Inconsiderate neighbours.

Tell me what is worse? A dog that howls all day long because it's left alone on a terrace, someone who plays loud music, or someone who practices DIY, banging,drilling and scraping all b****y week, or an inconsiderate b*****d of a neighbour who does all 3.

Guess what? He's also the Vice-Hypocritical-President who complains about everyone and everything that he and his wife don't like, but buries his head in the sand if yuo actually go to him with an urbanisation problem for which he was elected.

Unfortunately the world is full of ignorant and stupid people there are even a few on here

How the dickens did he get voted as VP - sounds like he needs votoing out at next AGM

Pick an appropriate time and make as much noise (legally of course!) when he is resting - we all have to rest at sometime.

When he plays music you play different music louder (try and find music he does not like)

When he scrapes you bang

Then try and agree a compromise i.e. you will stop when he stops etc

I know this may sound childish but it is the only thing these ignorant stupid people understand

We have  them each side.

One is a holiday home owner whose friend has been  working on the place for 4 years, on and off, removing slate, replacing with tiling, putting rooms in the under build , singlehanedly( it's cheaper)

We've had angle grinding, hammer drilling, dust all through the last few summers,

When the owner comes out, all is peaceful.She then goes home and another project starts.

Next to her we have a couple who bought the place years ago, and only now, when most around them have finished, did they start the tiling, terraces, conversion of unspderbuild etc- again a friend does the work, when they are in the UK enjoying the peace and quiet at their other property.. Being on his own, this chap is taking a very long time, starts early and finishes late. He'd apparently never heard of a tile cutter, which would at least have reduced the noise

Then on the other side , again a holiday home, the owner thought it would be a good idea, to have all the tiles on his large terraces hammer drilled off, his raised terrace taken down and replaced exactly as before, the edging taken off his pool etc.

Not long before, we had the pleasure of listening to non stop hammer drilling the other side of our adjoining walls, as they removed the gravel coating.,as well as cracking walls our side.

Again,this motley crew of workers toiled from early am to 7 pm, weekends included to make it all nice for his lordship when he came out from his stately home in the UK

I did ask someone at the council if there any restrictions on the hours, or days on which they worked.No came the answer, they can work on any day of the year.

There has been scarcely a day when we could sit out and enjoy the summer, never mind all the dust on the car, and in the pool.Sometimes there was noise and dust from all three properties at the same time.

These owners couldn't care less what we went through, though the did look a bit embarrassed when I told them

Oh yes, then there's the neighbour with the 4 noisy dogs......But that's another story!

Just seen our neighbour, surveying all the work carried out in his absence- now, where's my angle grinder!9

Thanks for the reply. He was voted in as VP because nobody goes to the community meetings. Only about 7 people go to these meetings, which are all carried out in Spanish by the Spanish and the Gibraltarians. When I used to go I insisted on an interpreter being there, but every time they tried to translate the Spanish and the Gibraltarians spoke so loudly over them that my wife and I couldn't hear what they were saying, so we just don't go, as a result the President and the VP are voted in by the same old cronies every year..

It only takes one good man to do nothing, for evil to flourish.

No one can justifiably complain about those in power if they are not prepared to take some responsibility themselves.

Presumably others are not happy, get together and change the control of power.

Doesn't work like that. It would open up a can of worms.

Other neighbours may shout at the workers, then they will shuffle inside

As there is no law about when and how long they can work, what can you do?

Then there is possible retaliation and intimidation.

Sorry  but I cannot understand why you bothered to complain when you  do not seem to be bothered to stand up & be counted. I bet there are many on Campasol that feel like you & believe they are the only ones feeling that way. You cannot allow the bullies to intimidate you. I am sure you have many friends on Campasol and a low key chat about what you are having to put up with just might spark a conversation that will eventually put you in touch with other like minded folk.

I know as we grow older all we want is a quiet life with no arguments but no one should be bullied.

You say

Doesn't work like that. It would open up a can of worms.

Other neighbours may shout at the workers, then they will shuffle inside

But how do you know they would shuffle inside. If they think they are alone then you cannot blame them but if you let them know that there are others that feel the same way then maybe something can be done. Remember a bully survives because of other peoples fear but if confronted by a group, the larger the better, then its a different matter. I know I used to deal with bullies in schools and when confronted they change their tune. Itmight not work but surely its better to try than not to have tried at all. go on Knock your neighbours doors see how they feel.

