New neighbour causing trouble

hugsandpugs · 2025-01-02T21:06:52+00:00

We live in a house above a bedsit (council converted a 3 storey property to a house/bedsit years ago). We’ve been here about 2 years or so. A new neighbour (a man) has recently moved into the bedsit a few days ago. DH was coming home from work today and came in through back gate(we park the car out the back). The neighbour shouted over the wall asking him had he been throwing fag ends over the wall? DH basically had a polite conversation with him saying nope not us as we don’t smoke etc. He said to DH in a threatening way that he would be getting his brother to find out who’s doing it and ‘sort them out’. 😳Also randomly told DH he has a screwdriver in his pocket. This is the first conversation my DH has had with him. Anyway we were all sat watching a film earlier, me DH and the kids. Knock at the door and it was the police saying they had had a complaint off the neighbour that he had an heated arguement with DH and that DH had a knife. WTAF?! I can only assume he’s mentally unstable …. Is there anything I can do? Feel like he’s gonna be a right PITA. We have young kids and having a neighbour like this is a bit of a concern as he lives directly below us.

winewolfhowls · 02/01/2025 21:08

Document everything. Document it again. Get a ring doorbell if you haven't already. Sorry to say this doesn't bode well for the future if he's just moved in and this is your first interaction!

Curtainqueen · 02/01/2025 21:11

You firstly need to report this to the housing officer.

FranticHare · 02/01/2025 21:14

Note every interaction, get cameras up where you can, and report everything to council / police.

Unlikely you are the first neighbours that have had issues with him, so the authorities are likely to know of him.

Oldraver · 02/01/2025 21:16

I would try and avoid any interaction whatsoever and be prepared to have your phone on record if you have to go out and he is there

Hopefully the police will soon clock he is the antagonist crackpot

Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 22:43

Thank you I will ring the council tomorrow morning and make them aware of what’s happened.

Apparently he was saying to DH that he’s looking for a fresh start as he’s been in and out of prison for several years 😬

Not getting off to the best start with how he’s behaved today though I gotta say!

Why do the council think it’s acceptable to house someone like this underneath a young family? The mind boggles.

OP posts:

RegulatorsMountUp · 02/01/2025 22:46

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 22:43

Thank you I will ring the council tomorrow morning and make them aware of what’s happened.

Apparently he was saying to DH that he’s looking for a fresh start as he’s been in and out of prison for several years 😬

Not getting off to the best start with how he’s behaved today though I gotta say!

Why do the council think it’s acceptable to house someone like this underneath a young family? The mind boggles.

Too many people and not enough council houses. Maybe work to move out of council housing because there always seems to be the odd person around like this- as this is the sort of person council housing is aimed at really.

SwissToniii · 02/01/2025 22:46

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Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 22:54

RegulatorsMountUp · 02/01/2025 22:46

Too many people and not enough council houses. Maybe work to move out of council housing because there always seems to be the odd person around like this- as this is the sort of person council housing is aimed at really.

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The only reason we ended up in council housing was because there was huge issues with our private rented property to the point environmental health said we needed to move out because it was a risk to our health. Landlord was an absolute nightmare and didn’t fix anything.

We have been looking at private rented properties but unfortunately all out of our price range at the moment with them all going up massively! Hoping we can move at some point in the future though. We are grateful to be here but I don’t want to be living on edge with this new neighbour and his shenanigans

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Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 22:56

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We do yes.

We have a ring doorbell but that’s on the front of the property as no one ever knocks the back door. Think I’ll invest in a camera for by the back door/back gate

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SwissToniii · 02/01/2025 22:59

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Mischance · 02/01/2025 23:02

I am sorry you are having to cope with this. I hope you get some joy f6rom your phone calls tomorrow. Good luck

Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 23:07

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Yes it’s a bit of a nightmare really. We have been here just over 2 years now and the previous tenant in the bedsit was generally fine - no hassle like this. Just the odd bit of loud noise every now and again when he had friends over, music loud etc.

Otherwise we’ve got lovely neighbours either side of us. One of them (an elderly couple who own their house) gave us a moving in card when we moved in and always give us an Xmas card 🥰

It was just a huge shock to have the police at our door saying he had complained about a heated argument and a knife. 😳

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Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 02/01/2025 23:07

Not entirely sure why it matters if @hugsandpugs rents or not...I own my house as do my neighbours and they are loopy.

They complain abiut noise from my house but I can turn the sound off in my tv and watch the same show as I cam hear there's clearly through the wall. They have screaming rows at all hours, play loud music constantly and leave their dogs out 24/7/365 to bark incessantly, including when they go away for 2-3 weeks at a time.

I spent months apologising, making dd turn her tv down, not allowing her to play loud games etc until the day the wife next door came storming out as I got home from visiting family and screamed boue murder up and down the street that my dog had been on the front yard barking and keeping her awake at 2 in the morning. My dog was at my parents a mile away and my front door opens out on to the road, there is no fenced in yard. The woman is just nuts.

Nightmare neighbours are not purely in rented housing...they also own their houses!

Lovemybunnies · 02/01/2025 23:10

Definitely report every incident as he will be in probably be breach of his tenancy agreement but it all needs to be recorded to build a case.

Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 23:10

Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 02/01/2025 23:07

Not entirely sure why it matters if @hugsandpugs rents or not...I own my house as do my neighbours and they are loopy.

They complain abiut noise from my house but I can turn the sound off in my tv and watch the same show as I cam hear there's clearly through the wall. They have screaming rows at all hours, play loud music constantly and leave their dogs out 24/7/365 to bark incessantly, including when they go away for 2-3 weeks at a time.

