Ring the bell!

I get that all the time. I live in a downstairs flat, and have people cutting past my front room window, and peering through. Greasy fingers on the glass too!

Can you not put some cheap and cheerful plant pots in front of your window MissA to block their passage through I would,or place a sign in your window stating "If you knock I will give you a guided tour to save you staining you neck" lol.

how about the ones who peer throught the letterbox! Awful!

That would really irritate me too lynnebo fortunately my lounge is on the first floor so they would have to have long necks to peer in my window.

My dad has become a curtain twitcher in his old age. Whenever I am there I get a running commentary of all the comings and goings in his close. Grrrrrrrr

And then there are the people who not only ring the bell but also hammer on the door as well - what do they think the doorbell is there for and why don't they trust it to ring?

If they waited a bit and then assumed that we didn't hear the bell, or that it wasn't working, it would be reasonable to knock,, but they bang on the woodwork at once like the Stasi or the Gestapo come to arrest someone.

Heavy net curtains are wonderful. If I stand still on the inside - provided it’s lighter outside - people outside can’t see me, but I have the satisfaction of watching them. (I have experimented with DH and it does work!). Just need to remember to shut the curtains when I put the light on in the evenings.

My doorbell can’t be heard from the outside either, so frequently people do knock as well as ring - but there is a knocker so I suppose I can’t complain. It’s better than the UKMail chap who doesn’t seem to be able to do either. He’s incapable of putting a card through the door too, so parcels just get left on the step in full view while I wait on for my delivery.

The only way to stop it is to make it impossible for them to see through the window that they look through.

My kitchen is at the front and lounge/diner across the rear so I don't see peoples antics when approaching the front door but what annoys me is the people that ignore the brass knocker and think it's a better idea to pound on one of the glass door panels

That sounds very annoying.Have you got vertical blinds, or any blinds?

glamma my front room window has a radiator directly underneath it, with no shelf to put anything on. I always think that one day i'll 'accidentally' fling the window open, possibly several times.

Window film is good. It comes in lots of different designs and grades of translucency. It's not as pricy as getting curtains whether you buy them or make them. My daughter has it on the lower panes of her sash windows and it gives a good degree of privacy without blocking too much light. They don't show finger marks so don't need cleaning like glass does.

I have Venetian blinds and I keep them tilted upwards just enough so people can't see in but they do get very dusty and are a chore to clean.

I have window film on the bottom of my kitchen windows, which afford me sweeping views of the wheely bins. It also means that everybody coming to the block doesn't peer into my kitchen and ask loudly whether I can open the communal door for them.

I also have a Venetian blind above the window film, so that my upstairs neighbour can't gawp over the top of the film from her balcony and see if I'm in. my life in a goldfish bowl..

For me it's the other way round MissAdventure. My dog 'warns' me when anyone walks by even though the pavement is a good five or six metres from the window so we try to have the bottom half of the front blind closed and the top half open but I get fed up of living in the half light. ?

My bathroom is situated exactly where visitors stand when they're waiting to be let into the block, lizzy. The window is level with their heads! Its very disconcerting when you're 'on the throne' and hear someone having a conversation about 10 inches away.

MissAdventure did you fit the window film yourself? And if so, was it tricky?

I'm thinking of the mess I always make of applying a simple screen protector to a mobile phone

Yes, I did fit it. It isn't sticky, you just dampen it with soapy water, and voila! Well, not quite that easy. You have to swear a bit, and curse everyone up hill and down dale. It slips and slides into place, and if it goes wrong, you can just take it off and reapply. The main thing is to cut it well in the first place.

I agree, MissAdventure, window film is the best way to keep lookie loos from seeing in.

Lookie loos.. that's a nice polite way of putting it.

Elegran, well said.

WE live in a bungalow which is a bit sprawly and it takes us a while to get to the door. Sometimes I can see someone setting off towards the gate when I am arriving at the door - usually a parcel delivery.

And people are always knocking on the door (which is barely audible) rather than ringing the bell, even though I have a little notice pointing to the door bell!

Like you Luckygirl people knock on our door rather than ring the bell. The GC did that until I didn't come to the door straight away and now they ring the bell!
I was also thinking of putting a notice / arrow pointing to the doorbell too but it seems a waste of effort!!!!!!

I have flower beds outside both my front windows. But you might need something more discouraging.

How about a nice hawthorn hedge or pyracantha? They are quite easy to keep under control, and I love the feel of a chain saw in my hands.