Can I report neighbors for this or do I just have to put up with it?

[Chipper08]

Live in a newbuild property owned by the council, as do my neigbours. When we moved in, we were told no keeping bins on the drive/side of the house. They have to be in back garden in one part designed to put the bins. However, theres are always on their driveway. In this wind, they are falling over, one nearly hit my car. (shared driveway). Rubbish is all over theirs and my side of the drive way. Including used nappies. Not only that, they have had an old sofa, old baby equipment and gas cannisters and all sorts piling up on their drive. This means its taking up space for their cars and giving me less room to park and get myself and my little one out my car. can I report? but then I don't want to cause any tension so not sure what to do?

Keep it in their house until they have something organised would be my opinion. I wouldn’t dream of dumping my old sofa in the street so if I didn’t have the money to get rid of it then I wouldn’t.

It's on their drive not the street. And I known council houses tend to be roomy, but roomy enough for 2 sofas?

So they have the money to buy a new one but not to dispose of the old one…. no surprise there then.

Not necessarily. We had our old sofa gifted to us and the person gifting it needed it gone that day.

Thankfully we had a van, but if we didn't it would have been put on our front until we got a skip.

If you ask them and they refuse get shity they if you report them they will know it’s you

you don’t have to say it’s you
you can just say you live in the street and they are allowing there bins to rubbish the street

they will just get a letter reminding them of their tenancy agreement

I'd report it to the council, and local councillors with photos. (I do this every week for various things).

The problem is that idiots like your neighbour need cracking down on quickly before others follow.

@Chipper08
If they are the type to not care about rubbish lying up the side of their house, they might not like you bringing it to their attention.

Can't you get a brief convo going to see what they are like. Then make a decision?

I understand why you are nervous about bringing it up. Maybe start the conversation by saying it’s a bit awkward and you don’t want to cause any issues with neighbours, but…….
Probably better to start this way than going straight to the council.

I'd complain to your tenancy officer at the council and leave it to them to deal with. Probably not worth bothering to have a word with people like that as it won't end well for you and could even escalate

I live on a council estate. The sort of people who strewn the driveway with used nappies and keep old sofas and other crap in their front garden ain't going to listen to a naice polite word, trust me. They'll tell you to go and do one, or worse. Start taking discrete photos and keep a diary of their anti social behaviour (because that's what it is). They're also breaking their tenancy agreement. The Council will most likely do fuck all but you can escalate it to the Ombudsman after (I think) 3 official complaints to the local authority. Good luck OP.

So I think maybe being a grownup and ask them politely to move them due to the wind and them almost hitting your car. It’s polite, responsible and makes them feel like you didn’t dog them in.

The problem is that by asking them they'll know it's definitely you when they ignore you and you have to escalate it anyway. Then you'll be in the firing line for anything in the future.

I don't waste my time asking my horrible neighbours anything. Straight to the council. They're paid to deal with it.

You can tell you've never lived on a council estate. If they are in social housing and behaving like this, trust me you don't want to be a "grownup" and ask them as they quite frankly don't give 2 fucks and will in all probability go out of their way to do anything and everything, however small, to intimidate the OP and make her life as shit as possible. Report straight to the council @Chipper08 and in the mean time take photos as proof.

Just call your Housing Officer. They are supposed to do regular garden inspections etc so they will manage it and it doesn't even have to be "from you".

I get the whole "knock and speak first" but in all honestly, someone who is happy for shitty nappies and damp sofas to sit out on their lawn aren't going to be open to a polite discussion about it are they?

Exactly - I'd just report it based on how you've described them. I've had awful neighbours before who literally resorted to physical aggression and (can't prove it was them but) slashing tyres. I don't think it's worth making it obvious that any future complaint probably came from you.

No not true at all. Not my experience nor a true judgement or me but thanks for thinking you know.

Report them to the council.

Take responsibility for what?

I'd report it. I wouldn't say anything as you will be the obvious culprit if you report them after.

I should add, we only have a flower bed at the front. The shared driveways are to the sides of the houses. So my house is detached from theirs but we share a drive way. They have a fairly big car and because of the things piling up at the side of their house and the bins, their tyres are now going over the dividing lines on the driveway and its giving me less room.