My horrible neighbours are back, feel desperate

[lifeonmars100]

This isn't really an AIBU more a "how the hell am I going to cope"

in the Summer of 2022 the horrible house next door to me was sold at auction and I was initially so relieved thinking that someone had bought it and was going to do it up. It had gone to rack and ruin over the past 6 years or so wiht a bad landlord, a horrible tenant who was rude to everyone who asked him to tackle the broken fences, the brambles and massive buddleia that took over the tiny back yard and encroached into the communal entry making it very difficult to get bins in and out. Oh was I happy when the house was sold. New landlord arrived and spent 4 days whitewashing it and then the same weekend the new tenants arrived. They are Roma and they live a very alternative life style which is the best way to express how they are. They have filled the back yard with scrap, they broke the communal gate which I paid to replace, they then broke that, they broke into my back yard and took my bin, went through my gardening box, they shout and yell til about 2am. They used my address to claim benefits, take out a phone contract and open a bank account, I found this out when I started getting all the debt collection letters, they used my address to register a female child in school and then took her out of school and the attendance officer came to my home looking for her. I guess they managed to do all the fraud stuff by using the correct ID for their address and then saying they had moved. Anyway that is just a snapshot of the hell, there is the flytipping, the constant noise, ask them politely to keep it down and they swear at me, they chuck bin bags out on the street. I cannot use my back yard due to the constant noise, I used to have a pretty little garden out there but have given up now. This winter they must have had a blocked drainage pipe which they then tampered with and all their bath water was running out into my yard! Reported all the issues to the council who did an inspection and said there were "significant issues" and they were taking action. That was nearly 20 months ago! Suddenly at the start of December 2024 they vanished, all the curtains went, all the furniture went and I thought they had done a runner and was so relieved. My mental health began to improve, I felt relaxed at home, I enjoyed Christmas and even began to think about doing up my back yard for the Summer. Tonight I saw lights on, hear shouting and see that they or other friends/family are back. Feel hopeless and depressed, can't afford to move and anyway who would buy my house other than another slum landlord? guess I am just venting as i am so upset . I have made numerous reports to the council and to the police (forgot to say they were doing what looked like drug dealing for a while, people knocking on the door and small packages and cash being exchanged) it is a row of terraces that open onto the street so things are very visible. Feel hopeless, they made my life wretched and now they are back. It is a two up two down and they sometimes have as many as 10 adults in there, last year I caught them just about to take my mothers day flowers off the step, they called me a "mother fucking cunt" when I have asked them not to shout all the time.When it is really bad I have to wear earplugs in the kitchen In despair about having to endure it all over again.

Thanks, I have done all the things you have suggested, some of them multiple times but to no avail. I have been reporting issues since September 2022. The council have done an inspection and told me that there are "significant issues" and that for reasons of confidentiality they could not disclose what action they were taking. I understand this but they appear to be doing nothing, they should be taking action to make the landlord do the repairs, they should be addressing the overcrowding and the drug dealing but they seem to do nothing. When they vanished for 7 weeks I really hoped they had done a flit which does happen to properties like this so I was gutted when they came back

Have you tried asking your MP for help? This is just the type of local issue they should be interested in.

OP I am really sorry as I have been in your situation. I agree that unless you have lived it you don't get how it impacts every part of your life. I was medicated as I was so anxious and depressed. We had to move, there was no other option. I know you think you won't be able to, but I would exhaust every option I could. If you're retired, you may be able to get an over 55s discount on properties that are eligible to bring the cost down. I am hopeful for you.

I'd second the suggestion regarding speaking to your MP. I'm really hoping that the council are actually doing something behind the scenes, and perhaps they can't tell you because it involves a police investigation? The MP might be able to look into this.

Beyond that, radical options might include:

1. Sell for 80% of the value and move to a park home. These properties tend to be leasehold, and may not retain value as much as a standard house, but if it's your forever home, perhaps that is less of an issue.
2. You would still have reasonable equity to buy a new property. Could you get a lifetime mortgage to fund a more expensive property elsewhere? (A lifetime mortgage, as I understand it, is paid back when the property is sold upon the owner's death.)
3. Do you think that the landlord would consider buying your house in order to expand his empire? He's perhaps the only potential buyer who wouldn't be put off by the neighbours.

Wishing you the very best of luck, and some peace, eventually.

It sounds like you aren't in the position to sell so you're feeling abit stuck and for that I'm truly sorry it is awfully heartbreaking when people destroy your safe haven
As you can't sell and you've made complaints to the council, police etc and receiving zero support or help i would go to your mp, if still nothing is done in regards to help I would go to the local newspaper. Tell them your story, get the attention you need to get the support you deserve. If anything it may bring enough attention for the landlord to evict the horrid cretins for once and for all

Keep complaining to the Council. Keep a diary of the noise, take recordings if you can and report to Environmental Health. Point out their previous fraudulent behaviour to the council who will make sure they can't claim benefits using your address. Make your bank aware of the previous use of your address. Get your GP involved as to how this is affecting your MH. I left before it came in but I thought Councils were being give powers to investigate landlords.

Complain to your MP

It's a lot for you to take on and ultimately you may feel selling to another landlord is the best deal for you

Good luck

an update, yet again I have had dirty bathwater cascading onto my back yard. I complained to Environmental Health about this on 11 November! An officer came round and took a photo and the following day they sent me an email saying "case closed". I responded by asking how can they close a case when they have done precisely nothing and they did not respond. I have emailed them again this evening and told them that I feel that I am heading for a breakdown and aside from the effect on my mental health what the hell are they playing at given I have been complaining for over two years. I did not use the words "what the hell are you playing at" , I was professional and polite. My next step will be an official complaint and to contact my MP. Once again, thanks to everyone,you kindness and understanding really help me feel better

This is so awful. It's so unfair.

