Social Housing Question....

slenderkitten
slenderkitten Posts: 1,031
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edited 16 December 2012 at 4:05PM in Housing benefit help
Hi, i'm not sure if this is in the right section, apologies if it aint.
I'm not going to go into all the issues i had i will just generalise for the first two so you get the gist. I am absolutely besides myself as i cannot believe i'm in this situation again.

1A My first home of 9 years i had to leave because of bad neighbours who lived on top of me, if i hadn't at that time I am sure i would have died because of my ill health due to the serious noise and anti-social problems i suffered for the last two years.

B I was moved into another place, at the request of my MP, the council claimed it was quiet, the first night sleep was disturbed by a noisy vehicle (i didn't know the flats were next to an industrial unit). After this I spoke with neighbours who said they were complaining about it for 10 years. I moved after 3 years it had an affect with my hair, nails and sleep was seriously affected.

C I was moved into another place 4 months ago, at the request of my MP, i live ABOVE neighbours who are asleep in the afternoon and awake at night, this place is on a scheme for over 40's and pensioners. Originally, the son was coming in around midnight slamming the door, then did the same when he left at 5am. The general atmosphere was loud, there were several of the family visiting on a daily basis where then are restrictions on how many people are allowed to visit. The son is one of these lazy types who dont want to work, smokes weed etc, the mother is in her late 50's.

There were already complaints from the previous occupants of my flat about them and they left because of them, they also have too many visitors and arguments, the idiots have been there less than a year themselves. I had other problems like cigarette smoke smell, and cooking smells coming from their flat, (they didn't open windows or clean up regularly) the mother would start doing something in the bathroom/hallway but with loud banging around 6am, she would also carry on banging objects very loudly throughout the day. The smoke and the morning cleaning has stopped but i have noticed that whenever i am doing stuff around my flat, hoovering, having visitors etc just doing what you would expect people to be doing as normal in the daytime they would bang in the night.

i had problems with my other neighbours who are on my level at 6am also doing something noisy, the neighbour below them confirmed that it was waking her,but it has been resolved.

What should i do here. I have had serious headaches for years because of being woken up in the night lost my jobs twice last year due to this problem, i had already gone down the route from the first place of having counselling sessions when my depression was at its worst.

The council is going to put in recording instrument which i am well aware that it wont record nothing. Is there someone higher than the council themselves who I can report the council to about my situation. I am fed up of moving and spent alot of money which has now dried up, i am out of work and not sure how i can cope with this noise problem and being at work with ill health.

I intend to get out of this situation even if i have to do some sort of live in job that is out of my city.

My neighbour who lives on the same level as the idiots has heard what they been doing but will not complain about them and sleeps in the living room to get away from it. i am basically alone in all this, residents told me that the previous occupants were complaining and that the housing officer who i originally complained to told me that he had been round there a few times and could smell the strong smell of smoke in her home and knew that it was her son who visited her at night.

i challenged the manager (this is the guy who showed me round the flat and could smell the smoke -[he later retracted this and said he doesn't remember the smoke being here -you really couldn't miss it, at least half the residents are chain smokers]. neighbours have told me that they are aware of the smoke going into other flats

I also told him that the previous occupants were complaining about them, he said he had no knowledge about it, he also didn't know that they haven't been here long either. I asked him whether he was told about my first flat as i said that these people are just like them, he said the area manager for my last home did not tell him about it.


I hope someone can help me with this! As I feel that it needs to be escalated to a higher level
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Comments

  • miduck
    miduck Posts: 1,800 Forumite
    Have you looked at renting privately, so you can choose where you live? The HA have limited housing stock, and cannot keep moving you around because you do not like your neighbours. Whilst some of your concerns are genuine, you do seem to be taking it to an extreme.
  • slenderkitten
    slenderkitten Posts: 1,031
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    edited 15 December 2012 at 8:55PM
    i'm sorry you think that mid duck, but everyone expects to be able to clean their home, have visitors talk on the phone etc without the neighbours banging.

    one would expect to be able to get good quality sleep without disturbance i am of working age and need to get a job. you dont know what this continued noise disturbance has done to my health.

    to get private housing i would have to be doing a job that pays well unfortunately i work as an administrator or customer service, neither pays that much.

    its not just me who doesn't like my neighbours but at each address OTHERS had complained and moved because of them too!! someone moved next door but one two days ago, their carpets were being installed, i wasn't doing anything, GUESS WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT!
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
  • miduck
    miduck Posts: 1,800 Forumite
    i'm sorry you think that mid duck, but everyone expects to be able to clean their home, have visitors talk on the phone etc without the neighbours banging.

    one would expect to be able to get good quality sleep without disturbance i am of working age and need to get a job. you dont know what this continued noise disturbance has done to my health.

    to get private housing i would have to be doing a job that pays well unfortunately i work as an administrator or customer service, neither pays that much.

    its not just me who doesn't like my neighbours but at each address OTHERS had complained and moved because of them too!!

    Do you honestly believe that, having lived in three different properties, the problem is entirely with other people? I have had problem neighbours, and I am all too aware what an effect it can have on your life, but I am also aware that it makes you overly aware, to the point that you are waiting for it to happen and you become overly sensitive.
  • i'm sorry but i doubt you had to live what what i lived with so i wont even bother replying to your last remark. i did say i haven't detailed EVERYTHING i had to live with. plus you dont know who i am as a person, you clearly didn't read my last comment. plus i have seen other peoples comments saying they have had to move more than once to get away from such problems.
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
  • Norman_Castle
    Norman_Castle Posts: 11,871
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    Keep a personal diary of all problems. Make a copy if the landlord asks for one. Ask the landlord to deal with this as anti social behaviour. Don't expect a quick resolution or much initial response from the landlord. Keep complaining. Use your landlords complaints procedure if necessary. If your neighbours have complained, you will not be told. Wear earplugs to sleep.
  • ILW
    ILW Posts: 18,333 Forumite
    Buy some earplugs for the noise. And you cannot stop people smoking in their own flats. Life is not perfect and sometimes you just have to learn to live with things.
  • slenderkitten
    slenderkitten Posts: 1,031
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    edited 16 December 2012 at 11:55AM
    hi thanks for the last two responses.

