How do you deal with a neighbour who is overbearing
I moved into a new place (a quadplax) about 3 months ago on a 12 month lease. The house itself is in desperate need of repair so I want to move asap, but for now, I'm stuck here.
Neighbours in unit 1 & 2 are fine. We smile, say hi, occasionally collect mail or bring each other's bin in from the footpath. One made me a special meal once on a celebration day they had, and I've shared biscuits and slice I've made. Essentially, we are friendly, but not friends. I'm in unit 3, and happily lived here for the first 2 months while unit 4 was away on holiday.
5 weeks ago they got home. At first they seemed nice. They introduced themselves, made me food from their country, asked if i wanted to be friends. I agreed, and now I majorly regret it. I have yet to meet the husband but I hear him talking all night. They have a 3 month old baby, a 1yo toddler, and a 2yo toddler who all cry what seems like 24/7 with barely a break between them. This is shit, but I can deal with it. More and more though, they are intruding into my life, or, the wife is.
When I leave for work (6am) she watches me and always waves. When I get home, she is in our shared driveway with the kids, and always tries to chat. At first I stopped to chat, but I work 12hr days and I am TIRED when I get home, not to mention I have been going through a bit personally lately, so I have things to do and what feels like no time to do it. When I stop and chat she asks personal questions, won't stop prying, tells me a lot of info that i dont need to know, wont take no for an answer, and has tried to follow me into my house. I stayed home sick for two days and she called me 8 times, almost banged down the door to my house twice, and would not stop messaging me in the second day. I replied with a quick text to say I was unwell and trying to sleep and not fit for company and she bombarded me with more messages and calls. Saying she wants to check on me, please call her back, come outside to chat, etc- meanwhile I'm barely able to stop throwing up for long enough to stand up, let alone get dressed and presentable and get upright enough to go outside for a chat.
If by some stroke of luck she doesn't see me come home and immediately try to talk to me after work or on the weekends, she will hear me cook dinner or turn my TV on and will start knocking on my door and calling. She has called me at work, taken my parcels, and tried to open my door when I'm not home. I have cameras and have seen her take things from my mail box so she can talk to me after work. I feel like I can't live in my house for fear she will hear me and try to call me to talk. I have tried politely telling her I'm busy, pretending I'm on the phone when I get home, acting like I'm in a rush, but she just stands in my way or waves or talks over me, or starts calling me when I get inside.
I was out of town for a week and when I got back the entire driveway is filled with kids toys so I had to park on the street and she has called me multiple times and knocked on my door (I never answer) and now messaged me to say she's made me food and to please come outside because she knows I am here and missed me and wants to see me. I dont want to. I had a horrible week away and I just want to cry in my house and eat junk food in my PJs, but she keeps messaging and I just feel so frustrated. Like, leave me the fuck alone. I also had maintenance guys here fixing my shower while I was away and the cameras show her coming over and coming inside before they told her to go. I mean, she just kinda stuck her head in the door and went to come in, not actually fully entered the house, but who does that? There's also a lot of stuff she's said to me that weirds me out and I dont feel comfortable. I'm not supposed to have cameras, so I haven't mentioned that I know what she's doing, to keep the peace, but its ruining my sanity.
I don't want to be rude- she hasn't done anything really other than being very persistent, but I dont want to spend the next 9 months living next to this. She watches me when I leave and come home. She keeps making me food and asking me to come and talk to her, and honestly, I just want to not deal with people after the stuff that's going on in my own life. I dont mind stopping to chat sometimes, but I feel watched and like she won't leave me alone and I just feel pressured.