Crazy neighbour, really worried

[sassypants72]

My husband, myself and dd live in an end terrace, we had new neighbors move in about a year ago (they rent). We didn't get off to a great start as one of there sons was kicking a football up at the wall along the side of our house, my husband went and told him off which resulted in the mother kicking off at our front door.

Anyway things have gone from bad to worse. Her 15 year old son has been repeatedly playing really offensive music, really loud and has ignored our attempts at asking him to turn it down (my husband went outside one evening and shouted up at his bedroom window telling him to turn it down). Nothing changed so we reported them to environmental health.

Anyway tonight she has had a Beyoncé song on repeat and very loud all evening, we've tried repeatedly knocking on her door to ask for it to be turned down, but with no answer. She then repeatedly started banging on our joining wall later in the evening. The banging on the wall happens most evenings.

About 1/2 an hour ago she came banging on our door absolutely kicking off at us for repeatedly knocking on her door to ask for the music to be turned down.

Anyway she's now accusing my husband of being a paedophile for shouting up to her son and saying she's going to phone the police and report him !!!

I'm really scared. Anybody who knows my husband would laugh at such an accusation, but surely the police have to take this kind of thing seriously. It could rip our family apart. Dd is only 8 and is very close to both of us, I can't imagine what it would do to her if he had to move out.

I think you may have just minimised everything OP posted, @Mumof

Thanks for the replies.

We own our property and have lived here without any issues for 17 years. It's a lovely neighbourhood of mainly young families, and all the children play together on the green.

We really don't want to move as so settled here and get on well with all our other neighbors.

When we first reported to EH they said they were going to send a letter and that normally sorts things, but in this case not, she's got worse.

My poor husband is in bits this morning as this is one of the worst allegation you can make against a man.

We have been recording all incidents on smart phones thankfully, and hopefully the police will see through the vindictiveness of it

I would approach the local police - non urgent call and let them know the problems you have been having and how they have escalated. The contact environmental health again. Then contact the landlord and let them know what is happening.

Keep a diary. Try to avoid getting into any confrontations on the street. She may be the type of individual that loves confrontations.

But mum has a point. As long as the LL is getting their rent, they don't give a fuck. And as PP said you will have to declare it when you sell. Nobody is denying how miserable it is but realistically, keep your head down and get planning to move to a preferably detached, family home owning neghbourhoods.

Do speak to the landlord. A half decent landlord does not like upsetting neighbours as they know it’s better and useful to have them on side.

I've seen people moved on relatively quickly by landlords after complaints of antisocial behaviour.

Yes, there probably are some landlords who don't give a shit as long as the rent is being paid.

But equally, these people are breaking the terms of their tenancy, and if they disregard rules around antisocial behaviour then it's more likely they are breaking other terms of the tenancy as well.

Landlords ultimately want a quiet life, rent paid on time and their investment looked after properly.

So if you make the neighbour problem become the landlord's problem by reporting instances of antisocial behaviour, there's a decent chance that they won't review the tenancy.

But mum has a point. It was the writing it off as a bit of ball bouncing and kids music I was referring to

As long as the LL is getting their rent, they don't give a fuck. Well, granted some landlords, like some tenants, are just gobshites, but they cannot do anything for the minimum term of the contract. They can only service notice at the end and hope the tenant moves out as asked... and given that no fault evictions are next on Shelter's list of things that need to go, that won't last much longer.

Another of those consequences landlord haters don't care to think about!

It sounds to me like you got off on the wrong foot because instead of simply asking the children not to kick the football or turn the music down, your husband shouted at them and told them off instead.

You reap what you sow.

Get CCTV, a noise meter (forgot the name) and record it all and record it in a diary. Write to her and take photos of the emails. Get in touch with noise nuisance department at the council and present them with your evidence.
There is a nuisance noise app some councils use.

Anyway she's now accusing my husband of being a paedophile for shouting up to her son and saying she's going to phone the police and report him !!!

This is disgusting!

However I read this as your family is the problem.

Your husband told off the boy for kicking the ball - why not just say it nicely at first.

The boy has been playing 'offensive' music - you've not said what time of the day and considering he shouted at him for playing football I bet he went round shouting for it to be turned down too.

Now the girl is playing beyonce and you've got an issue with that too.

Are they allowed to do anything without you complaining?

I can't imagine what it would do to her if he had to move out.

This is a complete over-reaction.

I think you need to calm down.
It sounds as though this is becoming a tit for tat situation which has no winners.

Also be careful of recording your neighbours unless it is on your property - my family member had nightmare neighbours and video them but the police said he was in the wrong as it wasn't on his property - he didn't get in trouble.

If my neighbours kept playing Beyonce I'd complain too.

Ah renters. Of course they have no idea how to behave...

Have you spoken to their neighbours on the other side?

As someone has said above, police really do get people calling up with silly accusations, such as this from your neighbour, all the time - timewasters who they do not look upon favourably. She may well already be known to them as this type of person often is - either for making stupid false accusations or because people have called them about her being antisocial. Don't worry the police will not take her seriously as there is zero evidence of your husband being what she is accusimg him of, they know her type. If you really want to help yourself worry less, call the non emergency police line and convey your worries to them. Then it is logged and you can feel a bit more reassured.

@Poppi89. If op lives in an end terrace then it’s their wall and a 15 year old should know not to kick a ball against it.
If it was me I would carry on keeping a diary but not speak to your neighbours at all.
If they don’t get a reaction they may get fed up of annoying you. Also borrow a very large scary looking dog and answer the door whilst holding the dog back if they come round. My dil has the softest Rottweiler cross but visitors don’t know this. Very useful when she gets annoying callers.

If my neighbours kept playing Beyonce I'd complain too.

You would hate me then

@Coffeecak3 - he's a teenager playing with his ball - he's not using their wall as a blank canvas to graffiti over. I very much doubt he was doing it to wind them up. He probably just didn't think about the consequences (like a lot of 15-year-olds) and didn't think that it is someone's house and not just a brick wall. The DH could have just gone out and asked him to stop. Why did he need telling off?

Poppi I can't stand her voice. However if you were listening to it in your own home, as opposed to blasting it out for all and sundry to have to hear, that's fine.

As others have already said I would do this.

• report their behaviour to the letting agents and landlord. I'm a landlord and I would want to know about anything like this and I would not be happy about it at all.

• report again to your council/environment health. Tell them that their letter has not worked and the situation is now worse.

• report their threats to you to the Police. Call 101 to report on the non emergency number.

I hope you get it sorted.

OP do you know the name of this really offensive music?

RiftGibbon

Hahaha. It's not so much her voice I like, more the lyrics and beat. But I do understand there are lots of singers I can't stand their voice too!

The woman's behaviour is bad now but I do think your husband and you have handled it badly up till now and have caused it to get to this level. If the music was being played in the day not really much you can do and as for the son kicking the ball sounds like your husband went in all guns blazing. Tbh I wouldn't like to live next door to either of you. Your conduct is not much better shouting up to people's windows and constantly banging on her door ( if this was daytime music) I'd try if I was you to make the peace or ignore them or moving is your only option now. Police won't do anything except maybe have a word but then probably would to you too.

My husband did report the incident to 101 last night for the noise and banging on joining wall. It was so loud it woke dd up and her bedroom is the other side of the house. This was before she came kicking off on our doorstep though.

As for the music from the 15 year old, this is played late at night with his windows wide open, it's some kind of gangster rap with every other word being niger or fuck.