Nightmare neighbour - advice please

carolt

I'm writing this on behalf of a family member, who recently started renting. She's a professional, single lady, late 50's, very quiet and pleasant and inoffensive. She moved into a new maisonette, in a lovely area, at a very good rent, about 6 months ago and was really happy there, planning to stay there until retirement etc.

Then about 2 weeks ago, she noticed that 2 of the tyres on her v old car had gone flat. A bit of a mystery and annoying, but she took out her Saturday morning and a fair bit of cash to get new tyres. She then parked the car in the only available space, just round the corner from her flat so it was out of view.

Next morning, when she got up, she was shocked to find all 4 tyres flat - when someone came to check, they discovered that all 4 tyres had been slashed. Initially, she had no idea who could have done this or why, though neighbours mentioned one of her neighbours, who lives sort of next door (she's in a first floor maisonette, and the neighbour's flat is the first floor one to one side, with kitchens facing each other). Apparently this neighbour is a man in his 30's, with some sort of learning disability/mental problem, who lives with a carer.

Well, as I said, initially she wasn't sure if it was him or not. But within the last 2 weeks, he's taken to sitting in his kitchen, just staring into her kitchen, and shouting abuse at her whenever she goes into the garden. Obviously this is very frightening for her, and we're really worried. My kids also often go round there to play/stay the night and I'm worried about whether this is even safe right now.

The police have been called and are fitting blinds in her kitchen and extra locks at the back. I think she's told her landlady. Neighbours say the nightmare neighbour is also renting and is behind with his rent, they think. Is there any way we could get hold of his landlord and get him thrown out? What other steps could we take, that would not expose my relative to any further risk? I'm not clear whether the carer joins in, is unaware or doesn't live in.

Obviously, she could move, as she is only renting (ironically, she very nearly bought a flat just a few doors down before renting this one - thank goodness she didn't). But that would seem like letting him win, as in all other respects the flat is perfect. Whilst other neighbours know the guy, they don't think he's been this bad previously.

What should she/we do, given she has already had to lose her car (a friend took it away, no money, to save her hassle, as it was only worth about £250 anyway) and is too scared to get a new one?

Please don't suggest going round there with some large types and threatening to kick the !!!! out of him if he so much as looks in her direction - I'd love to do that and it would probably be my preferred option as I am so ANGRY but sadly, I don't know any suitable blokes...

Advice much appreciated.

Horace

I would get in touch with the Environmental Health Department at the local council. They will help your relative, she will have to keep a diary though of everything that happens and with any luck they can arrange eviction. I would also keep calling the police and would do this everytime abuse is shouted at her when she is in the garden.

lynnexxxo

Could you try contacting social services to see if the carer is aware of this persons behaviour?

Or even trying to catch the carer on their own at some point and asking them if they are aware whats going on?

elvis_girl

You could try contacting the Landlord as if he is renting I presume he would be breaking the tenacy agreement with his intimidating behaviour. I would also try & have a word with the Carer as they might not even know there was anything going on. Of course she could be barking up the wrong tree entirely as she doesn't have any proof that this person is to blame...

Kizzy001

if you go onto the land registry website you can buy the office copy entries for the flat in which the guy is renting. This will contain the name (and hopefully a home address - not the flat address) of the owner.

It shoudl only cost you around £4 and you can print it of then and there.

http://www.landreg.gov.uk/ click on the link -on the right had side it says land registy online - follow instructions.

Also where your relative lives - is it an estate? does she have a mananging agent? if there are mananging agents then maybe she should have a word with them?

drc

Isn't there a problem though that as this man knows where you relative lives, any attempt to have him 'evicted' could possibly result in her getting more problems or abuse as if he is paranoid he will naturally assume he was being targetted by her and if he is successfully evicted isn't there a real possibility of him coming back to get revenge or something (if he is willing to slash her tyres for no apparent reason, he is obviously not afraid of what will happen).

