Neighbour complaints!

annapanda

Hello all, long time lurker of these boards but finally have a reason to post.

Long story short I moved out of my property to move in with my now husband and decided to rent out my property about 8 months ago. Was very fortunate to find tenants almost straight away and so far they have been really good - pay their rent on time, nice people who look after the house, even pop in for a cup of tea when I'm over that way visiting my relatives. Couldn't wish for better tenants and (hopefully!) I'm a good landlord. All very fortunate.

When I saw them last night they presented me with a letter they'd had from the council regarding noise issues. The council won't tell me who has made the complaint (as I knew they wouldn't) but I have a really good idea who it was - the next door neighbour.

Quite frankly she is a nosey nasty old bat, I never had much time for her when I lived there and many other neighbours have had run ins with her. The guy over the road who had not long recovered from cancer had to call the police when she threatened to hit him round the legs with her walking stick! Anyway guess that's an aside.

The tenants then said she had moaned several times about things and they had just ignored her as a bit of an eccentric old lady. She had complained about noise a couple of times - it's a 1950s semi-detached so of course there is going to be a bit of "neighbourly" noise. But the tenants are right they are entitled to a life - they like to have friends over for dinner , and watch TV and play music. I don't believe for one minute they are doing it to excess or late at night etc. I can't prove it obviously but they don't seem the types - they both work and of course want to enjoy their down time, who doesn't.

I'm wondering what I should do about the situation. As a landlord do I have any legal obligation to sort this out? I want to try and do the right / fair thing as they are (in my eyes anyway) good tenants so I feel like I have a moral obligation to help - it's in my interests as much as theirs!

Guest101

Short answer is no, u can't do much.

Longer answer is if they get a noise abatement order ( or whatever they're called now) and breach it, u may even have to evict.

But good news is, they council will always send a letter which says along the lines, we have received a complaint, if we receive more we will have to investigate. If we find it necessary we will apply for.... Blah blah blah.

I'm guessing it's along these lines? If so, it is more or less spam. Generated when the council receives a number of complaints.

annapanda

Thanks for your response. Yes it's just the generic "first letter" that a complaint has been made.

I'll have a word with the neighbour the other side just to check (who isn't attached to the property) as she would have soon told me if the tenants were being unreasonable in any way. My instinct is telling me my tenants aren't at fault here, but I guess never can be totally sure with people you don't know all that well!

Hoploz

I have a similar problem. We lived at our flat at weekends and the neighbour below kept complaining she could hear the children running up and down. Now we rent it out, the neighbour has written to the freeholder and me to complain about the tenants noise, which she readily admits is ordinary footsteps etc. It's just life in a flat, and she was lucky before that for three years she only had us above her part time, now someone is there full time. Apparently she has spoken to the letting agent, who said she should keep records and speak to environmental health about it.

I am worried she will upset my tenants unnecessarily!

Can I ask what the letter from the council said? Did it identify particular events or was it just general noise?

annapanda

It basically just said that a complaint had been made, a link provided to the local council website on noise problems and something along the lines that the council could investigate if further complaints made. There was also a named contact to call with any further queries. I think it's fairly standard (my friend had a similar one last year, caused by a vindictive neighbour).

I can understand if there is excess noise etc but as far as I can tell this is just normal noise and people getting on with their life! If you don't want noise, live in the middle of a field in a detached house with soundproofing!

jaylee3

Can your tenants contact the council and refute these allegations? I wouldn't take it lying down if I were them. I wouldn't be accused of doing something I hadn't done. I would arrange to see someone at the council if I were them.

Isn't is ridiculous how someone can get a warning based on someone else's 'word?'

annapanda

I should say I called the person named as the contact and explained I was landlord but they said as I wasn't living there they couldn't really give me any more information, which is fair.

annapanda

jaylee3 wrote: »

Can your tenants contact the council and refute these allegations? I wouldn't take it lying down if I were them. I wouldn't be accused of doing something I hadn't done. I would arrange to see someone at the council if I were them.

Isn't is ridiculous how someone can get a warning based on someone else's 'word?'

I have suggested to them to do so. I think they were a bit worried as it's their first time renting somewhere together and up to now hadn't had any problems, certainly none from me.

I can understand if they were throwing wild parties and playing music at 4am. I do also wonder what the neighbour (if it was indeed her) actually said to get a complaint letter sent out...

Pixie5740

It depends on where the rental property is located. If in Scotland then yes as the LL you would have a legal obligation to ensure your tenants aren't causing a nuisance to the neighbours. In the rest of the UK you don't.

Rather than ignoring the neighbour when she approaches the tenants about the noise why don't they try engaging with her before the situation gets really out of hand. I've been on the receiving end of noisy neighbours who wouldn't answer the door to me and ignored offers of mediation from the council and it all ended when they were threatened with an ASBO. It didn't have to go that far if they'd just been prepared to listen.

annapanda

With the best of respect Pixie5740 I'm not actually sure my tenants are at fault in any way here. Obviously I can't watch them 24/7 and I can't definitely say it was the adjoining neighbour who made the complaint (but not sure who else it could be as several other neighbours have my phone number precisely for the case that my tenants turned out to be a nightmare) but I don't think they are making noise above the "normal". Just because someone has made a complaint doesn't mean it's always justified!

People are entitled to live their lives and enjoy their home!

I think I will talk to my tenants again and get them to call the council contact and hopefully find out what specifically has been complained about so we can work out what the issue is.

I called the neighbour the other side and she said she has nothing to complain about and often spoken to my tenants and seemed very polite etc.

PasturesNew

annapanda wrote: »

.... the tenants are right they are entitled to a life - they like to have friends over for dinner , and watch TV and play music. .... they don't seem the types .... want to enjoy their down time, who doesn't.

annapanda wrote: »

... it's their first time renting somewhere together ....

Sounds like they do have the potential to be annoyingly over noisy. Noisier than people living in a house... the noise of people entertaining and not giving a tinker's whatsit to how noise travels.