I hope you get the support from your community soon & get rid of this person who evedently has no care for others

My sadly departed very good mate and solicitor told me that in all the neighbour disputes that he had handled, everyone was 100% in the right. He then said that complainants should bite the bullet by selling up and moving on, I'm sure that they then fulfilled their legal obligation to declare all neighbour disputes.   

Ooooo what a good idea and sound advice. Sell up and move on and lose a fortune on your property, in a recession, because of someone elses selfish ignorance. 

Sorry, but he's been dead for six years and is therefore unable to quantify his statemen, however. you are obviously not able to comprehend his retorict, either that or you have the definative answer to neighbour disputes. My guess is that you would put up with it and hope that matters improve or that the neighbours move on.

If it were me I would initially attempt to sort matters put amicably on a person to person basis, if that failed I would contact a lawyer, but having said that I'm not as bright as some on this forum consider themselves to be. 

Sadly I think you have 3 options

1. Fight them, stand up for yourself, the community and take action, If you are afraid of bullies, initimdation etc then option 2 or 3 are your only options

2. As has been suggested move, which sadly will incur a financial hit - what price happiness?

3. Put up with it

Well I'm not afraid of bullies and that's the problem. The last one I stood up to was a Spaniard, who left his Alsatian to bark on his terrace for 12 hours every day, which had been annoying everyone for 3 years. I challenged him about it after the President, VP and administrators did nothing. For my troubles he smashed me over the head with his motor cycle helmet,his wife tried to run me over AND THEN HE DENOUNCED ME! But where were the community committee, nowhere in sight?

Thery're not bullies these people, they are cowards with no respect for other people. By the way I paid €252,000 for my house and the one next door which is the same, and a repossession, is up for sale for €90,000. I'm 2 years off retiring, with a mortgage to pay, I can't afford to sell up and move. 

Orda, OK so you've lost money on paper, but if you could get circa €100,000 for your property you would still be able to afford to buy a property that someone else bought for €252,000 and is now a reposession on sale for €100,000.   

Something does not appear right here and there are 2 sides to every story

Sorry Orda but violence in any shape or form is not the responsibility of a president, administrator , neigbourhood, community etc and if a denuncia was raised against you then you had the right to challenge and / or raise your own.

If you were attacked by anyone with a crash helmet then you would have wounds or mrsk of some sort and the police have to investigate if not consult a solicitor

I am sorry but I am wondering how much you have contribted to this dispute - maybe it is time to move on for better or worse

Tadd, you have it in one. 

I wish I hadn't posted because, it is obvious that some of the people who replied are the types that I have a problem with and that's one of the reasons why I don't post on Manilva Life. When I attended the Grammar School I was a member of the Debating Society. We had great evenings, with lots of banter and no fall-outs. It seems that most people on here don't know the etiquette of posting. When someone posts a problem, they don't want to hear from a know-all who thinks that there are 2 sides to every story, or what their dead solictor might have said (sorry for your loss, as I just lost my best friend of 46 years), when they have been given the facts, as the noise was indisputable, and, or who someone says that I was part of my own problem. Idiot! The comment was about the dog barking with no support from the community, who also didn't like it, but did nothing about it, it was about the lack of support when I was being assaulted. If you are going to comment please read the rest of the post.

I totally agree with your comment regarding you regretting posting, you appear to have all the answers, so why ask us 'idiots' for our advice? 

crookesey

Correct

Last post by orda sounds very much sour grapes

A self proclaimed experienced schoolboy debater who does not understand the concept of 2 sides probably sums it up really - orda needs to put the shovel away and stop digging

Sorry, but at the risk of putting my head above the parapet, I agree with orda. Barking dogs and loud music should be a community issue but I am well aware that most won't tackle it. If it was sorted by the community in the first place then perhaps it wouldn't have turned violent. What is it with Spain and barking dogs? Most Brits. that you speak to complain about them as they can really make life miserable. Are the Spanish deaf?

We are in the process of selling our holiday home (at a huge loss) mainly because of excessive noise. Dogs, goats, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, cockerells and peacocks to name just a few of the animals that drive us mad, leading to lack of sleep.This influx on a small piece of land behind the apartment blocks, has only happened in the last few years but we decided that we have had enough.  As the apartment is only a holiday home we can sell up and take the loss but many can't. I can really sympathise with anyone in a similar position.