Urgent help and advice needed - being harassed by neighbours

[MimPimMim]

Hoping to get some practical advice on what to do next and the type of solicitor I might need, if anyone can help?

In short, we (my husband and I) have been subjected to a campaign of harassment by our adjoining neighbours (live in a semi). I can’t go into too much detail as it will be outing but essentially there was a civil issue at the beginning of the year (a fault on their side, which they were adamant was caused by a fault on our side and they wanted us to pay for. Chattered surveyor - paid for by us - and environmental health proved this was not the case) that they got very nasty over. Their behaviour has escalated more and more, including multiple malicious reports to social services. Police have been each time and concluded that there is no issue.

On police advice, we have been ignoring them. I’m frightened of them, my two young children are frightened of them (thumping and shouting at the kids through the walls). We have taken police advice on safety measures, including a personal alarm and CCTV.

Neighbours not happy that they aren’t getting a reaction from us and their behaviour is continuing to escalate. They know that we have reported them to the police for harassment and have increasingly made up lies to say we say we are harassing them. Police were initially supportive but now say that it is a ‘he said, she said’ situation and they can’t do anything unless it turns physical.

Neighbours not happy with my children’s (who are 5 and 3) perfectly normal noise. 3 year old had a tantrum today and they recorded it - then reported me to the police for child abuse. We know this because they then sent a message to my husband telling them the children scream all the time when he is out and the police have assured them they will investigate for abuse from me to the children. They have also said they are engaging a solicitor because we are harassing them.

We are at a loss about what to do now but think it may be time to get a solicitor involved. Does anyone have any advice? Or know what sort of solicitor would deal with this or what we should ask them to do? Thank you - the whole situation is incredibly stressful. Tempted to speak to the estate agent and see whether it’s worth putting the house (even though we love it and thought this would be the house our children would grow up in) on the market, but doubt it’s even sellable thanks to the disputes we’d have to declare. I’m just so worried and sad.

Can you move house OP?
It sounds v.stressful.

Are you entitled to legal help with your house insurance?

I’m not sure - we’d have to declare that we’ve reported the neighbours and I don’t think anyone would want to buy it with this going on. Plus, I’m not sure we can afford it. Think we are going to have to speak to some local estate agents and see where we stand though as I can’t go on like this. Just so sad to be bullied out of our house - we love the house, so do our children, it’s perfect for school and nursery, we’ve made good friends on the road. But I can’t live like this.

Will check about legal help through house insurance, that’s a good shout - thanks

Bumping in case anyone has any advice please? Have hardly slept with the stress and don’t know what to do next. Thanks to anyone who can help.

You should have contacted your insurer as soon as they complained about the unspecified "fault" and left it in their hands. At this point cctv and a diary is probably the way to go.

Move. It's your only option at this point.

You have spoken to the police about them - so that would need to be declared?

Yes, we’d have to declare that we’ve reported them to the police. I’m not sure the level of detail we’d need to declare but, of course, would need to make sure we are following legal obligations. But, frankly, I’m not sure who’d buy it with this going on - I know I wouldn’t buy a home where the next door neighbours had made multiple malicious reports. Even if someone would buy, I’m not sure we can afford it. Plus just really gutted to be bullied out of our home.

My now (thankfully) ex neighbour and neighbour next door but one literally went to war with each other it lasted 3 years. The police were extensively involved often out 3-4 times a week one or other were always reporting other to the police for abuse of partners/pets/excessive noise/damage to property you name it and in fact there was even a court case over criminal damage one of the neighbours was found guilty. I and others were interviewed by the police on numerous occasions most of us tried to keep out of it so like you it was a “he said she said” situation much of the time. Mediation was offered but both refused to attend because they said the other was completely unreasonable and it would be a waste of time.
The advise they were both frequently given by police etc was completely ignore the other don’t rise to it just carry on as if they are not there but neither seemed able to do this.
But eventually one I think got bored with the endless drama did follow the advise completely ignored the other stopped reporting everything to the now very fed up local police and thus stopped feeding the situation and a friend who still lives in the village says the whole thing has gone quiet. Obviously neither talk to each other but that it was everyone including the police advised and wanted.
Both said they couldn’t sell because of it and Im not sure if this was true or not police seemed to think they could as this would resolve the situation as no one else was at war with either of them and so had repeatedly advised both to think about selling of course neither would because like you they “loved their house” or in their case I think they loved the drama (not saying this is you OP). Although it should be said that both houses were exceedingly desirable period cottages in an exceedingly desirable village and there are many second homes Airbnb’s etc so maybe selling would be easier in their cases.
I absolutely hated the endless drama and I wasn’t actually involved as did the other neighbours and was jolly glad when I moved away so I can imagine for you it’s awful.
Take legal advise OP regarding any issues around selling personally I wouldn’t waste my energies talking to estate agents everyone knows they lie through their teeth and unless you think you can get mediation I think it was our local council who offered it to our neighbours and there is no possibility that the whole thing will just fizzle out with time move.

Thanks beardediris - we were going the route of completely ignoring them and keeping a diary (rather than reporting) until yesterday when they recorded my youngest, made another malicious report about child abuse and then sent threatening messages. We don’t want any drama (no time or inclination for it, particularly as I have a disability that can be triggered by stress) but our neighbours seem to thrive on it.

