Hi,
I am new to this site but hopefully someone can help me.

We have lived in spain for two years now but moved into a new house in Dec. We have two young children (boys 6 and 3). We have a nice villa with a garden however, the problem is that whenever my kids play in the garden my neighbour shouts abuse at them over the fence. He is really aggressive and swears and scares them silly, so much so that they are too scared to play outside anymore.

Boys will be boys and bar gagging them I can't keep them quiet. They are not being unruly purely playing in the garden. The neighbour in question has done it to others who have rented this property according to the landlord and he says just to ignore him.

That's easier said than done though and I am becoming very upset by the whole thing and don't want to spend time outside myself either. Yesterday after swearing at the top of his voice and giving me the "finger" because my boys were on their bikes on the garden I went to the police who sent someone round to speak to him. Unfortunately he had gone out so that was to no avail as I'm sure they won't bother chasing it up again.

Can anyone suggest what could be done to stop his appalling behaviour?
Thanks

If you've done all you can yourself definitely keep on to the police about him, you never know where this could escalate too. (not to scare you or anything!).

What's his problem though, any idea?

One idea could be to document it - like video it - and show it to the police...?

really good idea

& return to the police anyway if they don't follow up soon

Stick to the denounce idea but forget the video idea as you could find yourself in trouble for filming someone in their private property, also a video cannot be used as evidence in court.

oh yeah - didn't think of that

in that case just video your garden and it should stil be able to pick up the abse from the neighbour!

That's what worries me. My husband is away a lopt as he commutes and the kids are now scared of him.

I get the idea his problem is that A)he does not like children and B) doesn't like English as he told me to f*** off to the UK.....even though he's German!!

Thank you all for your replies. I think I will keep bugging the police!

the only time we've had problems with neighbours yelling at the kids here in Spain - they were German or British!!!

Have you actually made a denuncia?
If not you should and make it for insulting language. They don't like that here and they view it with as much seriousness as assualt.
At times the police can't be bothered with the arguments of foreigners so you may have to "encourage" them to act.

I’ve sadly experienced neighbour problems on a very few occasions in the past, and have sometimes hung on for too long to resolve matters amicably, leading to some nasty incidents which, on reflection, I should have resolved by moving away.

I can’t even bear to think what would have happened if some neighbour had shouted at my children for playing in their own garden, but I’m a man, not a woman on her own.

Your landlord is obviously aware that this chaps' a git, cant you ask him to do something (I'm assuming he's spanish too??)??? Afterall this sort of behaviour is gonna affect his rentals!

Jo xxx

Invite some Spanish friends and their children round for a couple of hours and let them denounce him.

What's all this denoucing about then? Sounds nasty...I like it.


lcehna, seriously play the wife & children home alone card as mush as poss, surely that should get them moving.

lol, I like that idea