I live in a 1 bedroomed purpose built fff with my wife. There are 4 flats all attached like one big building  each with their own front door to the front communal gardens.The 2 ground floor flats have their own private back gardens, the 2 top floor flats share a small drying area, attached at the side of the 2 ground floor flat’s gardens.

The guy who moved in below us has become something of pest over the past year or 2. He spends most days in his back garden, under an awning he installed as cover for his own privacy from view. Trouble is he has on several occasions been seen sitting underneath our open windows just listening to what my wife and I are talking about. I know this because of words he has recounted to us days following our private conversations in our own home.

We bought net curtains to offer some privacy from his prying eyes and he even remarked that he couldn’t see in anymore. During the long warmer months, he sits outside in his back garden, morning noon and night, under our windows, often under his awning, just busily listening to other people’s conversations, and he even tells us what the woman next door to him is up to at any given time. He spends hours and hours every week with industrial machinery making so much noise that we have no choice but to have to close our windows in the boiling summer heat. I’m talking lawn mowers, hedge strimmers, chainsaws, car hoovers, air blasters, it’s like living above a timber yard most days. When that’s all ended, he then has large numbers of people come to visit, who he entertains in his back garden, with prying eyes and more noise and privacy intrusion. I wouldn’t mind but his garden isn’t even 20 feet square!

I’ve tried to talk to him about his behaviour making us feel uncomfortable but he seems to be oblivious to our concerns stating that we should know we’re “safe” with him as our neighbour. I feel he is too familiar with us. I have also noticed he seems to be monitoring our movements through the flat because he always seems to be outside by his front door whenever my wife leaves the flat, but not when I leave. I think he is at the least a pest who has no consideration for anyone else in these flats. I don’t know much about him, for all I know he could be a serial killer recently released from Broadmoor and I’m wondering if this guy is trying to wind me up.

My response to his bizarre behaviour is to turn up the radio in the kitchen, and the hifi in the lounge before retreating to the front of the house to talk to people! He’s more than welcome to listen to my music but not my personal life but I realise he could report ME for noise pollution.

I don’t want to prevent this guy from enjoying his garden, but why should it be at the expense of our privacy? The double glazed units in our flat seem to be missing any sound insulation as even with the windows closed they sound like they’re open. I don’t know what to do.

Thanks