Foreign people on estate use my shared garden as communal area

dekaspace

Saying foreign in case someone cries racism but its relevant to situation because what has happened is the estate(and town) we have a huge population of foreign workers from one country and they all stick together.

So in this case a foreign person moved in downstairs last year and I only moved in last month, they leave the latch to the block of flats on all the time so their friends from all over the estate i.e 10 minutes walk away even come into my garden for their dogs(then do not clean up the dog mess) or on a nice day like today you get them bringing their kids round and using the garden as a kids play area, they even have a caravan in the garden taking up space(though garden is massive) and the ones across road in next block park in the spaces assigned for my block despite having empty spaces to the side of their flats meaning a tenant downstairs has to park on the road despite having health problems meaning they cannot walk far.

So the 1 foreign tenant of the block has made loads of friends from own country so given them permission to leave front door unlocked, use our garden for dog walking and waste, or to let kids play(which the dog mess makes a health risk) leaving the door unlocked means its a safety risk or that during term time as we live next to a high school we get kids coming in and eating lunch and dropping their waste.

I tried talking to the tenant who claims he cannot speak any English despite when I moved in speaking to me in crystal clear English! I spoke to other tenants who are unhappy with the situation but claim he does the same thing with them or ignores them.

Just wondering what rights I have for one and what people would do in this situation, I am more annoyed because none of them live in the building and disrespect it for people who do.

BigAunty

I would move - you can't change the attitude and behaviour of neighbours and things can escalate. Or you have to ignore the annoyances. Those are your choices. In theory, you have the option to report them to the council for littering and so on. In reality, the council will be largely impotent.

I lived in a block of flats where one household used to leave all their belongings in common areas, pop the dog through their windows into the garden when it needed the loo and leave the front door on the latch, as well as having noisy parties. Fortunately, their flat was later repossessed but there's no way they would ever have stopped being anything less than selfish.

G_M

Is this a block of flats?

Contact the freeholder, or Management Company if there is one.

dekaspace

It's a small block of 6 flats, the area is all blocks of 3 or 6 flats and the garden is fenced off(must of been recent years since a google street view from 2010 shows no fence around it)

Every single person who uses the garden is not from my block they are from their own blocks with their own gardens its just they are all overgrown over knee height and since my garden is cut by my landlords workmen and other tenants they decide that its easier.

I must say though that I have no problems with noise or such from the people bar if they are in the stairway and talking loudly its more anger at their lack of respect and things like if I have a guest who needs to park they have to use different spaces due to my space being used by people who dont live here.

I did wonder when I moved in why the door was always on the latch and I assumed the dog belonged to a tenant in the building it was only a few days ago I noticed the female tenant across the road walk out of her flat and straight into mine(she MUST of had a key as I locked it only a minute earlier) then come back out a few minutes later and I see her dog in garden about 6 times a day and have never seen her clean up in fact I saw her dog mess in garden next to kids swings earlier then she just walked out and I saw her walk out of my building right into hers(which she also leaves unlocked) Just like a few days ago I saw a woman just walk into my block with about 4 kids and a folding chair sit in my garden and just sit there smoking and not leave till it got dark over 6 hours later so I heard kids running laughing and screaming for hours.

Its lucky they do not cause problems it just seems pure ignorance by the tenant to let strangers in the building and not think of the others who live here.

princeofpounds

The communal areas are likely still owned by the freeholder. Your lease may impose some responsibilities on them. So might the conditions of their insurance. Who is the freeholder? Have you alerted them?

Depending on the lease structure, you may be allowed to request unaccompanied visitors to leave communal areas.

Are you a tenant or a 'owner' (aka a leasehold tenant)?

Environmental health may care about the dog's mess.

Remember if you are an owner, you will have to declare any official dispute when trying to sell, so think about your course of action.

Depending on how the access works, a self-closing communal door that won't stay on the latch may be a good help. It would get propped open, but you would be allowed to remove any prop.

I feel for you; regardless of nationality you would think this sort of behaviour would just be considered rude and inconsiderate.

Ozzuk

Perhaps they are just trying to show 'us' what a sense of community is.

However, I'd hate that and I'd move. 'Shared' anything would set alarm bells off with me as I like my own space.

AdrianC

So, basically, the problem is that a resident allows their friends access to their garden?

(Would it be OK if everybody involved was British, btw?)

dominoman

dekaspace wrote: »

So the 1 foreign tenant of the block has made loads of friends from own country so given them permission to leave front door unlocked, use our garden for dog walking and waste, or to let kids play(which the dog mess makes a health risk) leaving the door unlocked means its a safety risk or that during term time as we live next to a high school we get kids coming in and eating lunch and dropping their waste.

Does the block have a manager? Its not right to leave the door unlocked. Nor is it right to have dogs doing their mess in the garden and not being cleared up. If this is happening then you need to put up notices and speak to the managers of the block to make sure they check more regularly. If the door is left unlocked it is a security risk too.

I really don't see what "being foreign" has to do with it though. The rules and expected courtesies apply to everyone equally.

jjlandlord

That they are foreigners seems irrelevant... So why emphasise the fact so much?

Gordon_Hose

Because the English are anti-social and lock themselves away in their flats!

Demented

AdrianC wrote: »

So, basically, the problem is that a resident allows their friends access to their garden?

(Would it be OK if everybody involved was British, btw?)

No I think the issue is that they leave the door constantly unlocked and use the garden as a dogs toilet.

If I was in the OPs situation I would have no issues with the other Tenants friends using a shared garden, as long as the other Tenant allowed them in and they kept the place clean and tidy. I think this is a reasonable expectation of a shared space.