of it they have taken over and are running the place now.

Sorry to say this op but things will probably get worse before they get better. Some people just can't be reasoned with I'm afraid. Good luck.

road_high

small obvious thing but up your security like locks on your garden gate and don’t leave any valuables out that they can walk off with

RichardAnd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580614#Comment_122580614

It's not. Learning a combat sport is a excellent thing for all young men to do. It's also worthwhile for girls. I used to do both Krav Maga and MMA, and would spar every weekend with friends. It was both fun and useful.

What needs to be understood is that we're not living in the 1950s. Europe is becoming increasingly unsafe, and the state seems to have no interest in doing much about it. We all need to know how to handle ourselves.

byrne249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058367488/one-house-causing-issues-in-new-estate

Made the mistake of buying in a far more 'mature' estate in this regard. I was constantly giving out to their kids, do not leave anything around for them to take because they believe it's theirs if it's just sitting out. Also the kids themselves will be trying your door handles to your car and house constantly, make sure everything is LOCKED AT ALL TIMES.
I'd tell them not to be using my driveway as goalposts, sure that just made me more of a target. Unfortunately the stress of it just meant I had to sell up and leave.

SNNUS

Its always the free loaders that are the trouble.

Deebles McBeebles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580611#Comment_122580611

I'm willing to bet the kids of the OP's neighbours are already in the local boxing club. Call it intuition. I doubt they want to spend more time around them.

Tefral

My brother got Wireless Battery operated Cameras on Amazon for this kind of thing. They have motion detection etc and also the act of having them visable will help!

I think its worth looking into. Something like this.

Camera

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580696#Comment_122580696

Buying in a mature estate is usually a good thing to be honest.

Dodgy families can move in at any point unfortunately, only way around it is to buy with land around you.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580714#Comment_122580714

Yes, it would be just awful if the kids got to know each other, and maybe even learned to get on with each other. Yeuchhhh.

Deebles McBeebles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580729#Comment_122580729

How naive.

Markcheese

google a mosquito device , it emits a high pitched hum that can only be heard by kids and teens , now you can only use it on your own property , obviously ,

It doesn't cause any damage but kids don't like heating it over time , and tend to not hang around your garden , obviously you'd need to turn it off when your kids go out to your front garden,

byrne249

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580722#Comment_122580722

Mature in the very worst sense of the word. I supplanted myself amongst them. I'm making a couple of assumptions based on what the OP said about which types those are

RichardAnd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580729#Comment_122580729

Life isn't a film…

Mrs OBumble

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580729#Comment_122580729

They did get to know each other, and played together.

NiceFella

Best move is to de-escalate the situation, but since now you know what you're dealing with, do not take any sh*te from them in future. Kid comes in your garden up to no good, firmly tell them to get out close and lock if need be.

People recommending self defense etc while useful is just putting your mind into a confrontational state. Your a responsible adult and most of your neighbors are too. Don't sweat these fools, they are likely all bark no bite.

If you get on with the neighbors you could make a group complaint. They'll all have dealings with them.

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580743#Comment_122580743

I used to hear that into my late 30s and, honestly, if a neighbour put one up it would have met with a bad end.

They penetrate a nearby wall or windows easily enough. A shop in Paul Street put some up to scatter kids and I ended up not eating at restaurants in the area

Stephen_Maturin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580729#Comment_122580729

Would you be free for a wallet inspection anytime soon?

RichardAnd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580848#Comment_122580848

I wouldn't get one of those things. Just because you can't hear a sound doesn't mean that it isn't there.

Norrie Rugger Head

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580876#Comment_122580876

Loads of adults can hear them into middle age. They also have to consider all the other kids in the area.

Baybay

The old saying that good fences, and maybe gates, make good neighbours might be a thing.

Rows Grower

A nice little Jack Russel would be the right job to keep those kids away from your property.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580660#Comment_122580660

I hear this advice a lot with these situations but it's really not a solution at all.

