Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Steven Rae

Neighbours 'won’t take no for an answer' after demanding to use man's swimming pool

A man has become irate with his neighbours after claims that they keep pestering him and his wife to use the pool they have in their garden - even after he said they couldn't.

The man revealed on a social media post that he and his wife recently moved into the property, which features a swimming pool that had previously been installed.

However, after just a couple of months into their new residence the families living in the houses nearby began asking if they could come and use their pool - as they claimed the previous owners always used to let them take a dip whenever they wanted, reports the Mirror.

Yet, despite the man and his spouse already telling neighbours that they’re “private people” who don’t want strangers wandering into their garden whenever they feel like it, their neighbours won’t take no for an answer.

In his Reddit post, he said: “My spouse and I bought a house in February with a pool. It’s a single family home, and we keep ourselves to ourselves. We have friends over occasionally and we enjoy having people over for food, drinks, and of course swimming pool parties now that the weather allows for it.

“We fit in the neighbourhood, or so we thought until the neighbours from three surrounding homes got into a weird conversation with us around their expectations to access the pool for weekend and holiday pool parties.

“Apparently, the owners before us had kids who were friends with the neighbourhood kids. The neighbourhood kids and adults would use the pool when they wanted to. The gate was always open and they even had their inflatables nearby and had arranged to split the payment for the maintenance of the pool.

“We told them that we’re fairly private people and enjoy our privacy and don’t see ourselves letting neighbours have access to our backyard whenever they want. Each time any of us are wandering around outside, they just ask over and over and try to sell the idea of having access to it. They offer money and offer to share the maintenance fees and such.”

The message still doesn’t seem to have gone through to his neighbours, as he recently had friends over and one neighbour sarcastically said it “must be nice” for them to have been allowed to enjoy the pool.

He added: “I was trying to enjoy gardening and was cornered once again. I just really firmly told them that they really need to stop talking about the pool each time they see us, stood up and left.

“We politely decline over and over, and we are seriously getting tired of the nagging and the pool and their access to it being the only thing they want to connect with us about. It’s not like we created a bond or anything, all conversations are just about the pool.

A private pool is a dream for most people. (mediarumimages)

“We had a party yesterday evening and as I was showing the front yard to my friend, my neighbour popped up and was talking about how it must be nice to be invited to enjoy the pool. Am I wrong for not wanting the neighbours to have access to my property and seriously losing my patience with their expectations?”

Commenters on the Reddit post were equally baffled by the neighbours’ persistent actions, with some suggesting the man get a lock on his gate and a “no trespassing” sign, and others pointing out the dangers of letting strangers onto his property.

One person said: “Those are some entitled persistent neighbours. Also the liability of having an open gate for everyone’s access. What if a kid wandered in and drowned? That will be on you. Stand your ground, I would do the same. Good luck!”

While another added: “You need to consider a lock on the gate if there isn’t one already and cameras near the gate and pool just in case. Maybe even a nice no trespassing sign on the gate. If they think you’re out of town, they might help themselves to a swim and that is a huge liability.”

Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.