I need advice on Housing

Chiesa

Hi,
my name is Elena I am an european citizen. I have been living in London, Hackney for over 13 years. I currently rent a 2 bedroom flat from a Hosing Association for less than 10 year. I have a 11 year old daughter and I am a single parent.
I have been living next to very loud and disrespectful neighbors (to put it nicely). As I started my self employment I just got onto the Housing List in Hackney.
The main reason I want to move is because of my neighbours (dog barking,loud music,arguing, doors slamming day and night on my bedroom wall that our two flats share. Also there are constant noises from outside where teenagers can spend long hours at night talking loud, laughing. My neighbour upstairs has a laminate floor, which hasn't been insulated. I complaint to them for a year just to have them taking their high heels off. Parties in the Community Hall can go on forever and the music is excessively loud.). I complaint to Housing Association and Health Dept. for 4 years. They have been dealing with my case very badly. When they stopped answering to my complaint I went to the Housing Ombudsman. They couldn't help either. Since Jan 2011 the noise level from my neighbours with the dog has lessened from midnight till 6am but sometimes is still on till midnight.
After all this years of sleeplessness and stress I have been diagnosed with Migraine that sometimes can be very severe. I had panic attack episodes as well. This is affecting all part of my life.
I feel very anxious at the moment, because I can't seem to find a way out of here. I have been on Housing Association for a transfer since 2006. I viewed 3 flats which I didn't have priority on.
Now the council will assess my medical form and I already know that won't be good news. I'll end up in the bottom non-priority bands.
I started to think about share-flat for me and my daughter. But I think I will have problems with Housing Benefit and I won't manage to pay rent.
Is there a way out of this? I just need to live somewhere quieter and I am desperate to leave.
Can anybody help me to figure out what to do?

Thank you for your time.
Elena

dseventy

Hi

Do you work? What income do you have? Savings? Partner?

You need to elaborate before people can help.

D70

Chiesa

Hi,
thank you for your reply. I am currently self employed on low income. I don't have savings and I am a single parent, so no partner.
Thank you.

viktory

If you do not receive enough points to be offered another property (and going by the detail in your first post, I don't think you will); your options are to move into a private rented accommodation or look for a mutual exchange. To be honest, your medical problems are minimal and a certain degree of noise nuisance is an unfortunate by product of living cheek to jowl with other people. If you want to report the noise, you need to keep diaries and be consistent with your complaints. Put everything in writing.

Why do you think you will have problems with LHA if you move?

Chiesa

Thanks for reply. I am already on mutual exchange for the past 6 months. I have reported the noise for years and I kept diaries as well.
I mentioned moving to a flat-share. I know that rules are different in that case.
I understand what you are saying about my illness, but trust me it is nasty.
Thanks

Anubis_2

Keep an accurate diary of events, it is very impirtant to do this. I know you have seen housing, have you seen evironmental health? The problem is most times each will pass the buck - council will say env health issue, env health will say police issue, police will say council so you end up going around in circles.

I really empathise with you. I think perhaps privately renting if possible as your sanity is worth the extra you may have to pay. Have you checked what the LHA is for your area and if you woukd be entitled to assistance?

krisskross

Anubis wrote: »

I think perhaps privately renting if possible as your sanity is worth the extra you may have to pay. Have you checked what the LHA is for your area and if you woukd be entitled to assistance?

Do you really think it wise to suggest a lone parent gives up a secure Housing Association tenancy in Hackney (London you know) to consider a private let with all the changes expected to LHA?

welshmoneylover

Chiesa wrote: »

Hi,
my name is Elena I am an european citizen. I have been living in London, Hackney for over 13 years. I currently rent a 2 bedroom flat from a Hosing Association for less than 10 year. I have a 11 year old daughter and I am a single parent.
I have been living next to very loud and disrespectful neighbors (to put it nicely). As I started my self employment I just got onto the Housing List in Hackney.
The main reason I want to move is because of my neighbours (dog barking,loud music,arguing, doors slamming day and night on my bedroom wall that our two flats share. Also there are constant noises from outside where teenagers can spend long hours at night talking loud, laughing. My neighbour upstairs has a laminate floor, which hasn't been insulated. I complaint to them for a year just to have them taking their high heels off. Parties in the Community Hall can go on forever and the music is excessively loud.). I complaint to Housing Association and Health Dept. for 4 years. They have been dealing with my case very badly. When they stopped answering to my complaint I went to the Housing Ombudsman. They couldn't help either. Since Jan 2011 the noise level from my neighbours with the dog has lessened from midnight till 6am but sometimes is still on till midnight.
After all this years of sleeplessness and stress I have been diagnosed with Migraine that sometimes can be very severe. I had panic attack episodes as well. This is affecting all part of my life.
I feel very anxious at the moment, because I can't seem to find a way out of here. I have been on Housing Association for a transfer since 2006. I viewed 3 flats which I didn't have priority on.
Now the council will assess my medical form and I already know that won't be good news. I'll end up in the bottom non-priority bands.
I started to think about share-flat for me and my daughter. But I think I will have problems with Housing Benefit and I won't manage to pay rent.
Is there a way out of this? I just need to live somewhere quieter and I am desperate to leave.
Can anybody help me to figure out what to do?

Thank you for your time.
Elena

I can't see you being moved up a housing list due to neighbour's noise nor migraines, do you have any family you can stay with?

viktory

Chiesa wrote: »

Thanks for reply. I am already on mutual exchange for the past 6 months. I have reported the noise for years and I kept diaries as well.
I mentioned moving to a flat-share. I know that rules are different in that case.
I understand what you are saying about my illness, but trust me it is nasty.
Thanks

If you have kept accurate diaries, reported the noise repeatedly & approached the Ombudsmen with no change then I would suggest the noise nuisance is not as bad as you are implying.

I am well aware of what migraines and anxiety are like; nasty indeed but not, by any stretch of the imagination, are they serious enough to warrant a move on medical grounds.

Chiesa

No. my family isn't here.

Chiesa

viktory wrote: »

the noise nuisance is not as bad as you are implying.

the loud music was assessed and was above the accepted limits by a lot! Then came the barking dog (which is not allowed in the premises; and they got away with it by saying they had had the dog before the estate changed from council to housing association) that the environmental health departm. didn't want to deal with. The passed the ball to ha and they returned it to them.

You should be careful about your judgment and opinions. This is not a passtime. Here people need advice and support.