The OP just moved into their new house. Which means legal fees, stamp duty and all the rest on top of the house purchase price. The whole thing probably took at least 4 months to go through, a year of stress and 5-8000 euro in fees.

I doubt they have the will or the disposable cash to just up sticks and do that all again.

AndrewJRenko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580902#Comment_122580902

And then find that they have new neighbours in the new place!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580780#Comment_122580780

Life isn't a Daily Mail article, specifically designed to stir up hatred among those who don't know better.

RichardAnd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580942#Comment_122580942

I don't read rags, I'm afraid. However, I think the behaviour of the individuals in question stirs up the hatred, not the pens of of the hacks in the media.

StevenToast

Get out of there OP...while there is still value in your new house...let some other sucker in there...

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580890#Comment_122580890

It absolutely won’t, it’ll just land the OP with a lawsuit.

kabakuyu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580902#Comment_122580902

I understand that,but the houses in that estate will possibly lose value in the future,word will get out that there is a problem there.They even have the cousins congregating there,it's on a downward slope.

Best to get out now while you can.

csirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580691#Comment_122580691

Becoming involved in a sport is great, but only if it is for sporting reasons.

If one of the OPs kids hits and does damage to one of the neighbours kids, the OP will be bringing a whole load of troble on himself. These people will complain to the authorities and possibly sue. The authorities will back them to the hilt and you or your kid will have the guards and Tusla in your life for a long time.

RichardAnd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580994#Comment_122580994

This is true, but it's still worth knowing how to defend yourself as a last resort.

Stephen_Maturin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580942#Comment_122580942

Who is stirring up hatred apart from the arseholes making a mess of the place and intimidating OP in their own home?

ELM327

How was I able to gather from the title.. (house, issues, new estate) that this would include issues from folk not paying for the house from their pocket.

This is why integrating social housing within normal estates simply doesnt work. Why pay for something when you'll be landed with this? The solution - as I implemented for my family - is to live rurally and not surrounded by anyone.

lawrencesummers

This kinda thing is happening in most new estates.

The councils are buying loads of the new builds and the people longest on the housing list can often be the people you dont want to live beside but hey, you pay full price for your house and work you arse off to pay for it and the scrote next door gets theirs for free and never works. Its a great little country.

If i was a first time buyer now i wouldn't look near a new estate, id buy something older.

The OP is always going to have the problem, and there is every chance it actually gets worse

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581009#Comment_122581009

Integrating social housing is the only thing that works, otherwise you have ghettos and no-go estates where social order falls apart. Their kids might be little scrotes, but they're growing up in a community where children go off to college and succeed in life, which can only have positive influences.

Sucks for the OP, my only advice is to get the gardai involved and tell them you have tresspassers. You can pick up security cameras cheap enough (I'd recommend getting them regardless) so now you have recordings of this behaviour.

As others have said, locks, fences etc can keep them out.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580972#Comment_122580972

Again, you're not factoring in what a massive undertaking that is.

They literally just bought a house, which means that's their first time buyer status gone. They're also now in a housing chain.

So what do they do? Do they sell their house now and start renting somewhere till they find something new?

Have you seen how difficult it is to secure a rental property? the prices of rent?

So say the actually manage to find a rental property and move their whole life there. Furniture. Kids. Dog. Everything. They now have to go through the headache that is selling a house. Viewings. Dealing with estate agents. Uncertainty.

They go through all of that and sell their house. Takes 5 months but it's now done. They're back to having no house but with without first time buyer status.

They're now in a rental property looking for another new house in a very difficult market. Property prices are increasing month on month. They're burning through money in rent.

They finally find a new place, but no, they get outbid. It happens again. And again. One property after another.

'Why are we going through this all over again just after we literally did it last year???' they exclaim to each other on a regular basis.

Stress and anxiety start to grab hold.

After six months they finally go sale agreed on a new house. Because house price increases over the last year, it's significantly smaller than the last house.

