Can i have some advice about the neighbours from hell and their cr*p landlord??

sunshine_shell

I'm really looking for some advice about a woman who lives next door to us in our block of 4 flats. She has lived thereabout 18 months she has a small child and there was no problem until about Christmas time when she got herself a new boyfriend and a dog.

The dog barked and howled morning noon and night even when she was in the flat, i never saw her take it for walks and it was kept in the flat all the time.

Me and the lady who lives below me asked her to try and stop the dog from barking all the time, she explained to us that he was only a puppy and that she was training him - which was fair enough.

However over the next few months it got worse and worse and one evening her boyfriend came round to apologise, the council had been round and and yet again he explained it was a puppy etc. I told him it wasn't good enough. after a saturday of the dog barking and howling all day i went round to confront the pair of them and found there were now 2 dogs living there, barking, howling and fighting all day long. We also have a fortnightly bin collection which she has 'missed' four times which means there are 8 weeks worth of bin bags lying around. _pale_

The council is now fully involved, but nothing seemed to be happening until a couple of weeks ago when the landlord turned up on my doorstep and told both me and the lady that lives underneath me that ' no one deserves to live like this' and promised action it has since come to light she owed a lot of rent BUT the court accepted a payment plan and she is still living in the flat!!!!:mad:

Friday is the worse it has ever been from 9am till 11pm the dogs were left on their own barking etc then they vanished then last night they were barking at 10pm then this morning they were barking at 4.30am

we have rang the police, the RSPCA and i'm constantly badgering the LL who says he can't do anything! Is this true?

Can anyone help us??

Thanks
Shell

Jomo

I'm surprised that dogs are allowed to live in flats, they aren't in my block but they are 'private'.

maninthestreet

Seems to like a suitable case for an ASBO.

sunshine_shell

Our flats are private, myself and the lovely lady below me own our flats and the landlord owns the two next to us, he can't rent the other flat out because of the dog noise but refuses to do anything!!

mouseymousey99

Really it is a civil matter and your only recourse is the Council. You could write or ask a solicitor to write to the landlord cc the tenant explaining your right to a peaceful life under the Human Rights Act (but of course they will charge you, unless you do this yourself). You could take civil action, the threat of it may be enough to gee up the landlord but its a legal issue (ie expensive).

The council have prob asked you to keep a diary? So you will be doing that?
Re the dogs are the RSPCA concerned re welfare? I would be if they were never taken out? Poor things..
The bins - have you contacted the bins dept at the council? I know it is your neighbours fault, but at this time of the year I would imagine they are pretty unpleasant for everyone? Does the landlord know? Environmental Health would also be interested as they would be a health hazard?
Are you confident approaching your neighbour? Before things escalate would you both be willing to go to mediation?
I know its difficult but try to keep a cool head here.
Best wishes

sunshine_shell

we are praying for the day the word ASBO is used in a conversation.

The landlord refuses to have anything to do with it now and he says he can't evict because its harassment. Is this right, even though they are making our life miserable we have to put up with it?

Chris2685

Say the dog bit you and have it put down...

But to be serious, that sounds awful.. I couldn't imagine what I'd do in that situation

sunshine_shell

We really have tried everything!!!

mouseymousey99 wrote: »

Really it is a civil matter and your only recourse is the Council. You could write or ask a solicitor to write to the landlord cc the tenant explaining your right to a peaceful life under the Human Rights Act (but of course they will charge you, unless you do this yourself). You could take civil action, the threat of it may be enough to gee up the landlord but its a legal issue (ie expensive). The landlord refuses to have anything to do with it now he has his money problems sorted

The council have prob asked you to keep a diary? So you will be doing that? we have been keeping diaries for the last 3 months
Re the dogs are the RSPCA concerned re welfare? I would be if they were never taken out? Poor things.. the RSPCA won't do anything unless they have been left alone for more than 24 hours
The bins - have you contacted the bins dept at the council? I know it is your neighbours fault, but at this time of the year I would imagine they are pretty unpleasant for everyone? Does the landlord know? the sell is revolting, the actual bins have been sorted but there are still bin bags that she had piled up in the shed, the door has now fallen open and i saw a rat this morning i rang environmental health
Environmental Health would also be interested as they would be a health hazard?
Are you confident approaching your neighbour? I'm a teacher so i'm pretty confident in talking to people, but this has been going on since xmas so any bridges were burnt along time ago
Before things escalate would you both be willing to go to mediation?
I know its difficult but try to keep a cool head here.
Best wishes Thanks!!!

mouseymousey99

No, its not right & in my post I do try to explain this.
As you may or may not realise I have been there - I am trying to explain the options to you.....
You have to threaten legal action!!
M

Jomo

In regards to the dogs, don't you have to get permission from the management company? If so and they didn't get permission then the management company may deal with that issue. I know someone who rented a flat out and the tenents put up a satalite dish which they weren't allowed to do without permission from the MC, they were told to take it down.

sunshine_shell

Thanks Mousey, i didn't realise you have been through this yourself. the problem with the landlord is i don't know where he lives and he refuses to pick up the phone when i try and ring him, would it be best to send a letter to the empty flat? I know the courts organized a payment plan for her, could i get hold of him that way??

Thanks