Public liability insurance for private individual

chrysalis52

My neighbours and I are living in shared ownership apartments for the over 60's. My neighbours own the maximum 95%..... I own 25%. ( I pay rent for 75%). For two years we have been paying monthly service charges but not had the services we pay for. We decided not to put up with it anymore and improved the garden area ourselves by building a gravel path to alleviate the hazard of raised manhole covers to trip over, and adding wooden planters with plants we chose to brighten the place up. We were sick of weeds everywhere and our housing association ignoring our complaints and mowing just once during July and August of last year. We each pay £80 a month for cleaning( rarely done) and keeping communal gardens outside our flats mowed and weed free. ( they rarely do the contracted hours)
There are 6 flats in our block out of a total of 38 flats. One neighbour chooses to fight with everyone on our estate.( the ones above my flat). My other neighbours were very supportive of us making our own improvements in building a gravel pathway,adding expensive wooden planters and suitable plants.
The housing association received one complaint about what we had done.....no prizes for guessing who? They have told us this is communal land and we must return it to its previous state or they will do it themselves and bill us for the work. ( anyone selling thistles and weeds?). Our local Councillor fully supports the work we have done,at our own expense. But the Housing Association remain adamant it will breach their insurance for public liability if anyone has an accident as a result of what we've done. Truly, we've vastly improved the safety by eliminating raised manhole covers and the area looks so much nicer. We've had total support and approval from ALL the other residents,except the unpleasant family living directly above me.
Is it possible for the rest of us to take out our own public liability insurance? If so, with who? We intend to fight this out since other neighbours have also made their own improvements.....one has even fenced off the entire garden. I accept its communal ground. Of that I'm not denying.....,but we truly have dramatically improved the gardens and have the support of the vast majority of neighbours of both our block AND surrounding blocks,as well as the support of the local Councillor. Can we insure ourselves? If so......with whom?
The only reason we have been given for denying us permission,albeit retrospectively, is that it breaches their health and safety insurance?

forgotmyname

I doubt they will accept your own liability insurance anyway. They would need someone to periodically check your insurance is still valid and has adequate coverage.
Even then there could be disputes over whats covered and what is not. Then what happens if you move out, will you be returning the area to its previous state?

Its communal for a reason, what would you think if a neighbour decided it would look better as a scrap yard, or decided to make sculputres from scrap items?

I have been around that type of enviroment and you maybe accusing the wrong person. It could be the person you least expect that reported it.
Possibly someone that you get along with great and tell all your secrets to, then the minute they have your info they report it all to the association.