AIBU to report repeated emergency call-outs at new neighbours' house?

[Chickpeaqueen]

I can't work out if I'm being unreasonable, but I'm feeling a bit unnerved. We had new neighbours move in a few weeks ago. Since then we've had an emergency service at their house practically everyday. One night the police and a taxi woke us all up over an unpaid taxi fare, which lasted an hour. The next night we were woken by police doing what sounded like hammering a door down inside. A few days later a fire engine was outside at midnight ....various police car and ambulances on and off throughout the past week or so. Today a fire engine has been sat directly outside my house for four hours, blocking the road. The police have been there, with another ambulance. Took about five hours for everyone to leave. I asked the firemen if everything was alright and they simply replied 'yes' although I'm sure I heard them mention knives. It's not very pleasant for your kids to arrive home from school and find a fire engine and four firemen standing directly outside their house. A friend who works for housing has suggested reporting it to the council, but I'm not sure if I want to be that person. But equally, I also don't want to keep being woken up at night and it's starting to put me off letting the kids go out on their own. I imagine it's to do with mental health, which I sympathise with but it still doesn't take away the impact it's having. Is it unreasonable to report it?

Wise advice from your friend. Sounds like the people in the house need more support anyway.

While that would solve the OP's problem, it would only make it someone else's.

This household obviously need a lot more support than they are getting at the moment, and that's for agencies like Adult Social Care, MH and the HA to provide.

Yes I would. I sympathise for OP and wouldn’t want this outside my home either

I don't think anyone is suggesting that it's easy to live with, but if there were any concerns about anti social or criminal behaviour the emergency services who attend would have shared that information with the landlord or agency who manage the property. The presence of emergency services it itself isn't anti social behaviour and keeping a log of it isn't going to get you anywhere, its not the same situation as a noisy neighbour.

Diptyque fans, selfridges are doing a Diptyque summer set at £225. Too many candles for me, I'm not a massive candle fan but some may like it.

There is a house a few doors away from me that has been bought by a charity and houses people fleeing domestic violence. Some of my neighbours have expressed concerns that the estranged partner might turn up and cause trouble. I find it difficult to feel anything other than huge empathy for the occupants.

I used to work in housing support for people with MH issues. We had one client who was moved 3 times for various reasons, all involving some sort of neighbour nuisance. Each move took ages, because of all the various legal hoops that had to be jumped through.

They ended up living in self-contained accommodation in an establishment that was staffed 24/7 in the end. That was a single person though, I have no idea how that would be managed when it's a family. I guess they'd split them up.

I understand why that's worrying for you op but you have no idea why knives were mentioned. It could have been that the person was suicidal and they were noting that there was a knife block in the kitchen. It doesn't automatically mean that person is any threat to you. Similarly if they were unwell and said there was something dangerous in the house they'd evacuate but again, there's nothing to say there's an actual risk. If there was that person wouldn't be there now. If its been bought over by a charity then that means the person is getting support.

There's not actually anything that you've said that would constitute a breach of tenancy to require an eviction unless there was actual asb. If they're struggling this much to live independently I'd imagine this will reach a breakdown in tenancy eventually more out of safety for the person themselves than any risk to anyone else. If this person was a risk to the community a charity or housing provider would not be putting themselves on the line to house them in the community.

Also emergency services will have contacted the housing provider every time they've had to put the door through because its damage to their property.

As would I, that is awful for them and I'd want them to be somewhere where they were safe. I also have empathy for my neighbours, and I also have empathy for my children who have had to get up for school when they've been kept awake for three hours at a time at night. The situation you've described is not the same as mine at all.

With this many callouts, the people who need to know will be aware. I don’t think you can report it to anyone specific as it will be a complex mix of factors that no one body can sort out.

It does sound difficult though to live with so I am sorry for you living like that. Disruptive neighbours can make you lose the plot yourself, whatever the cause.

Where were you supposed to go @ 1am 👀. Think I’d refuse.

I don’t think you’re being unreasonable to want to ‘report’, but can’t think who or what ‘body’ you can use in this situation…apart from police?

My parents have a key box & cannot think why this is something that needs comment tbh.

Wrong thread?!

A lot of replies sound like how politicians answer “You should be more sympathetic in these situations (as long as it’s not on my doorstep..)”

The idea that if someone was a risk they wouldn't be housed is laughable.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3p0g1l5e1o

Hmmm - dunno, they really like fire engines 😂

A unknown person knocked on the door . Report .

I had a neighbour like this with mental health issues. Police out 5 times in one day. My advice is to raise the concern with you local social work department from the point of view that you are concerned that vulnerable neighbour is clearly not being adequately supported in the community. You reporting it might help get them more support which benefits everybody.

I don't see how you can report it when you don't seem to know which agency owns the property. If it was LHA you could but they're not going to do anything, they will be aware of the call outs.

FWIW my neighbour calls ambulances all the time, she's in her late 80s, she calls saying she can't breath and tells them she has lung cancer, she doesn't she has asthma and COPD and has pumps that help her breathing, but she also has dementia and forgets all of that, has breathing difficulty then panics which makes her hyperventilate, if she calls me I go round and give her her pump, but she often calls 999. The record is 3 ambulances in a day. She owns her home. I've never considered reporting her to the council. I keep in touch with her son and the carers who go in, and do bits like get out window cleaner to do hers, mow her grass, put her bins out for her, take her a meal a couple of times a week etc. The only irritating bit is the ambulances often block my drive not hers when I need to get to work or do a school run, I wouldn't be irritated if it wasn't a false call out but they are.

Some years ago we experienced something similar - overnight several emergency ambulance call-outs accompanied by 2-3 police cars over the period of a week - also a lot of shouting in the street and on one occasion someone running in the street naked.

It was pretty disruptive and disturbed our sleep - we never really found out what it was all about but assumed it was drug/MH related as the household was involved in drug dealing. It was difficult to understand why no-one was arrested/hospitalised the first time it happened

Once the 'crisis' was resolved it all stopped apart from a single episode about 6 months later then nothing until they moved out a couple of months ago

Not really anyone to report it to

ETA the drug dealing had been reported to the police several times over the years and the street is a fairly normal/average place not some kind of ghetto

.

Maybe the problematic new neighbours should pop round unannounced and ring the doorbell

then MN would have them sent off to the Gulags quick sharp

I know!! That had crossed my mind! Not a nice thought. It was a quiet night, so I'm hoping the person has been sectioned and can get the help they clearly need.

And no, op YANBU
Of course you can empathise and see the tragedy in this. You can recognise that it is a broken system and there is probably little you can do. But you are allowed to care about the impact on your family

MN can’t tolerate a ball going over their fence, or common people enjoying cheap Prosecco in a hottub
but you should not mind at all about this

Bloody hell.

OP absolutely report this to their landlord, the housing association and the impact it is having on you.