Need to Sell Urgently

theoretica

Is this officially a 'dispute' - what are you disputing over? I am not lawyer, but I would call this not getting on or general issues rather than an actual dispute.

I agree with the suggestion of getting CCTV on the front of your house- hopefully nothing will happen where you want evidence, but it is as well to be prepared.

Yorkie1

I can't believe the attitude of the council & police to this (not saying I disbelieve you, just that it beggars belief).

As others have said, keep a precise log of everything. CCTV if you can afford it, otherwise any other evidence.

What you describe is harassment, a criminal offence - and the police just can't refuse to ignore this. If anything else happens and you are fobbed off again by the police, complain higher up. There is always the professional standards division if you feel it's gone as far as neglect of duty. Make sure you also report every incident to the police so it is logged.

As for the council, others have already advised and I'd agree with them. Councils and police are supposed to be so much more aware of their duties to prevent anti-social behaviour since the tragic case earlier this year of the mother and disabled daughter who died (suicide, I think). A local councillor is a useful person to have onside, though I'd avoid the newspapers if possible.

Finally, have a look at the council's powers to temporarily prevent people living at their house - I think it's a premises closure order or something similar. A tenant in my town was forced to live elsewhere for a number of months after months of making their neighbours' lives hell.

Good luck and don't do anything drastic which you may regret (financially or otherwise) later.

motherof6

This is such a shame for you and I am sorry you are going through this, some people are such bloody low life! However the only official thing there has been a dispute over is the boundary hedge and that has now been sorted hasnt it? So as far as having to disclose any disputes there is no ongoing dispute and the hedge one has now been satisfied . Any personal arguments between the two of you are purely private or am I reading this completly wrong?

strobo

Thanks again everybody. This forum is great - loads of support to bolster the downtrodden :T

Well, we've spoke to the ASBO team at the local council, and they're not interested. Officially they'll have to open a seperate case on the matter, and all that has gone before is considered to be "unrelated". And because I wasn't physically injured on Friday (fearful for my health and wellbeing, but not injured), they won't act on it as it's all just hearsay. Load of bull if you ask me, but this is what we're up against.

One or two of you have mentioned the previous dispute over the boundary hedge. This has been settled between ourselves and the council, though in truth neither of us were ever really in any dispute over the position of the hedge (it was there when the council sold the house to us 20 years ago, so they'd have a devil's own job getting us to move it now). Their tenant instigated the complaint over the boundary, because he mistakenly believed that the hedge was his - even after the council checked their own records and confirmed it is ours - and we refused to let him remove it (Our gardens are bounded on all sides by hedgrows).

No amount of telling the man can get it through his thick head that the boundary the other side of his property is his. When he finally realises this then there WILL be problems on the street, because that boundary is a fence and was erected almost 2 feet into his property some time before he moved in. We've so far avoided stirring up that hornet's nest, choosing to keep our noses out of other peoples business, particularly as it's up to the council to deal with it, not him as a tenant.

I do wonder whether some of you are right in suggesting there isn't any real dispute here though, now the boundary issue has been settled with the people who actually own the land next door (i.e. the council). We'd feel bad about selling the house to some poor unsuspecting first time buyers, but maybe we'd get a good offer from somebody more scummy than our neighbour, and we could leave in the satisfaction that they'd make his life hell instead. Hmmm...

Anyway, now to draft up some letters

Thanks again everybody. Keep the suggestions coming in.

EDIT - I forgot to mention that when we spoke to the two PC's who came out on Friday we told them the name of the PC who had visited on each previous occasion we'd called them out and their words were "Oh yeah, we know all about him". Having checked the local safer neighbourhoods team website, it appears he is no longer part of their team. Maybe that would give us some leverage with a complaint about the lack of police action in the past.

Bermuda_John

where is the property?

I know a few yardies who you could rent your house too on a short term let. I can guarantee that the same neighbours wouldnt be there at the end of the 6 month tenancy and they wouldnt return to the area either!

Squish_21

2 can play that game - give as good as you get! Blare music at 3am etc.

Could you rent your house out?

If anyone asks what the neighbours are like you'd have to tell the truth and therefore jepordise the sale.

Accountant_Kerry

have you thought about auctioning your house with a reserve price?

cccs1986

threatening to knock my block off - simply because I was shovelling the snow to clear our drive (they're both scared of hard work in case you hadn't already guessed). The police were called, but yet again, their advice is to let it all die down and hope the problem goes away.

An offence has been committed if they threaten you. As such, the police should arrest the offender. This is not some domestic argument, you have been verbally threatened. Demand that the police take action by arresting him.

Catatonia

strobo wrote: »

I do wonder whether some of you are right in suggesting there isn't any real dispute here though, now the boundary issue has been settled with the people who actually own the land next door (i.e. the council). We'd feel bad about selling the house to some poor unsuspecting first time buyers.

Your arguments etc with the neighbours would count as a dispute, and if you have registered it with the council ASBO team, the police etc there are records to this effect. You will still need to declare it (both legally and morally).

Yorkie1

cccs1986 wrote: »

threatening to knock my block off - simply because I was shovelling the snow to clear our drive (they're both scared of hard work in case you hadn't already guessed). The police were called, but yet again, their advice is to let it all die down and hope the problem goes away.

An offence has been committed if they threaten you. As such, the police should arrest the offender. This is not some domestic argument, you have been verbally threatened. Demand that the police take action by arresting him.

CCCS is correct. The actions can constitute an assault (fear of immediate application of unlawful violence) or a public order offence (fear of provocation of violence). Both imprisonable with 6 months. The council are a load of stupid idiots and the police rather lackadaisical to say the least.