to want my neighbours to DO ONE......asap?

[francis1978]

My partner and my son moved into a nice rented house 2 years ago, a nice area with sweet neighbours, but most of all lovely and quiet.
A year after we moved in our landlord (who owns the house next door) moved in a single mum on benefits (not that that's bad as i've been there before). She seemed ok, just a bit chavvy.
Since then trouble has got progressively worse. She has a dealer boyfriend who's been in prison and has kids scattered about all over the place (he's not supposed to be living there), she is now expecting his baby. We have found bags of drugs in our (shared) back garden. We hear rowing and violence through the walls, they have a 7 year old that we hear screaming. This can go on until early hours, bearing in mind I have a 6 month old and don't get much sleep as it is.
I called the police once because the rowing got scary, since then I've been intimidated in the street by them both when walking my baby, even get dirty looks from their little girl. We have had 2 flat tyres due to screws being put in them in the space of 3 months since the police were called.
We've had to put up with late night parties and smoking weed in the back garden in the summer. I have a 12 year old too.
After talks with our landlord they were supposed to leave beginning of march but are now staying.
I try to ignore them but I wanted better for my children.

Can you move? If the Landlord is unwilling to help?

That's one of the big advantages of renting - you can move quite easily. Far more difficult to dislodge them I would have thought.

Landlord lovely and helpful just worried what they will do to the house.
we cant afford to move, we looked around but no 3 beds within our budget, also charges. I hope they go soon though, the landlord is trying but the person next door makes up excuses..

I would call your landlord's bluff - tell him either they go or you do. Don't let on that you can't find a 3 bed in your budget, he won't know. In any case, if he won't do anything (if he was 'trying' they'd be gone by now), surely you're better off in a 2 bed somewhere else? Your kids (and you) shouldn't have to put up with it.

I speak as someone who has had neighbours from hell for years - unfortunately they and us own and we can't afford to sell up. As a renter you have more power :)

Council re: noise pollution, police re: any more violence / drugs in the garden if the landlord is not doing anything about it. Make their lives as difficult as they are making yours but do it legally!

You need to start making diaires.

You can film all the behaviour in the garden because it is shared. Next time you find drugs report it to the police etc.

If the landlord doesn't get them out then speak to CAB.

Don't be intimidated by them becuase that is what they want. Ignore all comments dirty looks etc. If they get physical or threaten violence to you or your property then call the police.

The reason people act this way is because they get away with it.

She was probably evicted from her last house.

We are being told "another month", so we think ok we can bite our tongues and lay low for another month, but then that comes along and nothing. we are looking just in case they don't go, again. the landlord desperately doesn't want to lose us and we may have been lied to to keep us here.
At first the landlord didn't really believe us, but next door have been showing their true colours lately, but this has left the landlord worried what they will do to the house, so are treading carefully.
I want to call the police again but we have had tyres damaged already and i drive my kids around in that car.
I just hate them and it makes me angry.
We just stay out of the garden now but i dont want to go another summer smelling weed in my house because i need to open my windows.
We can't afford over £1000 to make the initial move though.

Honestly, I'd start saving if I could, or is there someone you could borrow money from? I understand your landlord is worried about what they'll do to his house, but he doesn't have to live here, YOU do, and by the sounds of it they'll do damage to the place when they go anyway!

Feel for you, it sucks when you have bad neighbours :( Try not to get too stressed about it, and in the meantime keep records of what you see/hear/smell, and pester your council's Enviro Health office too. :)

You should be reporting this to SS, as a Child Protection concern.

If you phoned the police every time, after 3 referals they would contact SS.

Your LL has a duty to inform SS, given the information he has had.

Thisis continuing because no-one is doing anything.

I have no idea what her being a single mum on benefits has to do with this but YANBU for the rest of it.

Why isn't her boyfriend supposed to be living there?

Is it against his bail conditions or something?

This may sound drastic but do you have family you could live with for a month or two?

Would that would free up enough money for the moving costs? Even with you paying your family's share of food and bills?

I'd rather stay with family/friends for a month or two so I could get out of that place. Sounds awful for you all. :(

if you are privately renting then if it were me I would just move, it's just not worth the hassle, leave the landlord to deal with it

would you not get your deposit back? So if you had to borrow a deposit you'd have the money to repay quite quickly

Is she living there (and being assessed) as a single occupyer for benefits? If so, simply tell the benefits people that she has a partner who lives with her full time.

I used single parent on benefits to paint a picture, I guess it has nothing to do with it really other than the fact that when we moved in no dhss tenants were allowed, so we were suprised to see that they had let her live their, after we had to go through checks and prove we were employed etc (which did piss me off I'll admit).
She has told the landlord he doesn't live there, but he does so is breaching her contract. They told us he's not supposed to be living there unless they are notified.
All of my family live over 100 miles away, nowhere we could stay here either as peoples houses don't have enough room to house a family of 4.
I suppose it's just a case of having to put up with it and pray they go in 3 weeks, 'cus if not I'm going to have harsh words with the landlord.
They have had police out 3 times now and still nothing done. I may tell them about my tyres.
The trouble is I live with my partner who is super laid back and I've been complaining and complaining to him and he's just tried to opt for the quiet life and played it down, but I'm quite highly strung (did you notice?) and can't tolerate bad neighbours, but since the drugs incident he is also pushing the landlord.
House hunting this afternoon again I think, just incase we don't get the result we want in 3 weeks.
Thanks folks :)

But it has everything to do with it. She is unlawfully claiming benefits (and housing benefit) to which she is not entitled if she is claiming as single, and livng as a couple. If you tell the DHSS they may cut some of her beneit, and they will certainly investigate the situation. If nothing else, it will make HER ife slightly more miserable.

Definately calls your LL's bluff, tell him if they are not gone then you will be and that you have started looking for somewhere already

They have had police out 3 times now and still nothing done. I may tell them about my tyres.

Of course, you MUST report the tyres incidents to them! That is the only way to have it logged and dealt with, building up a case for you.

I'm so sorry for you, I know how it is to be watching neighbours who are weird (in my case, creepy male ones).

I'm a single mum by the way, we are not all like that, I like a quiet relaxed life...