To do nothing about tenant?

[MyBurdenisHeavy]

Hi folks, happy new year.

We have a flat in London that was used for work 2/3 nights a week. Been WFH since pandemic and started to rent it out a year ago. It’s not typically a “family” building. Mainly young professionals. Anyway we were approached by a company who offered to lease it from us and they would manage the letting. Turns out they have a contract with a homeless charity or such and had a few units in our building housing homeless families during the pandemic. No issues there - all good. Fast forward a year and we’re being contacted by other tenants/owners who managed to get our number, pleading with us to do something about the people in our flat (a mother and 3 boys I understand - 2.5, 4 and 6). Apparently they are making the lives of the people below them (at least 2 flats based on the way they are laid out) an utter misery - stomping, running, jumping from morning to night I’m told. I contacted the company we leased it to and they said that they had received some complaints a few months ago and called out to talk to the family a few times. The complaints kept coming and ultimately they said the woman explained that the children were just playing and being kids so she didn’t know what they wanted her to do. They told me the kids were probably a bit boisterous alright but ultimately that’s part of apartment living and the neighbours just have to accept there’s a family living there and get on with it. The complaints kept coming apparently but they had closed the matter and are no longer responding to them - they told me there is a legal route the other residents could take if they felt strongly about it, but it rarely happens so just sit tight and don’t worry about it.
I’m now up the walls with anxiety and guilt and don’t know what the right thing to do is.
It’s abundantly clear that the woman cannot or will not control the kids (no judgement - just stating fact that it will not be resolved from that side). So the options are to carry on and leave things as they are - thereby upsetting the neighbours and ruining their home life (their words), or terminate the lease (I can do this in 4 months) and cause distress to the woman and her kids.
AIBU to do nothing, stay out of it and leave the family stay there?

@Londonr

But the point I’m trying to make is that its not meant to be comfortable, so people should only ask as a last resort, not play the system because it is a quicker way to get a council/ HA house

Erm people in temporary accommodation are there for (years) people can't just ask to go into temporary accommodation. The council look into their situation and make sure the family have not made themselves homeless.

Of course you’ve intentionally made yourself homeless, if you chose to have three children knowing you didn’t have a hope in hell of housing them!

[quote FriendshipsAreHardForMe]@blueBelllsrosesdaffodills

You have a simplistic view that totally ignores systemic disadvantage.

Tbh you sound rotten to the core. Counselling may help. It's not healthy to live with such unhappiness that you feel the need to call a woman with kids, in a tough situation, a moron. Something isn't right with you.

To think you work in emergency services and therefore come across people in all sorts of sad situations and still feel the way you do makes me shudder. It's likely that isn't an appropriate job for you either. It requires tolerance and empathy which you clearly lack in bucket fulls[/quote]
Lots of people are ‘systematically disadvantaged’ and they don’t breed like this!!!!

Very offensive to those of us that were raised poor, in bad family circumstances

Op, you sound very considerate. I hope you can get this sorted

@BluebelllsRosesDaffodills
I have concluded you have lived a privileged life to think that people choose to have children when they have no hope of affording to house them.

This literally doesn’t happen and is a favourite Tory myth of the feckless, lazy poor breeding like rabbits, yes saw that you said “don’t breed like this”.

What actually happens in real life is that women choose to have children when they have the finances to support them. But then all it takes is one disaster to destroy their financial security and, that’s why the “welfare state” is properly referred to as a “safety net” because unless you are in a bubble of privilege like you, you understand that leaving an abusive husband means also leaving your home and job, that one car accident or even being hit by a cyclist walking innocent
on a pedestrian pavement, can kill or disable you permanently, that every year hundreds of thousands get that cancer diagnosis and are then too ill to work, or they have to quit work because the baby they had ends up being a disabled child with special needs and round the clock care. So many things can, and do happen to thousands of people every day...that then makes entire families homeless.

[quote EmpressCixi]@BluebelllsRosesDaffodills
I have concluded you have lived a privileged life to think that people choose to have children when they have no hope of affording to house them.

This literally doesn’t happen and is a favourite Tory myth of the feckless, lazy poor breeding like rabbits, yes saw that you said “don’t breed like this”.