Although unfortunate if I was in her situation with an abusive neighbour I would not want to stay in the flat even after he had been evicted as I would be scared he would return for 'revenge'.

carolt

Certainly, that worries me too, drc.

It's not an estate or anything like that - it's a small cul de sac of about 20 privately-owned/rented maisonettes. So no managing agents, just individual owners/landlords.

Tamsalina

Hi,

I work in housing and it can be very difficult to evict someone, but if you have grounds of both rent arrears and anti-social behaviour you have much more chance.
I also have personal experience as a few years ago the council moved a new tenant into our row of very nice private flats and she became a nightmare.
We first contacted the association who held her lease and told them what was going on. We then had to diary and document every disruptive event from noise during the night to the the vandalism she caused on all of our properties.
It did take quite some time but as she also had learning difficulties and had a carer she had a special lease which gave very strict guidelines for her behaviour. She was eventually moved and we had a short period of time when she threatened us for having her moved but this did not last very long at all and the police were aware of the problem.

So I advise you to find out who she leases the property from and ask them for advice, but make sure you keep a record of everything that happens as this will be needed to prove how much trouble he has caused.

Good luck!

Debt_Free_Chick

Errmmmmm..... hold on a minute. All we have is the gossip offered by other neighbours and a young man who is thought to have some kind of learning/mental disability.

And we're being asked how to have him thrown out of his home .... .for shouting abuse ....?

I'm sorry, but this seems far too excessive to me. There is absolutely no evidence that he is any way responsible for the (criminal) damage to the tyres.

All we know is that he sits in his kitchen and hurls abuse. Just to the OP's relative? Or "at everyone" because that's a symptom of his illness?

Very, very many mentally ill people are of no threat to society at all, even though their behaviour can appear to be "threatening".

I very much doubt that if there is clear evidence that this young man is a danger to the community, that he would be housed here, with a carer. Sure ... you can Google and find instances where this was the case ( a very small minority) - but all the other cases, where there are no problems, are not reported.

Would the OP's relative consider talking to the carer? He/she would probably be the best place to start, before we all jump to conclusions and have them hounded out of their home.

I have no problem with being cautious - but it must be on the basis that there is something to be cautious about.

Maybe the guy simply has Tourette Syndrome ....? (or, more accurately, coprolalia).

dolce_vita

That's f*cking care in the f*cking community for you.

F*cking b0llox.

wherediditallgo

Well said, Debt_Free_Chick. I work in mental health & it very often happens that a person who's known/suspected to have mental health problems is blamed for something that they have no knowledge of, as they're an easy target & can't always defend themselves. It's also much harder to evict someone known to have mental health problems, as their tenancy often has extra terms in it which they have to abide by - there has to be clear breaches of those as well as just generally anti-social behaviour for an order to be granted, & someone who for instance had suffered a relapse because their medication needed increasing/changing wouldn't be evicted unless there'd been a very clearly demonstrated intent to harm another person as a result, & even then it's not guaranteed. Just exhibiting behaviour that others might find embarrassing or uncomfortable wouldn't come even close to getting him out of the property.

OP, in the first instance, your relative should keep a record of all the episodes that happen involving this man & anyone else. She's already contacted the police, but should also make sure she keeps them up-to-date on what's happening, so that they can decide whether they need to watch her property.

As for speaking to the carer, they're governed by the Data Protection Act, plus this man has a right to confidentiality - you wouldn't like it if your neighbours suspected you of doing something, & then started quizzing or even just talking to your visitors about you. For all you know, this man may just be exhibiting behaviour that's typical of his illness - he may not be directing it at your relative personally. Your relative also needs to be aware that sometimes neighbours don't want someone with mental health problems living in their midst, so they may be using the current concerns as a way to hopefully get him out - she mustn't allow herself to be used like this. You can tell the carer/social worker about his behaviour, but she shouldn't discuss him with you in any way that breaches his rights to confidentiality. Something might be done about the way he behaves towards your relative, but that doesn't mean he was responsible for the attacks on the car - that's for the police to find out.