Nightmare neighbours 31 January at 5:03PM in Praise, vent & warnings 9 replies 1.3K views

sunny26

Hi All. I need some urgent advice please. I have a family that continue to throw rubbish over into my garden, they have even seen we in my garden and still thrown it over. They terrorise me daily with this and loud music, cars driving on the pavement the list goes on. I have spoken to the council and they wrote to them but it still goes on , I spoke to the council again and they said they need video evidence to take the matter further because they are council tenants. I am disabled and also care for my disabled son. This family know my situation but continue to harass me. My other neighbor had the same problem and went and spoke to them but made no difference so he is now moving.I can't afford cameras to record this so what can I do.i really take anymore .please help me. Thank you.

marcia_

 Speak to your local police community support officers. They installed temporary cameras for me when subjected to anti social behaviour. 

 Keep a daily diary of all events to give to the police and the council.

diystarter7

Hi

Re cops and free cctv, good advice fro @marica_2

When did next door move in and what do you think triggered thi behaviour?

Rather than confront, call 999 if at risk or the non-emergency line if feeling vulnerable but 999 for urgent action

Build up a realtionship with the comm's officers.

Good luck

sunny26

diystarter7 said:

Hi

Re cops and free cctv, good advice fro @marica_2

When did next door move in and what do you think triggered thi behaviour?

Rather than confront, call 999 if at risk or the non-emergency line if feeling vulnerable but 999 for urgent action

Build up a realtionship with the comm's officers.

Good luck

I did the diaries for the council with photos of the paint being thrown at my front window ect ect but as the council said they need video evidence, plus they said if we take them to court then it will make them more angry which will put me in danger. The family is from the traveller community and was living here before I moved in. 4 other residents have moved because of them and the lack of support from the council and police. I asked for security lights and cameras but I have to purchase them myself. One of the sons has just got out of prison for putting someone in a coma and having a firearm. The council said maybe I should move which I would do tomorrow if I could find somewhere but difficult as I am disabled with a disabled son. I just can't take anymore. Thank you you your advice.

Nifty_Purse

You do need to get the police involved. 
Keep making a diary whether or not the council or police are interested at this moment in time.
Get advice and support about hate crime rather than antisocial behaviour.
For example, from the charity Stop Hate UK they will give you free advice:
https://www.stophateuk.org/

CurlySue2017

I know it's not what you want to hear but I think your only option is to move.  Given the problems with the traveller community in our area and my own personal experience, the council and the police will be very reluctant to help.

They basically do what they like around this area and no-one, not even the police, makes any attempt to stop them.

I hate to say it but this will be a losing battle for you.

RhondaD

It is wrong that one family gets to behave this way with impunity and the council's only solution is for everyone else to just move out. Can you get the other neighbour to write a statement of what he has put up with and why he is moving out? Perhaps tell the local MP what you and your neighbours are suffering and what little support you get from the council because they are too afraid to act? These people often claim racism if people complain about their behaviour but seem to have very little insight about why people may not want to live near them.

diystarter7

RhondaD said:

It is wrong that one family gets to behave this way with impunity and the council's only solution is for everyone else to just move out. Can you get the other neighbour to write a statement of what he has put up with and why he is moving out? Perhaps tell the local MP what you and your neighbours are suffering and what little support you get from the council because they are too afraid to act? These people often claim racism if people complain about their behaviour but seem to have very little insight about why people may not want to live near them.

Hi

A very commendable post. Sadly, and often, cases like this the so-called family are adept at upsetting people and not caring less and easy with threats and often have hangers-on. Life then becomes more miserable.

About "these people," please be aware that not all people from any background are nasty or good for that matter

It is a hard one OP and I'd be inclined to move as life must be miserable.

Do tell the cops and ask about panic alarm etc etc - but again, I feel for you as at times people that know they are upsetting someone are very adept of harassing people covertly as well

Good luck.

SevenOfNine

Contact your MP & spend your time pestering him/her to prod the council, over & over again as many times as necessary.

It sounds like the council already knew this was a problem family, they shouldn't have put a vulnerable family (yours) next door.

You're being bullied & the wrong people are being forced to move.

MalMonroe

Hi, I'm really sorry about your situation. I once bought an ex-council property and regretted it the day I moved in. I was tormented every single day, my car was damaged every weekend and I was calling the police out every single week because of the neighbours' kids. More than one family, I might add.  They even threw a molotov cocktail into the garden and another time, threw a brick through the front window. Police said they couldn't come out because we didn't see who did it. (I should have complained to the cops about that). All this happened at a time when my mother was seriously ill and then she died and I couldn't see any way out. I had to stay there for 8 years with the neighbours from hell. And not wanting to be rude but they were all council tenants. I complained to the council - keep a diary, they said. Absolutely useless. I don't know why councils feel they have to pussyfoot around their tenants. Police were useless too. 

But what I'd do in your case and what I should have done had I felt stronger, would be to contact your local councillor as well as your MP - as suggested by SevenOfNine above. And keep contacting them, as well as staff at the council. They really should be able to control their own tenants. Pestering them does work, I just wish I'd kept on at it. 

I did end up leaving there but I did have to wait for a few years as it's not cheap to keep buying, selling and moving. And it wasn't easy to sell a house where I'd been so harassed because of course you have to reveal such things when you sell a property. I did manage it though, even if it was at a lower than value price.

I know it's awful when you don't really feel like it but you do need to keep on at them all. Council, councillor and MP. If you don't know who they are you can google 'who is my MP' or 'who is my local councillor' - and a government page pops up and you can look on there. Unruly tenants are their responsibility whether they like it or not, especially when they make other people ill.

I should add that when I left there I came to a council flat and am now a council tenant myself so I don't think all tenants are nasty, disruptive and harassing - we certainly aren't. And my neighbours couldn't be kinder. It just seems to be a lottery but it's annoying that horrible neighbours don't really show their true colours until you've moved in to your own place.