The sale closes, they pay their stamp duty, their legal fees (while also exclaiming 'why are we paying 8,000 euro on this when we literally just paid the same last year on a different house???')

They move into their second new house in a year (after paying 24,000 euro to live in rental accommodation the last year), move all of their furniture in, make some dinner, settle down for the night. Start thinking about where to send the kids to school.

11pm arrives and they all go to bed.

'THUMP' - 'whats that?'

'THUMP' 'THUMP' 'THUMP' /looks out the window, egg is rolling down the glass, small scrote kids can be seen running off into the distance laughing.

Seriously, it's not a solution.

Rows Grower

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580967#Comment_122580967

How in the name of all that's holy in Heaven did you come to that conclusion?

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058367488/one-house-causing-issues-in-new-estate

I think there’s one aspect of your story that every other poster has over-looked.

You left your kids toys out in your front garden- when I was a kid that was fair game for all other kids- if you don’t want kids using your own kids toys don’t leave them lying around- especially if you know that kids from other areas with maybe not so nice manners are now playing in your estate. I wouldn’t have given out to them personally - I just would have retrieved the toys and locked them away out back.

Winter will be upon us soon- the kids hanging around will disperse - likely they won’t bother you next summer - in the meantime have a discussion with your own kids around who they wish to play with and who they’d prefer not to play with. Also talk to other parents and see if they’re anyways concerned - “fighting” this on your own will just lead to escalation over time- you don’t need that hassle

csirl

Can also happen in older estates. In recent years several houses in my estate have been bought by the council.

lawrencesummers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581031#Comment_122581031

how do you know it works? And who exactly does it work for?

csirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581031#Comment_122581031

They never seem to try integration in wealthy areas. Maybe if they did, they'd all grow up to be hospital consultants and barristers.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581031#Comment_122581031

Works for who? Certainly not for the hardworking folk that get landed with them and all the problems they bring.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581094#Comment_122581094

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581056#Comment_122581056

Let's be honest, the OP's issue is not social housing in an estate.

The issue is they have a problem with their neighbours and no way to solve it. Wouldn't make a difference if the house is council owned, landlord owned, or owned by the neighbours themselves.

I can talk about the merits of mixed developments, but it's off topic in this thread, I was simply countering an ill informed post above.

GreeBo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122580691#Comment_122580691

Ah yes, de-escalation through combat sports, ingenious.

Apothic_Red

I was you OP, about 15 years ago.

Scrote kids a few doors up played X's & O's on my car with a sharp stone. Parents didn't care/wouldn't listen & told me to f*ck off. Council didn't want to know.

So I got 2 dashcams for the car that were set off by motion. I put a security camera up under my top gutter & put a ring doorbell next to my letterbox. Inside a month I captured about a catalogue of scrote behaviour, worst ones involved assaulting other kids in the estate & braking trees planted under the new estate landscaping. I put all on a USB key & dropped it in their letterbox. Not sure if it was a coincidence but the kids weren't seen on the green again, a few months after we got word they were moving to their forever home. Somebody else's problem but I didn't care.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581121#Comment_122581121

The OP's issue is with social housing in an estate though. If you have a normal new middle class estate, 3 and 4 bed semis, garden front and rear, both parents working etc, you don't get that sort of messing. It is caused by this noble but foolhardy attempt to integrate different strata of society.

One would ask, why a new estate in Dunshaughlin gets these residents but not a new estate in Rathmines.

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581136#Comment_122581136

What planet do you live on? You think that only children living in social housing are trying car doors, throwing stones at houses and ringing doorbells?

Sorry pal, but you see this sort of behaviour everywhere.

As for your other comment, there are plenty of social houses in leafy South Dublin suburbs

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/fourteen-flats-in-luxury-d4-block-for-social-housing/39282577.html

acceletor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122581056#Comment_122581056

It does work. And I know from personal experience.