In a very bad situation

Thrugelmir

jjbrunton wrote: »

The area itself is fairly quiet at night unless there are a group of kids hanging around (it maybe happens once a week or so).

Kids do grow up and the novelty wears off over time. Now the nights have drawn in. Activity may well reduce of it's own accord.

Chanes

ladymarmalade222 wrote: »

I totally sympathise. I have owned my home for around 20 years. Paid off the mortgage and spent a lot of money making it really comfortable to enjoy for the next 5 years or so until our children have left and we can move to the countryside. We adore the house inside and the layout etc is just right.

We contemplated moving a couple of times as we noticed the area had deteriorated gradually, more rentals than owner occupuers and the transient nature meant they could not care about their environment.

We were woken every few nights from people kicking in doors and police arriving in the early hours. The final straw was a large amount of damage to our new car. Deliberate keying on every single panel. We knew it was the local feral kids who are kicked out from morning until night. Their parents do not care.

All the lads now seem to be driving mopeds/motorbikes with no silencers and they drive up and down the pavement constantly. We also have a new tenant next door but one with a full blown cannabis farm in his loft. The cars turn up constantly for him to deal. It's been reported but obviously it is too low level for the police to concern themselves with. I cannot open my windows due to the smell.

We decided to put the house on the market and luckily due to the improvements we made it was sold the next day for the asking price. We complete next week to a nice quiet area and I cannot wait. We should have gone a few years back but kept putting it off. You find yourself just putting up with a little bit more every week until you eventually wonder what the hell you are doing.

This was a lovely little Street hence me living here for so many years but times have changed in the past few years. The older residents have sadly moved on and the rentals are rented to scumbags. They fill everybody else's bins with dirty nappies from yet another cash cow child as they cannot be bothered to put their bins out to be emptied on time. Nobody will say anything as they are so scared to approach them.

Sorry if I sound bitter but I am, it has cost us a great deal of money but I cannot wait for a peaceful nights sleep and not to worry about what damage is being done to my vehicles. I don't want my children to grow up thinking what they are watching outside is normal.

If you feel the area is going downhill, get out before it starts to effect the house prices and the areas reputation means you will struggle to sell. Life is too short to put up with this when you are working hard to achieve a nice home.

Good luck.

Xxx

Forgot to mention next door was on the market the same time as us and she has just sold. Another buy to let. The same landlord as the drug dealers property next door but one who doesn't care less about what happens as long as the rent is paid. I feel we have dodged a bullet.

Please tell me you've sold it for it to become a buy to let, you haven't handed all that misery over to someone who doesn't now how bad things are where you are living?

marksoton

Chanes wrote: »

Please tell me you've sold it for it to become a buy to let, you haven't handed all that misery over to someone who doesn't now how bad things are where you are living?

Why should a tenant suffer whilst an owner occupier shouldn't?

Bizarre post.

Chanes

They haven't sunk their money into it and can move out easier, I've been at both ends of that and I know which was the worse and which was the easiest.

If you think I am saying it is fine for a tenant - I am not! I am saying they are less invested in it than someone with a mortgage, that's all. I am not in any way saying anyone needs that kind of misery! Sorry if it read like that, that isn't the measure I meant it to have.

eddddy

A few years back, lots of businesses were finding that playing piped classical music would deter groups from gathering, and dramatically reduced anti-social behaviour.

I don't hear so much about it now, but maybe it's worth trying playing it in the communal areas. But I guess it might upset residents, if they can hear it in their flats.

Here's some examples:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4154711.stm
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/12/22/gangs-driven-out-of-city-_n_1165437.html
http://www.classicfm.com/music-news/latest-news/mcdonalds-classical-music-stockport/

ladymarmalade222

Chanes wrote: »

Please tell me you've sold it for it to become a buy to let, you haven't handed all that misery over to someone who doesn't now how bad things are where you are living?

Yes it has sold to a landlord. I just feel sorry for my old neighbours now who have been here as long as me. I felt really guilty telling them it would be yet another rental. Hopefully they will get nice neighbours. It's a shame as some of the rented houses have some lovely people renting them but we just seemed to have a run of a few idiots and it eventually gets too much, especially with the lack of sleep.

Xx

jjbrunton

I appreciate the responses.

I don't intend to come across as distasteful on the social housing comments. I just find it hard to separate the children from that area, none of the kids involved are from the estate / mortgaged buildings, they are from the adjacent estate which has seen better days.

As far as CCTV goes I think the management company doesn't really agree with them, they are concerned that they'd need a full buy in from the building and while there are 10-12 of us actively doing our best to improve the situation, there will still be ones that don't really care. There are 54 flats in total in this building.

Just this evening we've had a meeting with the police that have informed us that we're getting some attention(????). They explained that although the arson is considered a serious crime, now that it has happened and there have been no fatalities and no considerable damage, it will take a low priority.

At this same meeting, it has become apparent it is fairly serious - a lady here had a few kids literally pulling the door while she was holding it attempting to get in. This obviously shook her up.

I'm trying to deal with this in a pragmatic way in that I believe there are maybe a few bad apples that once the police catch up with them, things might get sorted? I'm just beginning to think it might be worth planning for the worst.

Cakeguts

If the bad apples have parents who are renting from the council then the council need to warn their tenant parents about what happens if they allow their children to engage in antisocial behaviour. I would suggest that people take photos of these idiots so that the council have some evidence about what their tenants' children are up to.

If the antisocial bad apples are engaging in arson in your flats then they are probably also doing it in other places as well. This needs investigating by the council landlords of the estate where these people live and also the police as there is a disaster here waiting to happen.

getmore4less

If there is any further attempts to start fires call out the fire brigade not the police.
None of you are qualified to be sure any fire is properly extinguished.

if there are attempt to tailgate then maybe the active group could agree to respond to calls for help, maybe sharing mobile numbers so people can text for help.
Not suggesting you go as far as letting them in then ambushing them in the building all suitably masked and very angry.

If the doors can be forced then they are not good enough.
Is the lighting adequate at the entrance

I suspect CCTV and good lighting could make this building less of a target.

This also seems an ideal candidate for regular Community support officer patrol.

ThemeOne

I know playing classical music has been found quite an effective deterrent in other cases, and I think you can also play some kind of high pitched tone which is supposedly only audible to people under a certain age, and isn't very pleasant.

Blocks of flats, however, are by their nature subject to certain issues, even if the building is of a more "exclusive" kind. Unless you have some kind of human security e.g. a 24 hour concierge / security person it's always difficult to control access i.e. those who want to get in nearly always can somehow.

Problems are not confined to less desirable areas either - for example, I once knew of people in a very expensive block in Wimbledon whose life was made a misery by a call girl service being run from one of the flats.