What actually happens in real life is that women choose to have children when they have the finances to support them. But then all it takes is one disaster to destroy their financial security and, that’s why the “welfare state” is properly referred to as a “safety net” because unless you are in a bubble of privilege like you, you understand that leaving an abusive husband means also leaving your home and job, that one car accident or even being hit by a cyclist walking innocent
on a pedestrian pavement, can kill or disable you permanently, that every year hundreds of thousands get that cancer diagnosis and are then too ill to work, or they have to quit work because the baby they had ends up being a disabled child with special needs and round the clock care. So many things can, and do happen to thousands of people every day...that then makes entire families homeless.[/quote]
Many people have children before they are ever financially stable, actually.

And as I said, whatever people’s circumstances, we should aim to reduce the birth rate due to overpopulation and climate change.

bluebellsrosesdaffodils wow you're a bit harsh aren't you? It must be a nightmare for this poor woman trying to keep 3 kids quiet. If I was the OP, I'd leave it to the neighbours to deal with. They could report it to the council, let them investigate and deal with if they think the noise is excessive.

@BluebelllsRosesDaffodills

If you’re so passionate about the environment
Why do you have a car? (You’re on another thread talking about your car)

[quote Excitedforthefuture]@BluebelllsRosesDaffodills

If you’re so passionate about the environment
Why do you have a car? (You’re on another thread talking about your car)[/quote]
What has running a car got to do with overpopulation and the housing crisis?

You mentioned climate change

I think @BluebelllsRosesDaffodills is genuine
But I suspect from previous threads she’s on her own in life and very worried about finances.

And this thread is lashing out

To think you work in emergency services and therefore come across people in all sorts of sad situations and still feel the way you do makes me shudder. It's likely that isn't an appropriate job for you either. It requires tolerance and empathy which you clearly lack in bucket fulls

That’s a bit mean! I haven’t RTFT but working in emergency services is a job that can drain you of empathy and compassion. It’s highly stressful, underpaid and you see people putting themselves into foolish, dangerous situations every day. We call it ‘compassion fatigue’ where I work.

You can’t magic up endless buckets of compassion and empathy and tolerance. You can fake these feelings, or try to re-kindle them when they run out, which is professional at work. Emergency service workers are human and have limits, we should be grateful people are doing these jobs.

You've not just received one complaint but several and the tenant has admitted they are noisy.
There will be a clause in her tenancy about noise and being unreasonable. You will also have a clause in your lease I imagine which extends to whoever is living there.
As the LL you have a responsibility. You employed the managing agent who isn't doing their part, you are in charge of decision making.
The next step would be to raise a complaint with the local environmental health officer. The council have powers to investigate and issue a noise notice and take things further.

@Excitedforthefuture

You mentioned climate change

I think @BluebelllsRosesDaffodills is genuine
But I suspect from previous threads she’s on her own in life and very worried about finances.

And this thread is lashing out

If you want to start mentioning previous threads, then you are on one where you defended the poster smacking her 3 year old with a hairbrush!!!

Where is your ‘empathy’ and ‘compassion’?

You’re clearly rich, spoilt and far removed from reality!

Having been on the receiving end of noisy neighbours who are in a rental, it is particularly galling to know that you are being paid for 'us to live in misery'. You feel powerless!

We also held off complaining as they were obviously people who were dealt a band hand in life.

I also have two wild, noisy children so I do sympathise with the mother but honestly, the charity need to find her another place to live.

I’m a single parent of two primary aged children and no family support network
So I wouldn’t say “spoilt”

But yes I am financially sound
And I am happy
And I love my job

So yes - I suppose someone in your position may see me as spoilt

You need to give her notice. This is both to the neighbors advantage and yours. If you dont and you live there again or try to sell there could be issues.

Unreasonable noise anytime of the day is taken seriously by the council and it sounds like alot of the neighbors are unhappy. If they all complain to the council you will be forced to give notice and this will go against the property if you sell.

Or you put good soundproofing down to see if that helps.

Children make noise but there is no need for this continual noise. I was raised in apartments with lots of other children and no one complained because we were out as much as possible and taught not to run about at home.

Poor woman. Having to be housed by a homeless charity in a place with no outdoor space, with the threat of eviction hanging over you.

The children should be in school soon so there should be less noise soon, during the day.
How late are the children staying up too? ( I know you can’t answer, just wondering).

Good Lord!

All the best 2022 @BluebelllsRosesDaffodills

We actually moved because our neighbours were like that. As we owned it cost us thousands but it was worth it to get away. Do the other neighbours a favour and evict them (through the correct channels) I just hope she doesn’t refuse to leave.