    I have been through this all before TWICE i have been using expensive silicone ear plugs for 4 years they will only block out so much otherwise you cant hear your alarm clock going off, i havent considered custom made ones at the moment. I had complained for the whole of the two years of the first place and got nowhere, i did find out that they left 5 months after i went, they owed rent (was paid at an earlier time but its the second time that they owed it that's probably got them out) but still caused problems for the tenants of my old flat, i saw broken windows when i last went passed it. when i was there, there were no broken windows because i kept calling the police every night. As i said you don't know half of what i had to live with.

    i have made records which detail what i have been doing in the daytime and what they do as a result, this is why they bypassed the diary sheets and went straight to having a noise recording instrument (i know it wont record anything anyway i have had it three times at previous addresses) the manager has told me to carry on doing what i should be doing in the daytime, i think to encourage banging from them, its obvious they have had this before because they are trying to be cleaver and do only things that last for one second but loud enough for me to hear.

    I remember the first email i sent to the housing officer, he said straight away to keep diaries, and this was only after THREE days that i moved in. I'm sorry but no one should have to be told that i am up and about all day, that is normal, these people are ABNORMAL! They have no valid reason to be doing as they are, it is purely the lazy son that dictates to his mum to do as he does, i have noticed that whenever they get no sleep in the afternoon because i am decorating at the moment and moving my furniture from one room to the bedroom for space he gets het up and arues with his mum.

    as for smoking in their own flats, residents have told me that they are aware that there is a problem of cig smell going into other flats and took it upon themselves to either smoke outside or ensure they open windows, which i have already stated that the idiots were not doing, they never opened any windows even when it was warm weather.

    I'm sorry but if you had to live with the smell of stale cigarette smoke coming from 3 chain smokers in one small flat every day and the first thing you had to do in the morning was hoover, open windows to air out my flat the smell out of your carpets, furniture and wash your clothing and coats in the hallway every day and wash your hair every day just so that visitors could come and visit my brother wouldn't bring his very young children round because it was so bad, i had to go to bed at 9 pm just to get away from the stench as it was burning my eyes, i doubt you would live with it, i am entitled to clean air. As i already stated it has been resolved.

    Thank you for your input but I am looking for information about taking it above the council's, is there some sort of ombudsman for housing?
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
  • ILW
    ILW Posts: 18,333 Forumite
    edited 16 December 2012 at 12:05PM
    hi thanks for the last two responses.

    I have been through this all before TWICE i have been using expensive silicone ear plugs for 4 years they will only block out so much otherwise you cant hear your alarm clock going off, i havent considered custom made ones at the moment. I had complained for the whole of the two years of the first place and got nowhere, i did find out that they left 5 months after i went, they owed rent (was paid at an earlier time but its the second time that they owed it that's probably got them out) but still caused problems for the tenants of my old flat, i saw broken windows when i last went passed it. when i was there, there were no broken windows because i kept calling the police every night. As i said you don't know half of what i had to live with.

    i have made records which detail what i have been doing in the daytime and what they do as a result, this is why they bypassed the diary sheets and went straight to having a noise recording instrument (i know it wont record anything anyway i have had it three times at previous addresses) the manager has told me to carry on doing what i should be doing in the daytime, i think to encourage banging from them, its obvious they have had this before because they are trying to be cleaver and do only things that last for one second but loud enough for me to hear.

    I remember the first email i sent to the housing officer, he said straight away to keep diaries, and this was only after THREE days that i moved in. I'm sorry but no one should have to be told that i am up and about all day, that is normal, these people are ABNORMAL! They have no valid reason to be doing as they are, it is purely the lazy son that dictates to his mum to do as he does, i have noticed that whenever they get no sleep in the afternoon because i am decorating at the moment and moving my furniture from one room to the bedroom for space he gets het up and arues with his mum.

    as for smoking in their own flats, residents have told me that they are aware that there is a problem of cig smell going into other flats and took it upon themselves to either smoke outside or ensure they open windows, which i have already stated that the idiots were not doing, they never opened any windows even when it was warm weather.

    I'm sorry but if you had to live with the smell of stale cigarette smoke coming from 3 chain smokers in one small flat every day and the first thing you had to do in the morning was hoover, open windows to air out my flat the smell out of your carpets, furniture and wash your clothing and coats in the hallway every day and wash your hair every day just so that visitors could come and visit my brother wouldn't bring his very young children round because it was so bad, i had to go to bed at 9 pm just to get away from the stench as it was burning my eyes, i doubt you would live with it, i am entitled to clean air. As i already stated it has been resolved.

    Thank you for your input but I am looking for information about taking it above the council's, is there some sort of ombudsman for housing?

    From what you have said, I cannot figure out what you are actually asking for.

    If the noise recording equipment will not register any offense then what can be done?

    Saying your neighbours are abnormal will not get you anywhere.
  • is anyone aware of any forums out there for social housing issues, just thought that there may be one out there.
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
  • ILW wrote: »
    From what you have said, I cannot figure out what you are actually asking for.

    If the noise recording equipment will not register any offense then what can be done?

    i have already stated what i was looking for some sort of ombudsman for housing. also i am hoping for a reply from a CAB representative which is why this section is here.
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
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