Advice on neighbour relationships?

[Mint choc chip]

Looking for advice on how to handle problem neighbours, who have been approached in every peaceful way possible for 5 or so years.

Issues include:

1. Strange possessiveness of council bins that led to bags of rubbish being thrown on my doorstep repeatedly, and a knock on the door with threats of physical violence from adult man and woman on Boxing Day.

Possessiveness also includes order of the bins??? For example there are four, two for each house. If I bring my bins in last, I place them in the nearest space. My security camera caught a woman angrily rearranging them so mine were now furthest away to access? Strange and confusing behaviour.

2. Loud music (which I don’t care about but this is so loud that I can tell you word for word what radio station is playing) specifically between 9am-5pm during working hours whilst I work from home.

I’ve played loud music back for a ‘taste of their own medicine’ but honestly it didn’t make a difference, and I just got a headache haha.

3. A bizarre refusal to close the front gate (which progressed positively after a housing association visit) from leaving the house specifically to open the gate only to go back inside after opening it, to now just opening it on their way in/out and never closing it.

I called the police about the threats, I called the housing association regarding the noise who stepped into my studio and were immediately shocked with the noise level and told them to turn it down (to no avail) and I just don’t know what to do.

I’m kind of at a loss, I need to work from home, and I need to feel safe here - any advice beyond making the relevant people aware which I have done? It just feels like their are no ends to their entitlement /:

[Castleton]

That's really poor on the side of the Housing Assc.

I can't emphasise enough, keep a diary. And record any noise nuisance if you can.

HA should be able to signpost you to mediation, if you feel safe doing that.

[IlonaM]

Been going through this myself. Very difficult and very wearing.

- Diarise - dates, times start & stop, how it affects you (if affecting your health and well-being make your GP aware).

- Ask Housing Association (or council noise team) for a noise box to record exemplar incidents in your home. Generally set up and left in place and you activate it as required to create a picture over the couple of weeks or so that it is with you. Also, potentially, an Independent Witness.

- Use facilities of your local council Noise Team (it is accessible to everyone in the borough) - as you are in a studio flat the law relating to statutory nuisance is a strong potential resource for enforcement action. Insist an Enforcement Officer attends.

- Advice available: https://noiseabatementsociety.org Also see Shelter England and CAB websites.

- Mediation might not bring the resolution you want unless your neighbours are willing to adjust their behaviour. Process and agreement are voluntary and not legally enforceable. Calm Mediation work in the local area and have more information on their website.

- Talk to your local SNT for advice as well, particularly relating to threatening behaviour.

Drop me a PM if you'd like to for moral support. Best wishes.

[Mint choc chip]

That's really poor on the side of the Housing Assc.

I can't emphasise enough, keep a diary. And record any noise nuisance if you can.

HA should be able to signpost you to mediation, if you feel safe doing that.

 

They were offered mediation, and emphatically said no - they are content with there being unrest over resolution unfortunately.

[Mint choc chip]

Been going through this myself. Very difficult and very wearing.

- Diarise - dates, times start & stop, how it affects you (if affecting your health and well-being make your GP aware).

- Ask Housing Association (or council noise team) for a noise box to record exemplar incidents in your home. Generally set up and left in place and you activate it as required to create a picture over the couple of weeks or so that it is with you. Also, potentially, an Independent Witness.

- Use facilities of your local council Noise Team (it is accessible to everyone in the borough) - as you are in a studio flat the law relating to statutory nuisance is a strong potential resource for enforcement action. Insist an Enforcement Officer attends.

- Advice available: https://noiseabatementsociety.org Also see Shelter England and CAB websites.

- Mediation might not bring the resolution you want unless your neighbours are willing to adjust their behaviour. Process and agreement are voluntary and not legally enforceable. Calm Mediation work in the local area and have more information on their website.

- Talk to your local SNT for advice as well, particularly relating to threatening behaviour.

Drop me a PM if you'd like to for moral support. Best wishes.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, I’ll PM soon.

I’ll start my diaries back up again - it’s so hard because it makes me focus more on the noise, but I understand that it’s necessary.

I will approach the council noise team - I also got some advice to talk to a council housing officer, I really didn’t realise I could go beyond the HA.

The SNT didn’t do anything other than recommend I record interactions (hence my security cam) and keep them in the loop - so will let them know if anything aggressive happens but I really hope not.

Sorry you’re going through this as well, common decency and respect has been lost in some people - such a shame! My other neighbours are amazing and we all live so peacefully, it feels like such bad luck.

[tash b]

On 07/04/2023 at 16:04, Mint choc chip said:

Looking for advice on how to handle problem neighbours, who have been approached in every peaceful way possible for 5 or so years.

 

Issues include:

1. Strange possessiveness of council bins that led to bags of rubbish being thrown on my doorstep repeatedly, and a knock on the door with threats of physical violence from adult man and woman on Boxing Day.

 

Possessiveness also includes order of the bins??? For example there are four, two for each house. If I bring my bins in last, I place them in the nearest space. My security camera caught a woman angrily rearranging them so mine were now furthest away to access? Strange and confusing behaviour.

 

2. Loud music (which I don’t care about but this is so loud that I can tell you word for word what radio station is playing) specifically between 9am-5pm during working hours whilst I work from home.

 

I’ve played loud music back for a ‘taste of their own medicine’ but honestly it didn’t make a difference, and I just got a headache haha.

 

3. A bizarre refusal to close the front gate (which progressed positively after a housing association visit) from leaving the house specifically to open the gate only to go back inside after opening it, to now just opening it on their way in/out and never closing it.

 

I called the police about the threats, I called the housing association regarding the noise who stepped into my studio and were immediately shocked with the noise level and told them to turn it down (to no avail) and I just don’t know what to do.

 

I’m kind of at a loss, I need to work from home, and I need to feel safe here - any advice beyond making the relevant people aware which I have done? It just feels like their are no ends to their entitlement /:

Before you post on here why not post the truth 

The bins we both no you keep moving my parents bins in a position that my mother can’t get to just to be awkward YOU have been told by the housing association not to touch them and leave them as they are but again you like to be awkward.

Loud music don’t make me laugh we’re talking about a radio channel that my mum likes listening to coming just from an Amazon little speaker  And not every day at the times you state.

The gate if they go out and don’t shut the gate so what who are you to tell them they have to.

And your referring to me on Boxing Day and my brother not once did I threaten you and my brother stood way back and did not say anything to you until you started with your racism remarks at me I told you to leave the bins as they are and stop moving them like you have been told, you have come out to my mum with your phone camera in her face filming her that I have the filming of being very provoking and we know what happened that day concerning the rubbish on your doorstep, your a woman in what your twenty’s my parents are coming up to there 70s 

I personally reported you to the housing and the police after you filmed my mother and what you was saying  you should be ashamed of your behaviour and now to post on here NOT the truth. 

[Twoddle]

Chill, and be respectful to each other. I would like to play music and prefer to have sound from my computer games coming out the loudspeakers but I choose not to because I know neighbours can hear it especially the bass. Try to find common ground, peace.