Context: I have autism and some physical mobility issues. I have a blue badge and enhanced pip on a 10 year award for both components, high rate:
I moved into a property with my son 18 months ago and the entire time I have been subjected to harassment and direct threats and abuse since we moved in. It is a flat and the neighbours own their flat, we rent, and they live below us in the basement.
it is an old building with poor insulation. First weekend I was in the home approx 5Pm hoovering the living room which is above their bedroom, with my bedroom above their living room, they have an open plan house: my sons bedroom is above their kitchen, as is our bathroom.
m the man was swearing and gesticulating wildly in the window about noise. I was only hoovering and my son was playing in the garden making mud pies but he was often coming inside to ask for spoons and cups and ladles.
i was mortified and anxious! We had significant disrepair that I hadn’t noticed - first question is on the harassment and second question is on the disrepair. I’m wanting to know if this is something I can follow up and have something done.
harassment consisted of thumping on their ceiling (our floor) and repetitively buzzing the intercom, holding it down continuously claiming noise when my son was in bed and I was on the sofa. They complained all the time about noise but this was day time noise such as walking about, using hoover etc. my son wasn’t playing Loud and was discouraged from jumping not that he does anyway. He is in nursery full time and with dad EOW so he wasn’t in much and at first the only complained when he was in as they could hear him walking down the hallway
they wanted to give him a reward chart for tip towing but I refused. I offered to buy carpet off cut insulation but they said they’d get some as her husband was a carpet fitter. I offered to only hoover when they were at work if they would just tell me. They provided no info. I told them my movements and they told me they didn’t care what movement I made just stop making noise.
money afternoon I was collapsing the buggy in the common area and she appeared at the window screaming at myself and my son became upset.
one night I was unpacking and dropped some things around 8pm when he erupted out from the basement screaming and swearing telling me I was disabled and should live in a disabled home! If I couldn’t stop dropping things or falling over I shouldn’t live in a flat!
updtairs neighbour recorded this. He threatens my son ‘I’m going to get your mum’
he prevented my son and I from leaving a local shop by deliberately stalling on choosing items when half of it had been rung up by the toll. So much so the shop keeper noticed.
they began banging the window so hard one night I filmed it, before calling me a piece of shit through the window. she’s come into the communal area and shouted I’m a slut through my door. She has ambushed us as we leave the house, getting off the bus from nursery. On the doorstep.
Always instigated by them. Insults, the lot. I ended up laying on my decking sobbing and it put me to a mental breakdown being called mentally Ill a fantasist and a liar. They are fairly normal I think, he’s a carpet fitter and she’s a nail tech and they own, but they smoke weed heavily which saturated our home and both my son and I have had breathing issues which I think may be related. both of us had chest x rays simultaneously.
I had a friend stay when I had a breakdown and she was also ambushed as was her partner. We have so much evidence and have made hundreds of calls. Towards the end, our window in the back room was smashed all over my sons bed. Thankfully he wasn’t in it as if he had been glass would have been on him. It was on his bed.
police wouldn’t even LOOk at my evidence. The window incident the police said they had let me down but they didn’t do anything about it. They sent a PCSO out multiple times but nobody would look at my evidence but kept saying it was difficult to prove and that there eneddd to be evidence - I felt they weren’t taking it seriously nor the fact they had a clear recorded evidence problem with my disabilities. Had threatened my son. Had been relentless and I also had proof I had been solution focused. Mediation didn’t think it appropriate and felt it has escalated.
my son began to miss school as they would purposefully keep him and I awake causing missed school, poor attendance and my disabilities to worsen and along with my mental health breaking down, I found myself with social seervices who didn’t listen either probably because the police didn’t take it seriously. The social worker told me I had said to the police I was mentally I’ll and using power tools all night. I said that’s rubbish but she took the police word over mine and I didn’t at all say that! I don’t have mental illness safe for circumstantial breakdown on my mental health as perhaps anyone would?
it became a daily occurrence, to point my son was so terrified of our home that he would scream and refuse to go in, and if we were at front door he would panic until we were in. We had to have the curtains closed. I was subject to a revenge eviction after raising the disrepair (no working oven, no shower, slow fire alarm and then a bug Chunk of plaster falling out the ceiling hitting me and splattering into my sons toys and clothes. I was blamed for everything and nobody would look at evidence of listen to me and the fact my sim was placed in a CPP for educational neglect was devastating. Even though SS recognise I have disabilities and need 10 hours and have approve funding for those 10 hours they haven’t got anyone to do it so they are still holding me accountable. They won’t fund taxis.
I and my son have been left traumatised. I have tired all this time to be listened to and for my evidence to be seen but to no avail. Multiple people who have witnessed or experienced this including my carer, are also ignored.
I have just left but I am astonished that it was deemed ok to put us through this? They would play music so loud the noise shook the flooring and it would begin when the saw me carrying my sleeping son from the car to the house. They would buzz in the early hours, thump the floor verbally abuse,gas light and pressured landlord to evict us. Which eh did using breach of lease with no evidence!
it doesn’t feel fair that we lost our home and our sanity because of this. Am I being unreasonable on thinking that something should have been done to safeguard us? Is it too late to make a complaint and try to hold them accountable? I’ve been left so unwell as a result. Help!