Petrified of new neighbours

[Mama2harris]

Hiya, This s a bit of a strange one so looking for some advice on what to do. We’ve been living in our property for almost 6 peaceful years with absolutely no trouble at all.

Our new next door neighbours moved in a month or so ago and since then all hell has broken loose. The police have been banging on their door from a knife crime initiative unit, we’ve had gangs of thugs banging on our door looking for them cos our neighbours apparently robbed one of their friends with a knife, and the gangs trying to put the neighbours door in etc.

We’ve noticed the neighbours keep going to the back of our garden onto a shared driveway (that we share with our neighbours the other side so they shouldn’t even be going there) and doing something behind a fence In the woodland then going back into the house, taking a good long look at my car in the process of walking back.

I’m currently pregnant and we have our 2 year old son In the house and the new neighbours scare the hell out of me, is there anything I can do or do I just have to accept their privacy and look at moving somewhere else. Hubby says to just look at moving when our tenancy is up and leave them to it. But that isn’t until next year and I’m already petrified of being in the house with them nearby.

I’d expect this behaviour from a council estate or housing association area but 95% of our street is elderly or older families so we never experience behaviour like this until now.

Any help would be greatly appreciated xx

I'm afraid you almost certainly have drug dealers. They normally struggle with a mortgage application so I'm assuming that property is tenanted too. The respectability of the area has nothing to do with it, this filth is everywhere ( and partly supported by those oh-so-respectable MN types who smoke weed or do coke on weekends, or accept that their disgusting children do it).

If it is a rental:

• contact their landlord. Even the worst landlords don't usually deliberately rent to these types because they aren't big on paying rent. See if there was an agent (look for recently rented properties on rightmove) and alert them. If not, worth £3 on the land registry site to see if the landlord has put his/her own details on it. Not many do, sadly.
• be aware that even if the landlord takes action, it will take months. It is almost impossible to break a tenancy with section 8 (tenancy breach) so will need to wait for section 21 (no fault, ha-bloody-ha, eviction) to become possible at tenancy end. (and hope it isn't abolished in the meantime!)
• a better route might be the council to get the property 'closed down'. It doesn't have to be a council property for this.
• ring 111 for police advice,. And keep doing it, and doing it. Overstretched police forces find it very difficult to deal with this, especially if the dealing is in the house as it probably (also) is. Which is why even though they are aware, nothing is happening.

They aren't likely to be a direct danger to you as they usually only beat each other up, or their cuckooed victims - but you are in for a lot of disturbance and I sympathise. They probably are only looking in the car to see if anyone is watching.

Been on the receiving end of this as a filthy bastard moneygrabbing evil- landlord and it isn't pretty. You could try your landlord to see if you can escape the tenancy early but obviously that is unlikely to happen - but he/she needs to know as they won't want this next door either. But unless they also own this property, they can do nothing. You could consider breaching your tenancy and leaving early, but your landlord can sue you for the losses and that will affect a future reference.

sorry. This is why drugs are not a cutesy-woo weekend Islington recreation, but a serious problem.

ps perhaps ask MN HQ to move this thread to a more active board, 'ethical living' ain't big round here...

oh FFS. 101 for the police, 111 for medical help! Sorry.

I'm afraid you almost certainly have drug dealers.

I agree. They've got supplies behind the fence.

Everything said above and I would also put up CCTV everywhere possible so they know they are being recorded.

perhaps take police advice on that one first, regarding admissability of evidence and also risk.

it is a totally shit situation.

We had a den of absolute thieves living next door - drugs dealing - house full of luxury (stolen ) car parts - armed police raids- youngsters being recruited to deal and young girls coming and going . Someone knocked at my door Mother's Day offering me a pup for £50 that turned out to have been stolen during a burglary . ( I bought it and manager to get it back to it's owner through the power of FB . )
We are both elderly and contacted our local councillor who liaised with the police . We collected registration numbers at their request and were kept well informed .
Just to reassure you - you are statistically safer with them next door than you think . They want no problem with the neighbours believe me .

So stick it out .
I just used to give a cheerful greeting whenever I saw them . They probably thought what a silly old bat I was but their den of thieves was eventually cleared as part of a bigger police bust based in part on our fact finding and observations .

I'd put CCTV on the shared drive with other neighbour.
I's also call the police each time people come over and intimidate you.
See who owns/rented the place out and report to them too.
It sounds bloody scary.