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Help - hundreds of dog poos in shared garden, and pee in the close
ecstaticstatic
Posts: 16 Forumite
Hi all, was hoping for some advice about a situation involving some neighbours and their dogs. Apologies if this is a bit long winded.
I moved to this flat a few months ago - over the past few months other dogs living in the building have been allowed by the owners (essentially sent down alone) to poo in the shared garden all the time and the owners don't pick it up. I see the dogs go downstairs, poo, and it is left there - no owner in sight. There's probably hundreds of poos in the garden in various stages of decomposition (sorry for the detail). The bins are stored there so I find it hard to avoid going out when I need to move my wheely bin. The poo is attracting flies into the close. I've seen two dogs go together, and a different dog on its own (though I haven't seen the two dogs together for a while). I've ruined one pair of shoes and feel sick/anxious now every time I have to go out there to move my bins as it's hard to avoid stepping in - it's everywhere. I've tried chapping one suspected neighbour's door to discuss it politely (they never, ever answer), tried speaking to other neighbours (they just say nothing will work/"this close is a mess"), tried twice putting up a polite sign asking them to please stop and respect the others living here (both torn down by someone the next day) and tried phoning the dog warden (they say they can't do anything because it is classed as private land). The warden did possibly issue a fine once after my landlord spoke to them but it's done nothing to stop it, and as I'll go on to below - there may be multiple owners doing this so I can't now be sure of who is responsible.
So finally most recently I tried giving a video of the dog (the lone one I've seen) to my landlord (I heard it go down the stairs and filmed it from my window, feeling super dodgy in the process... this is what my life has become - filming pooing dogs from windows!). She doesn't recognise the dog, but said she'd maybe pass it on to the landlords of the other flats and get them to take some responsibility.
And now -
In the past week I've found a new problem - a dog (or dogs) keep peeing on my door mat. I've never actually witnessed it but it's completely soaked in pee. My part of the hallway stinks of pee. I'm at my wits end, I love dogs but their owners I feel are driving me out. Maybe it's because of the video? What else was I to do? It's nuts... my landlord and another family member lived here before I did and they never had (or certainly never mentioned) such problems.
Do I have any legal route I can go down? Anything else I can do? I really don't want to have to move again, as I spent quite a lot moving here and the landlord is (basically) in my family. So another reason I'm reluctant to move/give them hassle.
Hope that wasn't too much of a ramble. Am I overreacting? I mean I can't emphasise enough that I do love dogs, but it's so, SO disgusting here.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
I moved to this flat a few months ago - over the past few months other dogs living in the building have been allowed by the owners (essentially sent down alone) to poo in the shared garden all the time and the owners don't pick it up. I see the dogs go downstairs, poo, and it is left there - no owner in sight. There's probably hundreds of poos in the garden in various stages of decomposition (sorry for the detail). The bins are stored there so I find it hard to avoid going out when I need to move my wheely bin. The poo is attracting flies into the close. I've seen two dogs go together, and a different dog on its own (though I haven't seen the two dogs together for a while). I've ruined one pair of shoes and feel sick/anxious now every time I have to go out there to move my bins as it's hard to avoid stepping in - it's everywhere. I've tried chapping one suspected neighbour's door to discuss it politely (they never, ever answer), tried speaking to other neighbours (they just say nothing will work/"this close is a mess"), tried twice putting up a polite sign asking them to please stop and respect the others living here (both torn down by someone the next day) and tried phoning the dog warden (they say they can't do anything because it is classed as private land). The warden did possibly issue a fine once after my landlord spoke to them but it's done nothing to stop it, and as I'll go on to below - there may be multiple owners doing this so I can't now be sure of who is responsible.
So finally most recently I tried giving a video of the dog (the lone one I've seen) to my landlord (I heard it go down the stairs and filmed it from my window, feeling super dodgy in the process... this is what my life has become - filming pooing dogs from windows!). She doesn't recognise the dog, but said she'd maybe pass it on to the landlords of the other flats and get them to take some responsibility.
And now -
In the past week I've found a new problem - a dog (or dogs) keep peeing on my door mat. I've never actually witnessed it but it's completely soaked in pee. My part of the hallway stinks of pee. I'm at my wits end, I love dogs but their owners I feel are driving me out. Maybe it's because of the video? What else was I to do? It's nuts... my landlord and another family member lived here before I did and they never had (or certainly never mentioned) such problems.
Do I have any legal route I can go down? Anything else I can do? I really don't want to have to move again, as I spent quite a lot moving here and the landlord is (basically) in my family. So another reason I'm reluctant to move/give them hassle.
Hope that wasn't too much of a ramble. Am I overreacting? I mean I can't emphasise enough that I do love dogs, but it's so, SO disgusting here.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts. 0
Comments
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Not a lot of help, but I would be thinking about ending the tenancy as soon as legally possible. When did you move in and how long is your contract?0
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Not a lot of help, but I would be thinking about ending the tenancy as soon as legally possible. When did you move in and how long is your contract?
Thanks for your reply! It's the new type of Residential Tenancy Agreement so no set term aside from the requirement to give 28 days notice. I've been so back and forth on whether to try to solve the issue rather than go down this route as part of my moving in was to help said family member (having someone they know in the flat) + it's a pretty good rate of rent and near my work... but I didn't anticipate these issues.0 -
Have you called environmental health at the council and had them out to see the mess?0
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Get cctv, for security, and catch them in the act. I'd keep sticking the signs up too. Plus speak to others without dogs and get their support0
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If you know which flats contain dog owners, I would put gloves on, collect a selection of dog eggs, and leave a large pile outside these doors.They are an EYESORES!!!!0
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ecstaticstatic wrote: »Thanks for your reply! It's the new type of Residential Tenancy Agreement so no set term aside from the requirement to give 28 days notice. I've been so back and forth on whether to try to solve the issue rather than go down this route as part of my moving in was to help said family member (having someone they know in the flat) + it's a pretty good rate of rent and near my work... but I didn't anticipate these issues.
Are you in Scotland by any chance? Have you spoken to your landlord about the issue? Do any of the offending dog owners rent their homes privately? If so their landlords have a legal responsibility to ensure that their tenants do not cause a nuisance to the neighbours. Check on the Scottish Landlord Register and then get contacting the clatty middens' landlords.0 -
Invest in some bleach and liberally douse the yard in it. The dogs won't like it but needs must.
The dog pee on your doormat is deliberate."If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." -- Red Adair0 -
Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »If you know which flats contain dog owners, I would put gloves on, collect a selection of dog eggs, and leave a large pile outside these doors.
You only need to use (and thus pick up) one egg, just liberally apply it to the door handle.0 -
You only need to use (and thus pick up) one egg, just liberally apply it to the door handle.
The problem with reacting like this is that the original perpetrators will be more than capable of retaliating in an even more aggressive manner. Try the environmental officer of the local authority and/or the management company. Or read the tenancy agreement carefully to check the landlords responsibilities.0 -
Make a sign for the door: To the COMMON, FERAL, PEASANTS who let their dogs down to poo and who don't clear it up. Sort yourselves out, you heathens. If I find out who owns which dog I WILL ... post it back to your letterbox.
Put it up silently, after dark...0
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