I spent months apologising, making dd turn her tv down, not allowing her to play loud games etc until the day the wife next door came storming out as I got home from visiting family and screamed boue murder up and down the street that my dog had been on the front yard barking and keeping her awake at 2 in the morning. My dog was at my parents a mile away and my front door opens out on to the road, there is no fenced in yard. The woman is just nuts.

Nightmare neighbours are not purely in rented housing...they also own their houses!

Wow! 😯 That’s awful. Sorry you and your family have had to go through all that.
As the saying goes you can choose your house but can’t choose your neighbours 😒

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iwasntexpectingthatoops · 02/01/2025 23:11

Sorry OP, if this bloke is a council tenant you're in for a rocky ride. My cousin suffers from horrific mental health but also binge drinks and takes drugs. He's given his neighbours a dogs life but he's never even had a warning. She just gets offered support and such

If you can you should move

Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 02/01/2025 23:11

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 23:07

Yes it’s a bit of a nightmare really. We have been here just over 2 years now and the previous tenant in the bedsit was generally fine - no hassle like this. Just the odd bit of loud noise every now and again when he had friends over, music loud etc.

Otherwise we’ve got lovely neighbours either side of us. One of them (an elderly couple who own their house) gave us a moving in card when we moved in and always give us an Xmas card 🥰

It was just a huge shock to have the police at our door saying he had complained about a heated argument and a knife. 😳

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The man clearly has some mental health issues. What did the police say when they attended and dh explained what had happened? I would ask them to put a flag on your address so that any reports force attendance in case he is dangerous.

As others have said, get cameras.

Don't engage with the man and report any concerning behaviour to the police and housing Office. Document everything...save a copy of the evidence with a friend or family member just in case.

Take precautions, get smart plugs/bulbs and set routines uo to turn lights on and off so he can't track what times you are in and out.

Are you ever alone with your dc? Make sure doors are kept locked at all times.

iwasntexpectingthatoops · 02/01/2025 23:12

@RegulatorsMountUp social housing was intended for the British working class actually.

Not no hopers who are in and out of prison

Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 23:15

iwasntexpectingthatoops · 02/01/2025 23:11

Sorry OP, if this bloke is a council tenant you're in for a rocky ride. My cousin suffers from horrific mental health but also binge drinks and takes drugs. He's given his neighbours a dogs life but he's never even had a warning. She just gets offered support and such

If you can you should move

Oh no, not what I wanted to hear but thank you for being honest.

We are not in a position to move at present but hopefully we can look into it in the not so distant future as it’s putting me on edge already so I’m dreading what’s to come.

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Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 02/01/2025 23:17

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 23:10

Wow! 😯 That’s awful. Sorry you and your family have had to go through all that.
As the saying goes you can choose your house but can’t choose your neighbours 😒

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Luckily i see the funny side to it all.

Their replaced the fence between us and in days one of their dogs had broken through and got into my garden. It's a springer and can jump...my fence is only 3ft high as ddog is a chihuahua cross so can't jump it. She seemed to think inshoukd fit a taller fence to protect her dogs. She wasn't happy with the response. I don't think she was too happy with her dh's response judging by the almighty row when I asked him when he planned to fix the fence and secure his dogs because I was not happy that i couldn't safely use my garden. She hadn't told him and had hidden the hole with some furniture. He went mental, i learnt some new words that day.

I may allow dd to practice her trumpet without the muffler in when they piss me off too much 🤣🤣🤣

Original poster

hugsandpugs · 02/01/2025 23:23

@Ihatelittlefriendsusan

They said that he had reported a heated arguement and that DH had a knife. The police seemed aware of who he is and said to DH if any issues to ring them straight away.

Yes I am sometimes alone with the DC but I always keep doors locked when we are indoors anyway. We have a small dog too who usually barks when there’s any unexpected noise etc. She’s really protective 🥰

I’ll definitely look into the cameras, smart plugs etc and keep in contact with the police/housing officer.

I’ve not actually seen the guy myself yet but DH said that when he went to take the dog out for a quick walk earlier, the guy came out the back with a cup of tea stared at DH briefly then went back in 🤷‍♀️

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Ihatelittlefriendsusan · 02/01/2025 23:27

Suggests that as other people have alluded to. They are aware of issues with him. Just keep your wits abiut you, especially your dh and make sure you report anything you are concerned abiut to 101 and if he gets threatening use 999.

lb640 · 02/01/2025 23:38

Get cameras up and detailed diary!!! In case things do carry on/worsen!

I moved into my place 10 months ago and one neighbour marched round on day 2, made mild threats over replacing a fence to one of her choice (which i had no money to do), said she had bullied the old owner (a 4 ft dying old lady) and tried to set solicitors/other neighbours on me.

Nowadays she's escalating the behaviour as she's unhappy with me not caving to her demands

Wishing I had taken it more seriously at the start as she threw dog poo and paint at my front door and if I'd have caught her nonsense at the start then it would help speed things up now as she's being more sneaky and I would have had more detailed entries recorded already

Also mines pops out and stares at me too if i go outside, I've been advised also record that as it could be intimidation so worth noting!

Also if you need it VIctim support might offer anti social help (mine offer two support meetings) and ASB help is a good info site!

Dotto · 02/01/2025 23:47

Complain to the council housing officer in the strongest terms. He clearly has paranoid psychiatric issues and has already begun harassing you.

HeyThereDelilah1 · 02/01/2025 23:51

Sorry this is happening, I’d keep a record and would limit any engagement as much as possible. Are you able to find out what he’s been in prison for? If it’s a violent crime and he’s already mentioned a screwdriver in his pocket I think you’ve got a very good reason to contact the council with concerns for your families safety.