Can my neighbour alter my security light ?

[pattricia 575]

My son put me some security lights up . One of them is on the front of the house and points over my front path, driveway and lawn. They come on automatically when it goes dark, and switch off at daylight. My neighbour who lives opposite me complained that the light shines into his front windows . As he has Venetian blinds and his bedroom is on the back of his house , I fail to see how this affects him.

He actually came over onto my property while I was discussing this with him and tilted the front light downwards so it does not shine onto his property. My son tilted it back again, and I went on holiday. When I came back my neighbour had tilted it back again.

Surely this neighbour is trespassing on my property ? What can I do ? Is this a police matter ?

[*Wallace* 333]

He really shouldn’t come on to your property and mess about with your light it would be falling out time with me. If your light complies with the law tell him to go get a life and not enter your property again. Maybe it would be better letting your son have a word with him.

[tinfoilhat 11]

Maybe not shine the light into his front room? I don't know about you, but I don't go to bed as soon as It gets dark so he's got umpteen hundred lumens lighting up his front room because you want to light the street up. Is it a narrow street or do the angles dictate that if it lights up your property it has to light his?

 

Lets put it this way, if he decided to shine a light all night into your front room from the minute it gets dark, would you be alright with it?

[WiseOwl182 10]

Set up CCTV and signs saying "Private property: No trespassing". 

[Padders 2,865]

My security light only comes on when it detects movement, then switches off after 2mins.  Would"nt that be a better option.

[Dave h-j 10]

23 minutes ago, pattricia said:

 I fail to see how this affects him.

Maybe this is more the heart of the problem.  You are assuming that he’s being awkward for no reason, and I dare say he could be saying the same about you by not having the light tilted down a little more. 

[WiseOwl182 10]

Why can't you point it downwards a bit? Presumably this would still light up your property if its current position is shining right across the road.

[pattricia 575]

20 minutes ago, tinfoilhat said:

Maybe not shine the light into his front room? I don't know about you, but I don't go to bed as soon as It gets dark so he's got umpteen hundred lumens lighting up his front room because you want to light the street up. Is it a narrow street or do the angles dictate that if it lights up your property it has to light his?

 

Lets put it this way, if he decided to shine a light all night into your front room from the minute it gets dark, would you be alright with it?

Yes, I would be alright if he decided to shine a light all night into my front room as like him I have Venetian blinds.! Also I wouldn’t need a security light of my own.! Whether it’s a narrow street has nothing to do with it

 

On 28/03/2019 at 22:13, Padders said:

How is the back Trish, I do worry about you.

 

On 29/03/2019 at 09:18, Padders said:

Oh dear, keep us updated.

 

17 minutes ago, WiseOwl182 said:

Set up CCTV and signs saying "Private property: No trespassing". 

Good idea

[tinfoilhat 11]

9 minutes ago, WiseOwl182 said:

Why can't you point it downwards a bit? Presumably this would still light up your property if its current position is shining right across the road.

I'm trying to work this bit out. I fitted one on mother's house. It lights the drive, maybe the pavement (which isn't very wide), but fails to go right across the road, down the neighbours drive and onto his window - which due to the layout of the street is at a lower elevation anyway. So it's either at a wrong angle, super super bright at a wrong angle or the neighbour is being hyper sensitive and doesn't like looking at a bright light when hes looking at your house, but the tilting of the light won't make that much difference.

[Jomie 30]

He shouldn’t come onto your property. If you won’t comply with his request then he needs to take legal advice because it is without doubt a nuisance.  We all have a right to the quiet enjoyment of our homes. We don’t pay enough attention to the night and darkness. It is very important to our wellbeing and also for nature. Lights disturbs that and the night is being eroded by the use of them. They are a menace.  Change the lights to ones that only come on for a short while when someone comes or change the angle of the existing ones. The former would be better.

[pattricia 575]

14 minutes ago, WiseOwl182 said:

Why can't you point it downwards a bit? Presumably this would still light up your property if its current position is shining right across the road.

Because it’s to detect intruders  not snails, foxes and cats !

1 minute ago, Jomie said:

He shouldn’t come onto your property. If you won’t comply with his request then he needs to take legal advice because it is without doubt a nuisance.  We all have a right to the quiet enjoyment of our homes. We don’t pay enough attention to the night and darkness. It is very important to our wellbeing and also for nature. Lights disturbs that and the night is being eroded by the use of them. They are a menace.  Change the lights to ones that only come on for a short while when someone comes or change the angle of the existing ones. The former would be better.

It’s me who needs to take legal advice not him !

[tinfoilhat 11]

If you are going to do all that work, reposition the light so it starts at the end of the  drive and shines towards your house. That way you'll get all the light you want and over the road won't need to look at it.