I complained about my neighbours dog to council - neighbour threatened me

sorethroat

Hi to cut a long story short. I fell out with my neighbour of 10 years 2 years ago over the children.

I moved out of my house and carried on paying mortgage etc as planned on renting it out. In the meantime my neighbour has got a dog. On returning to my old house over the last 6 months the dog has regularly been allowed in my garden and another 3 neighbouring gardens, as if they are his own. (neighbour has allowed his fence to fall down around the whole of his back garden) I have tidied up after this dog on a number of ocassions but don't see why I should. The other week I contacted the council about it, they are now involved and have told my neighbour he should pay half of the repairs to the fence (I would pay the other half) the neighbour has tonight been extremely abusive and threatening towards me.

Should I have bit my tongue and done/paid for the repairs myself?

Is it reasonable to allow your dog to run amock around someone elses' garden and poo everywhere - have I just acted OTT?

Sagz_2

I think I would just have repaired the fence as cheaply as I could, or at least spoken to the neighbour first.

And no, it's not reasonable to allow your dog to run amock.

lowis

i think it might have been a good idea to speak to your neighbour first before reporting him...he might have been OK with the suggestion of sharing the costs.

however, i understand that if there was 'history' it might have been difficult to talk directly, in which a letter could have been an option. what's done is done though.

i think you are correct to expect him to keep his dog under control. i live in a block with a communal garden and when I see residents allowing their dogs to crap all over the lawns, where children play, i always ask them if they would mind taking their dog out to the roadside so they can crap in the gutter, or thereabouts (whatever is safest for the dog). i usually get met with abuse, people hate it when you point out that what they are doing is wrong.

a11waysindebt

sorethroat wrote: »

Hi to cut a long story short. I fell out with my neighbour of 10 years 2 years ago over the children.

I moved out of my house and carried on paying mortgage etc as planned on renting it out. In the meantime my neighbour has got a dog. On returning to my old house over the last 6 months the dog has regularly been allowed in my garden and another 3 neighbouring gardens, as if they are his own. (neighbour has allowed his fence to fall down around the whole of his back garden) I have tidied up after this dog on a number of ocassions but don't see why I should. The other week I contacted the council about it, they are now involved and have told my neighbour he should pay half of the repairs to the fence (I would pay the other half) the neighbour has tonight been extremely abusive and threatening towards me.

Should I have bit my tongue and done/paid for the repairs myself?

Is it reasonable to allow your dog to run amock around someone elses' garden and poo everywhere - have I just acted OTT?

If it is his fence I cant see why you should have to pay at all.

I cant see the council demanding repairs to a fence that doesn't have to be there.

Your neighbour should also have full control of his dog.

noahsarkfamily

Hi,
Poor you!
Is the fence your property? If so, you're not responsible.
The dog should not be allowed to trespass in your garden.
Jules

MrsTinks

The deeds of the property should tell you who is responcible for what fence. So long as you maintain the fence that is your responcibility then you can reasonably ask for the other fences to be equally maintained too. If the other property owners refuse to maintain them then you could go through the legal routes if you choose...
Any abuse however should be recorded and if need be the police can be informed. However I would suggest trying to return things to as admicably a state as you can - renting out the house or even selling it could be tricky further down the line with a cantancerous neighbour...

Hintza

Reporting to the council without speaking to him first is a bit rude. You have escalated it when a quite word might have been suffice. Whatever you do now will be a fight.

Yopu have now been instructed by the council to pay half the repairs so you will now need to get at least 3 quotes and approach him with those. He will probably still tell you to get lost. I'm not sure what powers the council have over this but I can see you having to repair and sue for his half. MrsTine also has a good point but again that would probably require legal action.

It might be easier and cheaper to repair it yourself.

Or as has been suggested go round with a bottle of whisky and ask to start againand see how you get on.

lenga01

I don't think that it was a bit rude that they got reported to the council, the neighbour shouldn't have let thier dog go in to the garden and mess in it, that is what is rude. I'm sure the neighbour wouldn't want another dog messing in their garden and having to clean it up.

suki1964

Ok so perhaps you could have spoken to them first before you went to the council - but you didnt and now you have to deal with it.

If you are being threatened then ring the police and the council. You have the right to live in your home without fear or prejudice and the neighbors are committing an offence if they are hassling/threatening you. Their landlord(the council)has responsibilities to you even if you arent a council tennent yourself

But thats the hard painful distressing way about things (been there and have the T shirt - being harrassed by a neighbour) so you may just want to cut your losses and go for the easy peaceful route - and fence off your own garden

Just a suggestion

sorethroat

Hi thanks for all the replies. I understand that I could have approached them re the fence, however i know from experience (hearing him row with other neighbours etc) that he is not a reasonable man. There have been times when my children have been in my garden and he has let his dog out, and he has run straight into my garden and growled at my kids. He makes no effort at all to get the dog back.

Would the police really be interested? - I am not a big fan of the Police tbh.

What legal routes are open to me?

Thanks

suki1964

Legal routes - the council. Ring their housing office and say you have been threatened. You will be asked to log any ongoing problems and may indeed be urged to call out the police if you think you are in any danger (we had to have the police 3 times in all). The housing officer will inform them that they are in breach of the terms of their tennancy and can be evicted. Its really up to you to decide what outcome you want and how far you are prepared to go. When we had problems we just wanted the right to live in peace and were happy that the council arranged an arbitration session and forced our neighbour into going. We got all our issues sorted and lived in peace afterwards.

Its a long drawn out process but you need to get the council on board right from the start - they are the only ones who can help as usually unless their is physical voilence then the police wont be much help other then as witnesses