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

If you are renting I would also give notice and leave . You have no power to resolve this and it will just be frustrating

I have considerable professional experience of this stuff and it takes ages to resolve and will go on for probably years as ultimately it is an intractable problem and she has to live somewhere so if they evict her from her she'll do it again somewhere else.

Agree with others, I would move. This is likely to drag on and on.
if she has capacity to manage her affairs and make decisions, however bad/ unsafe, they can’t compel her to act.
The only intervention I saw was someone with a gas cooker. Finally when gas was smelt it was obviously an immediate risk to adjacent tenants and he was moved out.

Isn't this a police matter now? Deliberate public defecation must be a crime 🤢?!

I would have called police about the smearing as that seems it must be an offence
I would not call them for a welfare check. They will not do that given we know she is alive

I also think a social care safeguarding referral for self neglect is a good idea. In our area you can refer online via the local government portal and anyone can refer. I would imagine someone has already done this though.

I would not call mental health services. Sometimes people do live like this through choice and it's not a mental health issue. Mental health services would find it very hard to act without either a) consent or b) a diagnosed mental illness or more evidence than you have of there being one.

The housing association clearly will be taking action on this and they can't tell you about it because her tenancy isn't your business. The wheels of these things do grind very slowly

@Atmywitsend23 can you move?

I’d be looking to move house. If indeed there is a solution to this, I suspect it could be years away At least as a tenant you won’t be trying to sell your flat, good luck to that estate agent!

Phone your local fire brigade and asked to speak to a fire safety officer. If you explain that you believe the state of the premises is a fire hazard they can visit for an inspection.

In addition, I would be inclined to call Adult Social Services and say that you would like to make an adult safeguarding referral for self-neglect. I've looked at the criteria for Scotland and they mention hoarding and fire risks as being among issues that count as self-neglect.

My advice would be move.

Agree, but the action process is loooong (issue notice, wait notice period, escalate to stiffer notice, wait notice period etc etc) even if the outcome is resolution.

Op would be better off just opting out if that's even possible.

They wouldn't be able to make any referrals without speaking to the person directly. They could only signpost OP and would likely advise her to ring social services/ housing association/ environmental health which she is already doing. It's very unlikely the police would attend (in my part of England anyway, not sure about Scotland).

I was wondering this. Apparently it is a criminal offence in Scotland. I agree that calling the Police about this issue alone would hopefully lead to the Police involving Social Services and/or the NHS. Smearing faeces is a sign of severe mental illness.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-crime-recording-standard-crime-recording-counting-rules-2/pages/20/

They don’t have the right to live as they please if they are impacting others. OP said the smell is overwhelming and is affecting not only the hallway but her own flat. Mental health problems or not, that can’t be allowed to continue and Environmental Health should be involved.

Your local council will be able to check her property and have all the correct connections to help .

Can you tackle the Housing Association when they say that there is an 'ongoing investigation' but asking them what format that investigation is taking? Are they visiting the location and taking photos or visiting the location and getting specimens (of what I don't know) but ask them how they are doing the investigation - do they need to talk with other residents, that kind of thing. You could also ask them how far along in the investigation they are as you are having to live with the stench (I would start using more forceful adjectives to describe what you're living through) and it isn't good for your mental health or physical health.
The Housing Assoc. has a responsibility to you too so you are only trying to help them reach the necessary conclusion for their report.

www.gov.uk/guidance/statutory-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

This is the relevant info from gov.com. Environmental health departments can have surprisingly powerful rights to enter private properties.

That night in response, she defecated in the hallway and smeared it on the wall in what I can only assume was a protest?! I have been in touch with environmental health again today who said they can’t do anything more

The environmental health department are required to act if there is a statutory nuisance. They don't have any choice in the matter. You being able to smell a sewage smell in your flat because of the actions of your neighbour seems pretty clear cut to me. The council are required to serve an abatement order and if your neighbour doesn't comply with it ( which she almost certainly wouldn't) the council could prosecute and/or carry out the work to resolve the issue and take proceedings to recover the money.

The Environmental Health Department are trying to fob you off. I'd write to them and get them to reply in writing. If they are still fobbing you off try getting a councillor involved and telling them you willl be going to the local government ombudsman

When you write to them detail how bad the smell is from within your flat and provide photos of the hallway incident.

Don't let them fob you off.

Defacating in a public area and smearing faeces on walls are not only disgusting but they are also a deliberate act of vandalism.

However, calling the police on what, in the great scheme of things is a minor issue compared to GBH, stabbings, shootings, etc.

In your situation I would follow advice from 1nutcracker and Justlurking101 as this seems to be the only way forward. You get the neighbour the help and support she needs and you get out of that environment.

In prison they call this a dirty protest, please move! Is this not your responsibility!!

I would say document everything you can and tell your landlord that you are no longer paying rent given the circumstances. If she's smearing, this is only going to get worse until there is a massive intervention. In the meantime, look for somewhere else to live. Landlord will be a lot quicker to step in when it effects them too. What a horrible situation for all.

I was going to suggest moving last night actually.

If no one has the authority to intervene, I’d leave them all to the literal shithole and find somewhere else to live.

This sounds awful. I would move.

You can also make a safeguarding referral to the fire service. They need to know if there's a hoarding issue.

In the event of a fire, they need to know about the flat. It increases the risk for everyone in the block and the neighbouring buildings.

There will be a safeguarding email/phine number on the website for the local fire service.

Severe hoarding can be deemed a mental health issue, and there can be measures taken using the Mental health act. But this doesn't seem be used often.

I'd serve notice and request a reduction on your rate.

Even if your landlord was working to try to 'rectify the situation' what can they actually do. The phrase just makes it sound official and as though action is but a decision away.
But nothing is going to change the way she lives, you can't lock her up in prison, you can't section her indefinitely. So what's left?

Even if they force entry to clear all the stuff up it would be back to normal in no time.
There's always eviction and homelessness I suppose which is a grim thought.

Are there other options for renting op? In your position I'd just move out if it's at all possible.