My council were useless as well. It seems that the awful neighbours are the ones protected.

But yes contact your MP again and tell them this is affecting your mental health. Get your doctor to write to the MP and the council.

I understand that you feel like you cannot afford to move and you don't want to leave your home. But get a quote from an estate agent so you know what the house is worth.

I know you probably don't want to live in an apartment but honestly after my awful neighbours and even though I was surrounded by more people it was much quieter. Might that be an option? Or possibly shared ownership in a nicer area? Or an over 55s development?

I do hope it works out.

Please don’t wait to contact your MP. If they are constituency minded they can be really helpful. I’d email now with a summary and asking for an appointment. They might put a rocket under the council for you.

In your next communication whether it is the council, MP, Police c.c. your local newspaper. The thought of adverse publicity could sharpen their minds.

thats Shit, soory. Report to social services if there are children, report land lord to HMRC, report any vehicles which are untaxed. And just keep doing it. A war of attrition. Go to your MP, keep a record of / diary of all of it. Is there anyway of you renting your house out to the council and renting elsewhere? They can deal with it.

I really sympathise with your situation. Your home is meant to be your sanctuary and it is horrific when dreadful neighbours are impacting on you so badly. Given that you are retired, have you considered moving to a retirement property on a shared ownership basis? Or what about this scheme below, which I found on Age UK’s website? Definitely worth looking into these options so that you can move somewhere more civilised and enjoy your retirement in safety and peace. Wishing you the best of luck.

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/information-advice/care/housing-options/specialist-housing-options/#:~:text=Older%20People's%20Shared%20Ownership%20(OPSO),-If%20you%20would&text=You%20buy%20part%20of%20a,is%20available%20in%20England%20only.

You are all so iovely, kind, helpful and supportive. I am going to put a formal complaint into the council and will be going back over all the emails, making a note of dates and case number(s). Going to look at shared ownership, and explore other ways of getting out of my home. However I do feel sad, my home is symbolic of the struggle I had on my own with my child and no help from my ex and I got it all together to renovate it, pay a mortgage and decorate it. All my memories are here.When I retired I planned to make my little back yard into a pretty garden, always liked growing things and so I planned it all out. You can make back yards into little paradises, mine is a sun trap and prior to arrival of the people next door I grew quite a lot of things and used to sit out with a book and a glass of wine. That is impossible now and part of me is seething with anger that I have to change how I live because of the way others live. I feel as if I am being driven out of my home. Anyway, thank you all for listening to me

How horrendous!
You absolutely shouldn't have to sell your house because of them, and particularly not at auction where you won't get the full value.
I'm very surprised the landlord, even a shit one, is happy to rentr to a group that he knows from previous experience will trash the place when there are plenty of responsible renters in need of a home. In writing to him i would focus on any damage they are doing to his property or any other issues likely to result in ££ for him such as piles of rubbish. May help get a response!

he takes the rent in cash so this means he can evade tax, he lives in a different city and the house is not fit to rent out to people who know their rights. He bought the house at auction, it was in a real state and all he did was clean it, and slap some paint on the walls. It has broken guttering, no fencing, a broken front door, crumbling rendering, and he has done nothing to fix any of this. The council has powers to take him to court and compel him to do the work but two plus years down the line nothing is being done. Meanwhile there is an ever changing cast of tenants, sometimes there are around 10 adults in there, I have seen a baby, a toddler (they have gone now) various males and lots of women who seem to be endlessly cleaning and cooking. This makes it seem as if I spy on them, the opposite is true but most of the time they have the back door open so I see some of the people.

We’re all rooting for you to get yourself rid of this dreadful situation. The council sound worse than useless, so contacting your MP is the next move. Everything crossed for you that you can finally get shot of those neighbours.

The more I read of your plight , the more I could scream.
This is totally unacceptable, completely blighting your life and your mental health.
So many people on this platform rooting for you.
Keeping everything crossed for you.

Just been out for a walk and can’t stop thinking about your situation. Would strongly advise you to get an appointment at your MP’s next surgery and see if he/she can help. Councils often only jump up and take notice when an MP breathes down their neck. It is heartbreaking to think of you having to leave your beloved home, so do try to persevere a bit longer and email anyone in authority who might be able to help. Best case scenario would be for the building to be condemned or bought by someone who wants a big renovation project to make it into a single family home again. We are all rooting for you.

Oh thank you so much, I phoned the council this morning, they will not transfer you to the relevant dept (in my case this is Selectve Licensing and Environmental Health), someone on the switchboard gets the details up on screen and makes notes. She was a lovely woman, I was describing how yesterday all their bathwater was coming onto my back yard and that I had complained about this in November last year and got a "case closed" email the day after the officer came and took photos. Explained that I first made contact with the council in the summer of 2022 and while I appreciate they cannont disclose details of action they may be taking, can somebody please update me to say that they are doing something. I was crying and she was lovely but the thing is you never get to speak to the people whose actual job it is to deal with things. Next stop is to collate everything, make a timeline and contact my MP.

Yes, definitely try to get a cohesive timeline together for your MP as they will need a clear and succinct account of what has been happening. But go ahead and fine out when their next surgery is as there will be a limited number of appointments.

i always feel that I feel a bit better about stressful situations when I’m being proactive and taking control so I hope you get some relief too.