Anti social neighbour threatened me several times - Advice on solicitors please

[DaisyCa]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has had to seek legal advice in this area and could recommend a solicitor in London...

I own my flat. I have a downstairs neighbour who is anti-social. Loud music, TV, really loud banging, shouting, arguing, front door slamming (sometimes at 4am - which is weird because she's meant to live alone with an infant...) shouted and sworn abuse at me, has threatened me several times. Been overheard planning to attack me etc. (I've tried to have civil conversations with her and mediate - didn't work as she has volatile and immature)

I have reported to the police, the council and the landlady. Authorities have been useless....The landlady has said various times she will end her tenancy but is yet to. Since the last threat of violence and aggressive confrontation, my mental health has deteriorated so badly that I have had to leave my property. I've been sofa surfing for a month now. The landlady isn't doing a lot. She says she will get a solicitor one week, or end tenancy the next... but nothing has happened and now I have to move out because I haven't been able to work for over a month because of it, I'm behind in bills and my mental health is in tatters....

Can anyone recommend a solicitor so that I can ask where I stand legally? I've suffered loss of earnings, I don't have a fixed abode, I've become ill over it. It doesn't seem legal, I've googled it endlessly but all the info seems grey.

thanks all! xxx

I really sympathise. My daughter has just had this issue except she was in a house-share and the problem person was one of her housemates. At one point he was trying to break into her bedroom (that was the thing he was finally arrested for). But he refused to move out so all the others had to but they are still liable for the rent. They are all currently sofa surfing and there is nothing they can do.

The police are still investigating, hoping to charge him with harassment. Try and keep as much evidence as possible. My daughter was only taken seriously when she started recording/videoing.

@DaisyCa
totally agree it’s not fair but their is very little help for victims of ASB
This will not be something that happens quickly it can take months even years.

take the murder in Tewksbury last year
on going harassment for several years
the guy told the police the day before he was going to kill his neighbour
police did fuck all
next day that’s exactly what he did

it’s why I am constantly building up so much evidence with cctv and stuff so should anything happen someone will be accountable for their actions

I'm really scared now
We're being harassed by our neighbour

OP if she has an infant surely you should be reporting to social services immediately? It sounds like there could be some major safeguarding issues relating to her child if she is unhinged and violent!

@purpleme12

you can log incidents with the police but ask them to take no further action if you think that the neighbours will retaliate

if you can invest in a ring door bell and some cctv to capture any incidents

anything that happens write it down in your phone notes with the day / time

if you report to the police keep the crime ref number

It's already reported from first incident.
It's been almost a year and it's still going on

They have already retaliated by reporting us to the police with lies

Oh dear, sorry you are going through this. It's a dreadful situation. As has been said on here previously, the landlady is dragging her feet on serving a section 21 notice because the council will tell the nutter to sit tight and not move or they will class her as intentionally homeless, forcing the landlady to get a high court possession order & possibly bailiffs which costs time and money. She knows this full well & all the while she's getting the rent she doesn't care.

Also try joining Landlordzone. There's alot of good info on the forums for both l/ls, tenants and owners and I'm sure you'll be able to find a good solicitor on there.

CherryRipe1 That's a good idea re landlord zone! thanks! Ironically I have family members who own a lot of property. They're disgusted and said she just needs to serve a section 21 and get on with it.

I can't help thinking you'd have more success gathering more evidence and badgering police
And environmental health.
You mention a diary but you haven't replied to if you've got a recording device in? Unless it's not that bad the noise?
It's just although we may be right on here and she might well be in beach and doesn't deserve to live there the tenancy agreement is still the decision of the property owner isn't it so it's still her decision

Also if your not living at the property your not actually in danger from her and that’s what the police and the landlady will think.

you have little chance of getting her evicted or charged with anything if your not living at the property .

Its mad but it’s the way it is .
If the landlady won’t evict her there is very little you can do other than try and get a civil injunction against the Tennant but to do that you will need decent evidence and it can cost quite a bit of money if you use a solicitor.