This is not AIBU, but posting here for traffic.
Name change as may be outing.
I have an elderly (early 80’s) friend who lives in a flat in a small block on the outskirts of a city.
She’s lived there many years and at some stage was persuaded that buying her LA flat would be a good idea. All of the tenants at the time got along well.
Over the years the older tenants have left for various reasons and this part of the city has also become less popular.
There have been many changes in tenants but no problems as she is quite pragmatic about normal living noises, etc.
Around 18 months ago the flat next door became vacant for a few weeks before very young new neighbours moved in. From the outset they were noisy and anti social. They left music playing in their 3rd floor flat so they could listen to it whilst sitting in the ground floor garden area, threw rubbish out of the window and down the stairs, had loud visitors after midnight etc.
It transpired that the flat had been leased to a charity which assists young people into independent living. They are meant to be supported but they often knock on my friend’s door for help with everyday things. She was initially quite sympathetic to these youngsters who she knows have had a disadvantaged start and doesn’t mind helping during the day but is nervous opening her door at night, and is frequently disturbed after midnight.
Over the time the charity has had the flat there have been numerous interventions and they have actually removed some tenants as they were deemed just too anti social. They are then immediately replaced by others.
In the 18 months there has been one person stabbed in the flat, another moved out due to a severe head injury ( different accounts as to whether through falling backwards or having head banged on floor), one person taken away due to a serious suicide attempt, and more recently late night police involvement on 2 occasions due to threats to kill. There have been signs of drug use and empty spirit bottles, plus what she describes a little metal canisters, littering the stairs on many occasions.
Visitors ‘buzzing’ her flat to be let in occurs frequently at all hours, 4.00am being the most extreme, and the doors in the shared hallways and stairwells have been damaged 4-5 times at least ( no CCTV so cannot be sure that is connected with this flat so costs met by council/ leaseholders/ insurance)
She is at her wits end. Due to being in a less popular location, and the frequent state of disrepair of the shared area she couldn’t afford to buy anywhere else even if she could sell, which seems unlikely. She would have to declare all of these problems.
She cannot get help from a housing association or the council as she owns her home. She seriously regrets this. She has even offered it back to the council.
The lease to the charity is the real issue. None of the occupants have stayed very long, I assume some have successfully made the transition to independent living and have been moved to a more permanent home, but all have at least been very noisy, and several much worse.
She has a cycle of having to take noise recordings and make other reports of anti social or criminal behaviour until there is enough evidence to move the tenants, and normally then has to start all over again with the next lot.
There are no ‘consequences’ for these tenants. They don’t have normal boundaries imposed. Someone with a permanent council tenancy won’t want to jeopardise that and will often exercise constraint and moderate behaviour. She has never had a problem with a permanent tenant.
The council is freeholder of the building, as well as landlord of all the other flats, and has granted the lease to the charity. She has appealed to them to do something to help which has not happened so far.
Does anyone know if there is any type of formal action she can take?