To call the police to conduct a wellness check for my hoarder neighbour?

Definitely involve social services as this sound like a care issue. They may involve the police themselves but it wouldn't hurt to ask their opinion.

Fire Brigade have some specific advice. Might be worth a call....?

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/carers-and-support-workers/hoarding-disorder/

I'm really sorry to hear this OP it must be awful for you to live next to someone like that. I really hope something can be done. It seems to me that people like this should be (forcibly if necessary) moved into some sort of sheltered accommodation although I understand there's no money for that sadly.
It's just not fair on everyone around that person. Also hoarders typically resist all offers of help.

Those were my thoughts too. This can potentially take months or even years because hoarders usually resist outside interference. Their ‘things’ are often all they have in the world and the hoarding is often the manifestation of a mental illness.

Your last sentence is a bit worrying as 'resolved soon' and hoarding never go together, and I'm worried you'll get your hopes up. Wishing you all the luck op, so sorry you're dealing with this.

Bloody awful OP, must be exhausting to deal with.

A note of caution OP not to get your hopes up up too much because as pp have said, it can very difficult thing to deal with properly which takes time and resources that services don’t always have. On the other hand it is by far the most common subject of safeguarding reviews when vulnerable people have died from self neglect as the previous sad example up thread. It also is fairly common, along a spectrum. I hope your neighbour can be supported and your life made easier.

can you speak to the freeholder/commonhold manager? Not sure how flats work in Scotland. when I lived in a shared freehold block I had to ask the management company about a man who was very dirty and didn't maintain his flat. he caused leaks and a fire, the company told him to clean up or lose his flat. Possession could be taken as he'd broken the terms of the lease (even tho it's a share of the freehold).

@ThePoshUns I did not reply to the OP but the poster above me who suggested calling police

Have you tried contacting Shelter? They can give advice on all sorts of issues that are housing related.

Contact your Landlord again. They have a duty of care to all Tenants & it maybe a fire risk if your neighbour hoards flammable stuff. Also if there's vermin or other infestations then your Landlord needs to deal with it asap. If they don't agree to sort out the problem with the smell etc seek advice from CAB.

Why don't you read the thread or at least the OPs posts?

And what the police you think will do?
It will be written off as not in public to prosecute and more appropriate to deal by Social Care where they will pass it on. Social Care is already aware so waste of time and more cost for the OP.

Can you put a camera/ring doorbell up in the hallway - people like this don't change habits so very likely they'll act similarly and make a mess there again - catch it on camera and ask the police to deal.

The HA can't force their way in without an access injunction, even then that doesn't allow them to force the door. If access isn't given, breach of injunction would mean the HA could go for possession.

BUT

If there is mental health conditions involved, they won't be permitted to apply for possession until all possible avenues have been investigated which means multi agency working. Again, a slow process.

Suggestion suing the housing association is hilarious, you realise they are governed by laws and regulations that one, means they can't share a neighbours personal and/or medical circumstances with a neighbour and two that they can't just force their way into someone's home. Law requires them to act in a processed, correct way.

That's brilliant. Hope something is done.

@Atmywitsend23 thank you for the update.....i hope they get things sorted sooner rather than later 💐🫂🙏❤️

Everything crossed for you!

Save up any money you can and move out as soon as possible. X

It might be worth contacting your local council's housing department as they may have a team who deal with issues with Landlords and this may include social housing landlords-my local council does but it could vary (although EH should have advised this I would have thought).

Our neighbour (thankfully detached) lived in indescribable conditions. Social services were brought in on occasions and, true to the old mantra ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ nothing could be done if he didn’t want help unless he was sectioned under the 1983 Mental Health Act. For this to happen he had to be a danger to himself or others. Anyway, the problem is in the past now as, three weeks ago, we found him wet through, on the garden on a freezing cold morning after an inch of rain overnight, and he died shortly after they got him in the ambulance. The house was even worse than we thought it would be. I think social services call them Emas- elderly man alone. This won’t help at all and I do sympathise because these people are a great worry to family and all around them.

Yea good idea to contact your local MP. I've worked in the public sector and any intervention from MPs tend to get responses.

I'm borderline - just checked the clutter images and scored 3,3,4. I'm a housing association tenant and the welfare team found me a grant (I asked for help) to pay for a clutter cleaning service.

When the service came to look, they were really lovely but only geared up to get rid of stuff, then tidy what's left and give the place a good clean. I'd have loved it if my clutter was a 'hoard' but it isn't - I'm just disabled & disorganised! If I ever manage to organise my shit, I'll get them back to deal with anything that's too old or no longer needed.

The takeaway from this is that the HA surely could mobilise the funds and the forces to deal with the neighbour's problems ... if she wanted it. Which hoarders notoriously don't 😢

OP, this is horrible for you. I'm very sorry your first proper place is turning out such a let-down. I'm afraid I've got no advice except [1] Buy a fuck-off air purifier, and [2] leave. Am totally on board with giving your landlord hell and asking your MSP for help. MPs often get results from previously reluctant agencies. Fingers crossed for you!

My friend had this situation and it in the ends she just got to the end of her tether and said she kept smelling gas. Ended up with neighbours door being broken down. The state of the house was then taken seriously and the women was taken out and is now in a home.

Now I am not saying do this in fact I was surprised they broke in as I would have thought they would have had to have smelt it themselves or they would have brought a gas monitor to see if it showed anything. But knowing what my friend went through I can’t say I blame her.

She had rats coming in the house from the neighbours property and garden., terrible smells, drain pipes blocked time and time again. She was also joined on so worried about the fire hazard. The rubbish in the neighbours front garden has been set on fire twice by local youths and the last time it set friends bin alight as well. No one wanted to go anything but one mention of gas and they were in.