To hate living in this council property?

[chokolateaddikt]

I know I am extremely lucky to live in this house but I have had nothing but issues since I have moved in and really want to give the property up for a number of reasons and just wanted input from others to see if AlBU?

Firstly my living room window is partially facing my neighbours driveway, her and her kids are in front of my window which makes me quite uncomfortable.
A lot of times they will look straight in.

Her kids will walk right past my window to get to her house instead of going round there own bit.

Constant screaming from her kids and often they will dump stuff on my driveway and stand on my plants.

On the other side my neighbour had decided to grow plants right next to my front door and again will hoover onto my driveway to water her plants, she had put planters right by where we park our car so if the wind blows it will blow them all on our drive and cars.

The other neighbours will cut across and walk across our driveway and often will be talking on our driveway.

This house is right in the middle and the worst one here as it has no privacy at all.

The kids will kick footballs at our living room windows, constantly chuck balls in our garden and the kids will be doing the bell constantly demanding their ball back.

We just can’t relax here.

The house for some reason has a very raised driveway on one side could cause an injury if one of our kids was to run on there (aged 1.5, 3 and 5).
The council said there is no defect even though a person could easily injure themselves as it’s quite high.

We are just so depressed living here.

We are now thinking of giving up the house as we don’t think we can be happy here.

You need to put up blinds as well as the nets.

Some of your problems have really simple and straightforward solutions.
You could also be friendly enough to the neighbours without going for a cuppa every time you're invited.

You can't expect the council to take the fact that you're private people into account when providing subsidized housing. You are in a nice area and have a house big enough for your family. I'd be trying to find a way to make the most of it if I were you.

Get some dog shit and leave strategically around your front garden, ie where they stand gossiping. You can get dog shit for free from a dog shit tree, they grow in black bags. Pick ‘em whilst they are fresh for maximum impact.

Did you get permission for your CCTV? ring door bell is classed as CCTV.
If you didn't obtain written permission then they likely can't use it and may give you a warning for breach of the AST. Depends on policies and your HO
It is ASB that you are experiencing. However to evict on ASB grounds can take years!! Your best in hoping they get in arrears and don't pay. Much easier to get tenants out that way.
You will be very lucky 6 months if you reapply with them, in a 3 bed you are more than adequately housed.

Trust me sometimes tenants move from the fire to into the frying pan.

Council houses have had to increase when letting to a new tenant. Wages, materials, contractors, petrol, training costs have all gone up.
Long standing tenants can be paying less than £6000 a year rent - that doesn't cover a 1/3 of an apprentice's wage, let alone the course costs.
Crist my HA would love mine back they'd get an extra £85-£95 per week if not more!
The rent may not be that cheap now give it 5 years it will be. Give it 10+ it will be pennies compared to private.

Your use of the metaphor was still obnoxious.

Hi yes the HO has already seen the Ringdoor bell and I only got it to document everything, plus all the neighbours have one themselves.

From my conversation the lady wanted to log it as an anti social behaviour complaint.
But if that happens I think it will get worse as the 3 other neighbours are quite friendly.

As a PP mentioned I think private renting would be better as it offers more choice.

I have tried to be friendly like I will get their bins for them, hold their packages for them etc.

Our doorbell only picks up our driveway but I know the next doors is on our boundary from what she has mentioned, she is actually quite nosey and asks a lot of intrusive questions.

It is something we have never had to experience when we rented privately.

I would take the hit on the extra £150 per month increase to have a much better quality of life because, let’s face it, you’re likely going to have a better chance of having considerate neighbours if you privately rent, than those neighbours who’re also in social housing.

@mylovedoesitgood
Yes I did think that myself, only because in the 13 years of renting I have never experienced this kind of behaviour.

With the school holidays approaching it will be 100 times worse.

I'd try absolutely everything before leaving a council house - fence, mosquito device, cameras, privacy film etc. Private renting may not be much more expensive but it is insecure and getting worse. The relatively short wait for a council house in your area could change at any time, and is quite likely to honestly. I wouldn't recommend assuming you'll ever get back into social housing.

Put it to him this way - if you are living in a council house but don't actually need to, consider your moral position of going back to private so you free up a council house for someone who does need it? That way you take back control over where you live and help out a family in need. Its win/win.

Well of course. Councils never put social tenants in private rentals after all…

Years ago they used to put cow dung in roses, if you haven’t got a garden you could use pots strategically placed at the meeting area

Put up a fence , you can always remove it. If the council can’t sort out their tenants I’m not sure they’ll take you to court for a fence.
Why don’t you want to be friendly and have a cuppa with your new neighbours. You might find out you have more in common than you think.

Why don’t you want to be friendly and have a cuppa with your new neighbours. You might find out you have more in common than you think.
She's literally bringing in bins and taking in parcels for them, how much more of a doormat do you want her to be to these people who are showing her zero consideration in return?!

can’t you fence off you driveway to make it clear that people shouldn’t walk across

Nightmare neighbours are not exclusive to social housing, unfortunately. I own my house, I’m a pensioner, but one neighbour is a total nutcase. No one likes her around here. She’s a Mrs Bucket type, better than anyone else of course. Doesn’t do anything wrong and whatever is wrong in her life, is someone else’s fault. She cuts her side of my plants and trees and throws the cuttings over. She calls me unthinkable names, and 9 years ago decided to invent a whole nasty life for me in a village I’ve never lived in. It got so bad I had to involve the police to stop her. I’ve had enough and am just refreshing my decor before putting it on the market late summer. Even her children and grandchildren don’t visit anymore. Don’t give up your reliable, safe and affordable housing ever. Find a way to deal with your neighbours in the least inflammatory way and use frosted window film as others have suggested. And maybe attribute less importance to your front garden and put your love into your back garden. Good luck.

@echt (sorry quote didn’t work)

Ok 👌

however even if you find it obnoxious, you can’t argue with the facts. The OP wants a new council house, there is a 6 month waiting list for houses…sooooo given that she has a house (the only one available) with nothing else available for 6 months, beggars can’t be choosers. If she switches to private she will have more choice as there are multiple properties available right now, everywhere!

Just because you have a chip on your shoulder about council houses (or are randomly taking offence on someone else’s behalf) doesn’t mean that I was looking down or being judgemental about someone being in council houses. If you could stop projecting that would be awesome 😘

exactly this! There is a reason that there is a 6 month waiting list, and anything to ease the burden on limited resources should be done

Private rentals are a step down from social housing. Anyone would be an idiot to willingly go into that.

It sounds miserable and the privacy film will give some relief but you cant change their attitudes unfortunately. Im amazed that you can get council housing when you can easily afford private rent. I thought it was meant to be really difficult.

It sounds miserable and the privacy film will give some relief but you cant change their attitudes unfortunately. Im amazed that you can get council housing when you can easily afford private rent. I thought it was meant to be really difficult.

That’s easy for you to say because - let me use my psychic powers now - you don’t live in social housing and have scum neighbours?

Hi we can’t really afford to rent privately as I was made redundant hence why we had to go into council housing.

I am also looking and applying for jobs as I am aware finding a private rental js extremely difficult on one income as it is a competitive market.

If you ownned the property you could have all those issues and more, most of them sounds easy fixes.

Get a house swap. It takes time to find somewhere, but there are lots of groups online.

those kids won't be kids forever. Give it a couplle of years and they will soon be bedroom dwelling screen addicts who don't want to play outside.