We had hoped they would get bored and move on by now but ignoring them isn’t working as they seem desperate to provoke a reaction. Will have a look at mediation - frightened to be in the same room as them as they are so aggressive but can investigate what it would involve. Good point about legal advice around selling rather than estate agents, thanks for the idea.

Have you reported the text about reporting you for child abuse to the police?

Yes, reported to the police - advice is to report malicious reports to the police, as multiple can indicate a pattern of harassment. Police have been out to us after previous malicious reports and have each time marked it down as no concerns. They have told us they know it is malicious but have said they can’t do anything about it. All we’ve been told to do is keep a diary and keep on reporting anything that we consider harassment. But the police have said they won’t do anything unless the neighbours are violent or threaten violence.

You can find a solicitor here. There's a drop down menu and you can choose neighbour disputes. Contacting the council, mediation, your local MP are all less expensive routes.

The police are fobbing you off, and as a result your neighbours know they’ll be no consequences. Can you contact your MP or CAB?

Harassment and malicious reporting is a crime. The police should have dealt with this properly a long time ago.

The problem with my both neighbours the police found is that it was mainly a “he said she said” although when one damaged the others property and it was on CCTV the neighbour who’s property it was pushed hard and they did successfully prosecute the other but of course that really inflamed the situation it was out and out war resulting in all sorts of shenanigans including burning each other garden trees keying each others cars (no actual evidence that the other neighbour had done it) both playing music till 3 am on full volume deliberately loosing each others parcels reporting each other to the police on numerous occasions for DV (all recorded on their phones) or the RSPCA for animal cruelty you name it they did it. A leaf fell out of a tree in July and one would call the police and claim criminal damage to their property, it was unbelievable. I felt sorry for the police who clearly have better things to do even the local councillor and clergy got involved at one stage.
The risk of escalation is maybe why the police are reluctant to go further in these cases. These by the way were two MC professionals in a “very naice“ affluent village!
If you can bear mediation I think you should try it.

Agree FuriousPoodle, I’m just not sure what to say to the police to get them to take it seriously? The police seem to think that just marking it as no concerns is enough but have said they can’t tell our neighbours to not make malicious reports as people have to be free to do so. I think with the rest of the behaviour (including other malicious reports to other local authorities) that it is clear that it is intended to distress and alarm us. I’ve told the police that I’m frightened of next door and that my children are too but they aren’t interested. Will try CAB and our MP, thanks for the suggestion.

Wow beardediris, that sounds really difficult to live next to. We’ve tried really hard to not inflame the situation but our neighbours seem intent on escalating. They seem determined to force contact with us so perhaps mediation would give them the outlet they want but in a controlled environment. I’m just not sure how you mediate with people who are behaving like this? All we want is for them to leave us and our children alone.

And, apologies, username299, I missed your post - this is really helpful. I’m going to find someone to have an initial chat with, I think, and see where we stand. Thank you!

Block their numbers. Invest in a ring doorbell. Advice on here was to buy a second hand body vest with recording device in. They are cheap. Wear whenever you leave the house.. Even to hang out washing or nip to the car. Effectively build a case until you are heard properly..

I had neighbours that were harassing, and I told them they were not to speak to us, come over or contact us unless it was via solicitor’s letter. I had an attorney send them such a cease and desist letter. It worked very well. Not a peep for years and years.

Ignore them and put cameras up every where outside so they cannot come onto your property and harass you. If they are banging on the walls, again just record it. If they report you to the council or police or escalate it more, you will have evidence, but it will take one of you to break the cycle by ignoring it.

Thanks everyone for suggestions. We’ve put cctv up at the front and back of our house, pointed only at our own property (checked with the ICO and it is completely data protection compliant). Neighbours have used this as an opportunity to report us to the police for harassing them, saying that we have put it up for the purposes of filming them. They have also made a subject access request with regards to this, we think to force contact as we have to legally respond to this within a month. They reported us to the police on behalf of themselves and the ‘wider community’ and have apparently (according to some other neighbours) been trying to aggressively get other neighbours to put their name to a complaint about the cctv. All have declined and a few have been vocal in their support of cctv as a good thing for general neighbourhood safety.

They approached our house to put a letter through the door for the subject access request and have stood outside the house taking pictures, we assume of the cctv. We have previously told them that they are not to approach us or our property but they are completely disregarding this. We have been completely ignoring them (keeping a diary rather than reporting) but felt we had to report the latest malicious social services report and aggressive messages from them.

Police had previously told us not to block them totally as giving them a communication channel might stop them from escalating. It’s clearly not so we will block completely but need to decide if / what we do now.

Do they own or rent their house?

MrsMoastyToasty They own and we own.

Is it actually normal family noise from you though?
We’ve had noisy neighbours and their child jumped up and down, shouted bounced balls against the shared wall at all hours - we had no peace for two years.
When they moved out a family of 6 moved in - their 4 children don’t make anywhere near the noise that one did.
I’m not siding with your neighbours but no sleep and no peace in your own home can do funny things to people. DH were on the verge of divorce because we took it out on each other rather than next door.