PLS HELP - Housing advice

[Curlycurls23]

Hey,

I moved into my private rented flat with my 2 year old 8 months ago after receiving a section 21 from my previous landlord. The agency worked with my old council which is how i found the flat.

Ever since the week I have moved in there has been regular anti social behaviour that is targeted only at my property out of everyone’s home on my street. (I discovered later on from neighbours that it was basically an ex crack den and its where everyone went before to take drugs and squatters used part of the back garden to live (boarded up now). My car has been robbed, I have had a prostitute bring men into my back garden, weekly drug using in my garden, injecting needles infront of my window, groups of men and women gathering on my front wall sitting and injecting, a woman taking off her clothes down to her underwear to find veins to inject, drug users coming to try the gate to try and get into my back garden, drug users using the back garden to smoke crack, people rummaging in my bins in my garden, aggressive woman coming into my garden and shouting at me when i looked out of my window, grown man weeing under my ring doorbell and most recently a group of men coming into my garden keeping a look out whilst one tries to get something out of his pockets holding a needle in his mouth while looking in my windows, then going away when they heard me and coming back when they thought i had gone but i was still outside. I can’t take anymore I just feel too unsafe to live there I haven’t been back since the weekend when it happened. On top of all of that I have had a damp external wall issue which was never properly resolved and since moving here my baby has been to hospital 3 times with wheezing and my inhaler has been replaced by the gp with a stronger one. My tenancy is for 2 years no breakclause. Police have been called numerous times over the time i’ve lived here. Im on UC but starting a new job this week. I spoke to shelter today who said if i leave i’ll be making myself intentionally homeless and anti social behaviour is not a good enough reason for the council to help so I guess that option is out of the window. Can anyone please advise on what the next best step to take is? :(

That is really horrible.
Keep your ring bell footage.
Is there any way you can have motion sensor lights, high up, outside? Maybe being blinded by light will get rid of them.
Contact your MP, stress the health effects on your dc.
Contact local councillors. Just Google who is my local councillor town you live in.

@Andthereyougo thanks for replying to my post. I have ring cameras up, this stuff always happens in broad day light in the day i think only the bin incident was in the middle of the night. I literally had lights ordered to collect over the weekend then the incident happened and i don't feel safe to live there alone with my dc. I have spent hundreds on maintenance on the flat too - I just feel trapped

I would go and speak to your local authority as although you have somewhere to live, it has to be suitable. If it is not suitable you are homeless i.e. there is no intentionality about it. Arguably the targeting of your property means you and your child are not safe and the damp issue might also mean it is not safe.

I would get a letter from your GP about he impact of the damp on your and your baby's health including the hospital admissions. I would also get him to note the impact on your mental health and feeling that you are not safe. I would also get the same from the health visitor for your baby.

Ask your landlord to remedy the damp urgently and if he does not do that, ask your local authority to either provide something else or take enforcement action. See here re damp:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/damp-and-mould-understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-for-rented-housing-providers/understanding-and-addressing-the-health-risks-of-damp-and-mould-in-the-home2#:~:text=Landlords%20must%20ensure%20that%20the,to%20protect%20their%20tenants'%20health.

Of course your local authority will be stretched so will try and persuade you to stay and might minimise the issues and may suggest that if you leave you are making yourself intentionally homeless. But you need to stand firm. Go in with a list of everything that has happened including police attendances. Also agree with above poster to contact your MP. Also see if CAB will help.

@trippingthelightfantastic1 thank you so much for all the info

Oh god that sounds horrific. Back garden - can you put something on top of gate and fence so they can't get in eg trellis and a lock on the gate. Front wall - my neighbours have kids sit on theirs all the time. They put anti climb paint or something on the wall so it ruined their clothes when they sat on it. Window boxes? Anything so it looks like it's someone taking care of their hone and it's not a drug dem?

@Whatevershallidowithmylife it’s awful i feel like i’m always on the look out. I have spent alot of time and money on maintenance. It doesn’t look like a drugs den either. :( the squatters bit is boarded up before i moved and there is fencing up and a front gate with a lock. The back garden fence is about to fall down you would be horrified with the rubbish that is dumped on the other side of it which is pushing the fence causing the issue. Environmental health are on the case. It’s just one thing after another. If they cant sit on the wall then they will gather in the front garden. My upstairs neighbour said she has to walk past many times and pretend she doesn’t live there. I can’t live like this

@Whatevershallidowithmylife people climb in the back as behind my garden fence is another street :(

This is absolutely awful for you. I do agree with going to your MP with video and photo evidence. Have you spoken to the landlord? Out of interest what happens if you leave before 2 years is up?

sprinklers! hose them down, security light a real bright one!
call the police each time or use a megaphone and announce that they have been called.

@IwishIdidntlikesugar I only have footage from the weekend as I haven’t had the cameras/doorbell up for long :( at this point i’m not going back to live there - i’ll carry on making sure the rent is paid but due to the council helping me move with an incentive scheme (i was put on the at risk of homelessness register after the section 21) they paid the landlord a lump sum rather than a deposit i need to save up for a deposit which is fine but it’s going to take me months and months and i don't have anywhere to stay long term :(

@CurlsnSunshinetime4tea I wish I could hose them all down, it’s not only drug users but aggressive drug dealers from my area. They would probably come back and do something lol security light was next on my list but I’m not going back that place is giving me way too much anxiety