For the past 15 years, I’ve been subjected to persistent passive-aggressive bullying and harassment by my upstairs neighbours. Their behaviour has included tampering with my plants, opening bin bags and questioning me about their contents, and interfering with misdelivered post — some of which appeared to have been opened. There has also been consistent noise disruption, like loud door banging and deliberately dropping heavy objects. They often laugh or stare at me when I’m in the garden, creating a constant sense of intimidation.
Much of their conduct is subtle and hard to prove, often falling into a grey area that could easily be dismissed as paranoia, which makes it even more distressing. In the early years, I sometimes responded, but I realised this only seemed to encourage them. Since then, I’ve tried to remain calm and avoid confrontation — but unfortunately, this seems to have escalated things.
After the recent death of a close family member, they left a condolence note, which at first seemed kind — but it came with a request to cut back my laurel bush, which I maintain for privacy, as I often feel watched in my own garden. The timing and nature of the request felt inappropriate. Still, I arranged for a gardening service and slightly reduced the laurel, though likely not as much as they wanted.
Shortly after, one neighbour commented on how lovely one of my potted plants looked — which struck me as unusual, since we’ve barely spoken in years. Just days later, they told me the same plant looked like it was dying and asked if they should water it. Soon after, it rapidly turned yellow, brittle, and died — in a way that looked clearly unnatural. From photos, it appears the plant was poisoned, likely with a chemical weed killer.
Access to that area is restricted — it’s behind a locked front gate monitored by a Smart CCTV camera. No one else had access, and it would be very difficult for someone to climb over the wall unnoticed. Given the timing and condition of the plant, I strongly suspect it was deliberately poisoned.
I brought this up in a chat with my next-door neighbours, and they revealed they’d lost three trees along the same fence line over the past few months. One of them had previously been asked for access to cut back those very trees. One of the affected trees was a mature silver birch, whose sudden death should leave chemical evidence if tested.
I’ve reported the incident to the Environment Agency and requested soil testing to check for toxins. The police have also been notified. I’ve installed another CCTV camera for additional monitoring. I’m not looking for confrontation — I just want to live peacefully and without further interference. But their behaviour continues to feel calculated and harassing.
Has anyone experienced anything similar? What steps would you recommend next? I feel at a loss as to how to protect my space and sanity.
