Can I make a complaint?

rupertsmum

Hi,

I am new to this site so I hope I'm posting this question in the correct place.

I am a tenant in a housing association property and on 15th April, after nearly 4 years of listening to our neighbours conducting their conversations loudly enough for us to hear through closed doors and windows, my husband finally snapped, opened the back door and called up to their bedroom window (where the noise was coming from) - 'can't you just keep it down a bit, we've got our TV on and the doors and windows closed and we can still hear you'. He then turned to come inside but heard loud, hysterical laughter so he then said ' And you shut up as well you silly tart'.

He came in but there was a ring on the door virtually straight away and when he opened it her partner burst in, grabbed him by the neck and started hitting him. After a few minutes she came round and oulled her partner off him. He caused damage to our house as well as hurting my husband so we caled the police and they eventually came, took our statement as well s photos of the damage etc and arrested the neighbours partner ( My husband is 63 and in poor health but the man next door is only 40 and is a builder).

On the following day, the police released him without charge as they said there was no independent witness. On the following (4 days later)Tuesday, which was the first day the HA office was open, my husband went to report it to the area manager. Later that day he received a phone call from him saying that she had complained about us and we could both be evicted.

To cut a very long story short, we have never received any written communication from the HA as to what their complaint was and any information we have managed to get was by me or my husband phoning the office and to put it bluntly, the manager was very unhelpful, indifferent and rude.

On Friday 2nd July at 10:00pm the manager delivered a Possession order to our door stating that they were seeking possession on the grounds that we were abusive & made threats to our neighbour and that my husband had fought with the neighbour causing injury to him. Quite by chance we saw him putting it in the postbox so we spoke to him and asked him why he was accusing us of these things which are completely untrue. He said he had seen their photos and that my husband had injured him, I asked him why he hadn't looked at our photos, which the police took and copies of which I have and he just said that I hadn't shown them to him. Incidentally the police have told us that the only injury he had was a scratch on his neck and they also told us that the manager has not asked to look at the statement or photos, despite him telling me that he had.

My husband has very bad arthritis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure & has had a couple of TIA's and couldn't physically have fought a man of over 6 foot who works in a manual occupation.

I feel that we should complain on the grounds that we have not been kept informed and that we have been treated unfairly etc. What do others think?

poppysarah

Put a letter in. Go and see councillors too. Speak to police.


Often it's who gets in first. Unfair and utterly soul destroying.

RAS

Well start by making sure that the HA have copies of all your photos showing injuries and try and get a copy of your statement to the police.

Fang_3

Did you ever complain in writing about the noise before? If not, your husband did a very stupid thing and is now paying for those actions.

rupertsmum

Yes we have been complaining off & on since they first moved in. We have lived here for 15 years, very peacefully and when they moved in about four years ago all was fine for a couple of months and then the noise started. We initially just phoned but then put it in writing on several occassions.

Also, we aren't saying that he was right to call her a name, even though it wasn't to her face, that isn't the issue. The issue is that the area manager has failed in carrying out the investigation in the way that their own tenants charter states it should be carried out.

poppysarah

Get a copy of the charter.
Get copies of the complaints you've made.
Get police reference numbers.

Best of luck.

rupertsmum

Thanks Poppysarah, we have all of the above.

coldstreamalways

Fang wrote: »

Did you ever complain in writing about the noise before? If not, your husband did a very stupid thing and is now paying for those actions.

But that's no excuse for assault is it?

rupertsmum

This is also the point I was trying to make to the Area manager, particularly as it wans't said to her face, merely an aside as he came indoors. I should also point out that in the past the self same person called him a 'moany old ****' when their doberman was barking ferociously at us and we asked him to take it away from the fence. We also put this fact in the first complaint we made about the noise

I should also add that the man wasn't even on the rent book even though he has lived there since day 1. When I mentioned this to the manager he told me that it wasn't up to him to do anything about it!

RAS

Who is the area managers boss?

rupertsmum

This is what i can't seem to find out. I contacted the head office and enquired about complaining as the web site tells you to speak to your area manager. They told me to send the complaint in, however, I have no name to send it to and I don't want it ending up on his desk.