A barrel of human poo in the back garden of sister's rented house.

[AvengingAngel]

My sister has been in a rented house for nearly two years and the last tenants left a barrel of human poo in the back garden. This is not a joke. Despite numerous attempts to get the Estate Agents to move it, it has not happened, even though promises have been made. I know she dearly wants to stay in the house, but come on! Any advice? Please??

Yes, true headfairy. It's just a very frustrating situation! She's reading thread now, as doesn't believe EH can or will help, but I think the posters on here have made things pretty clear with links etc, they are obliged too. And so is the bloody landlord!

shit in a barrel

Ye-es.... That could be a good idea Salmotrutta. Would she get in trouble for it though? Even be prosecuted?

EH absolutely CAN intervene when it is private property, my neighbour reported rubbish on my property that had been flytipped by another neighbour. I got a letter from the council about it. My neighbour is a PITA.

Quit fucking "calling troll" and report the thread if you're so suspicious...

rainydays - at 21 I would have been pretty unsure about who to chase on something like this and not because of laziness.

You sound very sympathetic

@avenging potentially she could be sued by nearby residents if anything were to happen. she has to assume some responsibility.

Actually Emilie I can totally understand why as it's an absured situation. I would post a picture if I could.

Avenging - you mean about the barrel breaking?

That was tongue in cheek really - I wouldn't want her to get in trouble BUT she could pitch it like that to the neighbours about the risks.

Surely they can't be happy either so if lots of them phone in and complain to EH saying they are worried about contamination EH have to listen surely.

Why bother with EH? It's the agent/ owner to sort it out. They are the ones that should be contacting EH.

I understand she's scared of getting evicted but what she's done before hasn't worked - she needs to get tough, send letters to agent and owner and stop paying rent. Like I said, I bet it gets sorted pretty quick once she's done that (or even threatened it).

Suggesting/ doing anything else is just pointless.

I agree with lighttrain it's not up to your sister to contact EH, that's the LL's responsibility. Perhaps your neighbours can offer some support in also contacting EH with their concerns. However I think a letter from a solicitor to the landlord threatening action for breech of their tenancy agreement should get things moving.

At aged 21, yes I would be sure about who to chase about this, especially in this day and age where google is used for the tiniest of queries.

I don't see how I am supposed to be sympathetic, when OP's sister has been literally sitting on the shit for 2 years, and hasn't done anything about it.

We don't even know if it's human shit. It could be anything. I don't know why tenants wouldn't contact the landlord about a broken toilet, but would go out of their way to buy a barrel and fill it with their excrement. Crazy world.

Does she have a foul water manhole in the garden? Can she not put it bit by bit in there? With plenty of water? (i'm not suggesting that she HAS to deal with it btw)

Well I've tried to help out my sister previously, but she seems to have hit brick walls with everything, and this is a convenient time for me to get a bit of advice here. I do lurk occasionally and some of the landlord/housing advice seems pretty knowlegable.

I would tell Environmental Health that you think it's leaking, surely they would have to do something then????

I think the contents of the barrel are just too foul to deal with without proper equipment. As to the comments about it being two years, etc, she has TRIED for two years, with the Agent and EH who have constantly fobbed her off. She is young, and they know it. She is worried about being evicted, and they know it. As I said, she's reading the thread, to get a bit of confidence and knowledge in which to revisit EH. I will absolutely let you know the outcome. Particularly if they don't act.

DoIt - that sounds like a good idea.

This is why she needs to get herself to a CAB, they will point her in the direction of a solicitor. A solicitor will not be fobbed off.

Under no circumstances must they attempt to move it themselves. If they do and are ill as a result they will almost certainly have no claim for compensation for that illness.

That's the thing Avenging - young folk often do get fobbed off and maybe don't have the confidence to push for things.

Clearly rainydays was brimful of confidence when dealing with such things at 21.

if she is geting fobbed of as she is young (tbf this happened to me repeatedly with estate agents) could a large older male relative go and 'have words'? It's a bit rubbish but I have resorted to it in the past.

lol (sorry can t help laughing)

Its not up to the letting agent to move it its down to the landlord/house owner.

TBH its just a barrel of poo and i would have moved it myself if i was in that situation (why put up with it for 2 years when it would only probably take an hour to sort it out yourself), if its been there that long then its probably rotted away anyway.

Just clear up the poo and get on with your lives

Hello Angel's Sister

Is there any reason for you not to write a letter of complaint?

I agree with HeadFairy. Get her down to the CAB, and get a solicitor to send a stern letter to the agent. Then tell the agent she's getting three quotes from waste management firms, she'll select the middle one, and would they like to reimburse her or should she deduct it from rent due. Might put a rocket up them.

The agent that 'looks after' our NDNs is equally as rubbish. They started to knock down a brick outbuilding to create an off-road parking space but for some reason have simply left a massive pile of rubble there for over a year. It's right outside our kitchen window. Thankfully it's only brick rubble and no rubbish or other waste, so it doesn't smell or anything. Just unsightly.