Neighbours making my life hell

spottycat

I'm not sure if this is in the correct place, but we are having so much trouble with our neighbours.
We have lived in this flat for almost 3 years and they have lived around 10.
We are both council tenants. We had problems with them from the week we moved in. They are scum, smoke weed, take drugs, slam doors and are generally very smelly.

We must have reported them over 50 times in 3 years maybe more.
Last year we were away for a month. When we returned the neighbour was pregnant, we thought after she'd had the baby they might start to calm down...they got worse.

I have noticed she stays at her boyfriends a lot and allows her sister, brother and a teenager or anyone else from the street stay over.
It's during this time they make the most noise.

Last night when my husband was leaving to pick up his car the neighbours brother forced his way in the communal hallway and began banging on his sisters door (as my husband was leaving) he started swearing at my husband first thing he said was 'don't look at me like a !!!! head' they had an argument and we called police as the brother passed out on the stairs. The police never came but the neighbour came home woke him up and took him in.

Today they were slamming doors, my husband went down to tell them to stop and the brother was standing outside they had another argument only this time my husband stayed quiet while the brother shouted.

Around two hours later the police came around about a report of doors banging...another neighbour had called.

I'm just at a point where I'm so tired and terrified after the police left they were laughing and the brother went outside and shouted up something about us calling police and they did nothing. Then was saying well done for wasting police time...

Im at a point where I do t know what to do anymore, reporting does nothing...I think I might try and get the crime number of the people that reported it to the police, but will police give me this info?

The best advice would be to leave but we can't for at least 6 months to a year...

patman99

So, the properties are Council-owned?. So how come the Council are turning a blind eye to the clear breach of tenancy that is going on here?.

I will assume that you have a copy of your tenancy agreement handy?. If so, give it a good read through.
What does it say about being a noisey neighbour?.

Once you have the relevent info, then you can quote this back to the council next time you complain.

Hutch100uk

So sorry to hear this. I had problems with our last neighbours who made our lives hell. The council will tell you to keep a diary of all the bad behaviour and noise. Please try to record anything you can also for evidence. The more evidence you have, the better. Just keep reporting them to the police as they will get sick of having to go round all the time too. Submit your diary/log and evidence to the council. I hope this gets sorted but unfortunately these things can take a long time.

DCFC79

Contact the environmental health at the council and ask who to speak to about anti social noise but start a diary first if not already done.

Link
http://www.noisyneighbours.net/involving-the-authorities/

D_M_E

If they are smoking weed and dealing/taking drugs this should also be reported to the council and police and should also be noted in your diary of events - for example 01/01/2015 strong smell of cannabis, evidence of drug dealing/abuse.

Also, if there is a strong suspicion of illegal drug dealing then the police should take action and it would also help your case if the neighbours who called the police last time also called about the drugs and harassed the council as well.

spottycat

Thank you for replying,
We have kept diaries of noise and drug use, this has resulted in two police raids. They go quiet for a while and start again it's the same cycle.

We have quoted the tenancy agreement and anti social behavioural act again someone visits, they go quiet and start again.

Just lately it's worse because neighbour is staying at her boyfriends and letting her family members use the flat.

I will contact my local mp on Monday or ward councilor these people should not be here.

I'm actually more afraid of the conflict/confrontation between my husband and the neighbours brother, strangely when my husband was telling him not to slam the doors earlier he gave a huge speech how they have lived here longer that we are wrong and he should F off then he took his shirt off ready to fight.
My husband said I looked at him he was slurring over his words his head was lolling all over the place he looked out of it so I just walked away.

I just feel physically and mentally sick

sniggings

If on housing benefit the claimant needs to live there or the benefit can stop, and if someone else is living there full time, then she needs to inform the housing.

Sad to say moving is going to be your best option here, if 3 years has seen no improvement.

Money_saving_maniac

I'm so sorry you are experiencing such stress.
Moving is definitely the best option but it may be hard.
In my experience you need to keep the council on at them. You need to report every single thing that causes you an issue, once the council have visited them you need to restart reporting every single time, you have to take a zero tolerance view in order to get any action.

It is worth doing it in writing and if you are not getting any sustained improvement in behaviour then make a formal complaint in writing to the council about their management of the other tenants breaches of tenancy is breaching your Human Rights. This can be quite effective as they tend to run about like headless chickens once that is brought up. You need to keep a copy of all complaints to the police. Your husband needs to report threats to the police too and keep a copy of the crime reference number.

The advantage of doing all complaints in writing it in writing and keeping a copy is that you can then threaten to take them to the Ombudsman for maladministration when they are not following their own published policies.

The starting point for a tenant of a social landlord who is suffering from anti-social behaviour is to obtain a copy of the landlord’s policy on anti-social behaviour. If a landlord is failing to implement their policy this may form the basis of a complaint. Social landlords will have internal complaints procedures – once these are exhausted a complaint involving maladministration may form the basis of a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman or the Local Government Ombudsman or both.

If you can bear to read the whole thing this is worth taking the time to digest. You'll have to google it as for some reason I cannot post the link

Anti-social behaviour in social housing (England)
Standard Note: SN/SP/264 Last updated: 3 March 2015 Author: Wendy Wilson Section Social Policy Section

A lot of councils at the moment are really doing the minimum with their tenants and not exercising the powers available to them.

In terms of the police calling the non emergency number is often a waste of time in my experience. The best route is to get hold of one of your local Beat officers or PCSO and ask to meet him to talk about the anti social behaviour and the threats that are being made to yourself and your husband. For this it is best if you do have a crime reference number or two. If you can get the beat officer onside (and they are generally sympathetic) they will often also talk to the council about the tenant. The police do work in what seems like a weird way but they can be very helpful if you know what you actually want the resolution to be, the PCSOs in my experience who patrol council areas are willing to go and talk to people causing issues. If there have been two police raids on the property already I think the local beat guys will prove to be helpful.

outofworksch

Instead of reporting them for drugs etc. if the original tenant doesn't live there, report them for tenancy fraud. With so few council properties available, I'm sure your council would want it to go to someone more deserving.

kinger101

No point reporting the drugs. The police aren't interested in cannabis use. Recreational use is virtually decriminalised now. And allowing friends and family to stay over isn't tenancy fraud. You need to focus on the antisocial behaviour aspect with both the police and the council. You should probably contact your local MP and ask why nothing is being done.

Norman_Castle

Get other residents involved. Record the drunken threats. Ask the council to explain to the tenant her trouble making visitors could cost her the tenancy.