Charity HMO of drug users set up next door to me

[Changeling123]

Hi All,

this is not an AIBU question, I’m posting here for traffic as I need advise as I’m at my wits end.

There is a terraced house next to me which is usually rented by students. The landlord has had trouble renting it out due to its poor condition, so this summer they opted to rent to a “charity”. At first I thought it would just been for the summer, so I’ve bared it, but now I can see they’re staying on and I need advice on how to manage this, as I had my first baby during the Summer - now a 3 month old.

They’re a HMO of about 6 minors. They look around 15-17 year olds. They’re constantly outside the house shouting, smoking weed, we barely have a front garden at all, and they sit on the wall with a boom box at 10pm on weeknights. I challenged them once to turn the music down and move on, but they got confrontational. I can hold my own usually, but I’d just had a baby and it really gave me the chills - they were so intimidating and happy to fight me. I’m too afraid to challenge them again in fear of reprisal - they know where I live.

I’m afraid if I call the police, they’ll know it’s me. And will they even respond for minors standing on the street smoking weed and disturbing in the early hours?Apparently there is a supervisor in there 24/7, but they don’t seem to have a hold on it at all. I have tried knocking on the door for the supervisor, but no one answered. I could hear people in there.

I’ve watched them looking in our car (parked on the street) - presumably for valuables. I close the curtains now because they stand so close outside the house, looking in. Most critical, can’t open the windows to get fresh air - the scent of weed is just so strong. So I was in with the baby in sweltering heat today. They dump refuse over the back garden wall including cans and blunts.

They wake up the baby every night. Just the other night, we were awoken by one of the teens on the phone at 3am, highly strung shouting down the phone because he’d just been let out of the police station. Not all the residents there are bad; there’s a sweet Afghani guy and he goes somewhere every morning in a school blazer (during holidays), and my heart breaks for him living with these idiots.

I have said it to the landlord multiple times, and he apologised and said it wasn’t his intention for that to happen. I’ve emailed him again with pictures to say it’s still not resolved and to please consider new tenants. but I don’t think he cares, really, he just wants his rent sorted. I asked him for the name of the charity and he hasn’t replied.

I feel unsafe for my family, particularly my new baby. He’s not getting a night’s sleep - I’m defs not. And there’s just weed fumes blowing into in a house I’ve worked like a dog to buy. We can’t live like this.

Has anyone got any suggestions on what to do?

The charity or care company that are operating the home will have to put in extra staffing to ensure the safety of the kids and of you OP. But it will take some complaining to get this to happen.

Can you play classical music out of your window?

This is often used as a deterrent for kids hanging around in bus shelters and subways.

It’s not ‘cool’ so they hang out elsewhere.

Hi All, thank you all so much for replying.
some really helpful suggestions which I’m pursuing and solid advice from most people - thank you.

I’ve already tried knocking twice now to speak with the supervisor and still no answer. I had a look on CQC reg, but haven’t seen anything with this address. I’ve emailed the council asking about the charity name. We’re not making a complaint with police/council yet - I think having a meeting with the charity and getting a lay of the land is a good way to go first off before I ask for further community support.

To the folks who said these are traumatised children. I get it, I want them to live safely and securely. But not at the expense of my family’s safety and security. To the couple or so folks who suggest the young people have to live somewhere and suggested that I move… how is that useful? No bloody way.
I didn’t have great start in life either. I don’t choose to smoke drugs near kids and intimidate my neighbours, because it’s not my right to make other people lives shit because of my experience. It’s not a case of NIMBY, it’s about being concerned for safety of my household. I‘ve worked like a dog to buy my modest house. I’ve just had a baby. My child deserves a night’s sleep and safety in the home I’ve provided for them.

To all others thanks so much.

I've had similar. You need to email everyone who can help - police, fire brigade (if you have reason to), local authority, local councillors, MP etc. Repeatedly. Try to meet with them if possible. Submit antisocial behaviour / noise complaints. Just keep at it. We had some absolutely terrible behaviour at the place next door. It's still rented out to individuals with mental health issues but seems like people with much more low level issues as we don't have any problems at the moment.

From memory, I don't think providers of exempt housing need to be CQC registered. I think they need to be registered as providers of social housing, and are therefore under the auspices of the Regulator of Social Housing(RSH), whose powers seem to be far less, and seem to be more concerned with financial viability than the standard of support provided.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/registered-providers-of-social-housing

As a neighbour you are unable to make a complaint to the RSH, but you can ask your councillor to make a complaint.
The people who ran the place next-door to me had a judgement made against them for (among other things) not providing a level of support compliant with the exempt rent standard (i.e. uncapped levels of housing benefit paid by the local authority)
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-judgement-pivotal-housing-association/regulatory-notice-pivotal-housing-association-18-march-2021#:~:text=The%20regulator%20has%20concluded%20that,to%20ensure%20viability%20is%20maintained.
Despite this judgement, they are still operating several other supported housing HMOs in our area, and the council is still paying them £400+ per week per tenant.

Good luck with finding a solution.