neighbour making false reports

1111

Hi
one of my next door neighbors has been funny with us since we moved in, it started with dirty looks and now shes reporting us to the housing, first time was acouple of weeks ago, she said we shouted at the children and the kids was being noisy, kicking balls against the walls ect
My children are normal children they play, they laugh, they cry they do not kick balls off the walls nor do they be really noisy.
We went into the office and agreed we would stop shouting and we started using a chart instead now 2 week later another complaint.
I have really had enough of this we have done nothing wrong from 7pm at night the house is silent (kids watch a dvd in bed)
I dont know what to do we cant keep going on like this we've only been here a couple of month and the other next door doesnt have a problem with it.
Im scared we are going to lose are home over this and dont have a clue what we can do about it
Can anyone advise on what we can do? we are creeping round our home already and have stopped our kids playing in the bedroom thats on her side. i dont know what else to do

anselld

Noise of kids playing etc is normal family life. It cannot be considered a statutory noise nuisance.

1111

anselld wrote: »

Noise of kids playing etc is normal family life. It cannot be considered a statutory noise nuisance.

the housing woman said its anti social behavior, we're a quiet family compared to some. we dont blast music and kids are always in bed for 7pm it feels like we are creeping round our house at the moment so dont understand how we can be any more quiet, i dont think its anything to do with noise, i think shes got it in for us

Morglin

If it's "normal" noise, there is nothing the council or anyone else can do about it.

It's your home, and you are entitled to be able to live a normal life in it!

If another complaint arrives, then ask the neighbour, that doesn't have a problem, to write a letter, to the landlords, explaining that there just isn't a noise or "bad neighbour" issue.

If the moaning neighbour is just being a nuisance, and many people do have unrealistic expectations of what is "excessive" noise, then the landlords will quickly get wise to that, and ignore her.

If it is "anti social" behaviour, then you need to address that, with your family, or the landlords can, and will evict you.

Lin

TBagpuss

if there is a further complaint, sit down with the housing representative and explain the steps you have already taken - including preventing the children from playing in the room adjoining your neighbour's house.

Ask, specifically, what steps they think you could take that you haven't already.

Do you know what kind of family lived in the house before you did? Did they have children? Is this a case of the neighbour not being aware of the normal sound of children or is it that your family is louder than average?

I think the suggestion to speak to your other neighbour is a good one. And listen to what they say - there is a big difference between not being bothered by noise, and not being aware of it - if they say they don't hear anything in the evenings etc that is one thing. If what they are saying is that they do her a lot of noise but that it doesn't bother them, then it may mean that you do need to consider keeping things a bit quieter.

And if they are saying that hey don't hear anything except normal living noises, then a letter confirming this is helpful as it takes it out of being a 'you say: they say' issue between you and the neighbour.

Do you know whether there is anything else which may have caused the neighbour to want to cause trouble for you?

1111

Morglin wrote: »

If it's "normal" noise, there is nothing the council or anyone else can do about it.

It's your home, and you are entitled to be able to live a normal life in it!

If another complaint arrives, then ask the neighbour, that doesn't have a problem, to write a letter, to the landlords, explaining that there just isn't a noise or "bad neighbour" issue.

If the moaning neighbour is just being a nuisance, and many people do have unrealistic expectations of what is "excessive" noise, then the landlords will quickly get wise to that, and ignore her.

If it is "anti social" behaviour, then you need to address that, with your family, or the landlords can, and will evict you.

Lin

Hi thank you for replying, when we first moved in one for the people who works for the council that own the property ask us if we had any problems with her yet.
So i dont think its just us shes had a problem with, it just feels like we should sit and not move incase it winds her up.
To be honest i'm sick of it already, the kids that play on the street are alot louder than us. i'm just frightned we are going to end up in trouble and losing our home over it all because we cant prove it.
I will speak to the other next door see if she would mind contacting them and giving her side as the children play mostly on her side of the house due to us having to stop them using the bedroom and her side.

1111

I don't know it seems she had problems with us from the day we viewed it, wouldnt say hello just ignored us when we tried letting on to her and then we just got dirty looks now in the last couple of weeks shes has decided to start making complaints about us. I wouldnt say we are a loud family, infact we are really quiet compared to some.
when we moved in within a couple of week she has put a big fence up around her house (my children didnt even play in the garden at this point and have only in the last couple of week been able to use the garden)
I have emailed my housing officer and explained all the steps we have took.
I cant even shout the kids for their tea and stuff like that, its really getting me down all this, we are happy here and want to settle here but it feels like we are not aloud to even speak whist near her walls incase she reports us.

Pixie5740

Does your council offer a mediation service for neighbour disputes? It might be worth arranging some mediation for you and this neighbour making the complaints so you can pinpoint exactly what noises they find impact the quiet enjoyment of their home.

Even if your neighbour decides not to take you up on the mediation it will at least show you to be reasonable and willing to meet your neighbour half way if it escalates any further.

1111

I have also emailed the housing and asked if they still do the boxes that monitor noise, i remember my mum having one a few years ago due to her next door having parties during the night

1111

I dont know if they do but would be defiantly be interested and willing to ask them about that

thesaint

1111 wrote: »

I have also emailed the housing and asked if they still do the boxes that monitor noise, i remember my mum having one a few years ago due to her next door having parties during the night

I would try and pursue this route.
Write and invite them to install monitoring equipment in the next door neighbours home.

By saying you are changing your behaviour, you are admitting that you are doing something wrong.