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Original poster

Neighbours rubbish and rats

37 replies

Jacflett · 13/08/2021 16:16

Can anyone help me either someone who works for council or solicitors maybe. We have neighbours from hell next door we are homeowners they are private tenants, with 8 kids. I have been complaining about their rubbish since they moved in about 4years ago. Normally the council issue them letter giving them 14 days to shift it and then on day 14 they hire a van and fly tip it somewhere through the night. Not this time they are ignoring it and they have rats in their yard we now have rats in our house they are eating the poison but still active. Have emailed council but he is on holiday til Monday but last time he came out was in May and took photos saying he would issue some kind of court order then nothing my husband emailed and rang him ever week but no reply. I’ve rang the council again the psr department which deals with private tenants but they just said they would email James ( the guy I was dealing with) boss and get them to ring me back urgently. But no response I have emailed our MP Nick Brown but no reply and then local councillor Nick Kemp by email and messenger but no one wants to help me. I am terrified of the rats I even said if no one wants to help I would have to contact local/national newspapers and/or local/national news channels to see if they can help but that hasn’t prompted a reply from any of them if I could work out how to put photos on with this iPhone I would to show yous the rubbish any suggestions

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FleasInMyKnees · 13/08/2021 16:21

Have you contacted environmental,health, how are the rats getting into your house.

Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 16:35

Yes first contact them end of January about the rubbish and then every couple of weeks then guy from environmental health James said he would apply for some sort of court order but that was May then my husband has been leaving emails and calling him since June but no reply he told him in June there was rats in their yard and when I spoke to council today I told them I was terrified and that they were in my house

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Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 16:42

We used to have ducted heating before we got our boiler and think there must be a gap in the wall at the floor in between my kitchen and under my stairs in the passage. Hubby is going to have to take the false walll down on Tuesday as he is split shifts til then. The drainage for the sink is sort of in that same void in between the two walls so don’t know if maybe there is a break in the drain. Have bought poison and ordered electric traps £80 for two so hope they work) as when using poison the last time (last year) the rat died in the walks and we had massive bluebottle flies for about 3 months

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Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 16:42

Meant walls not walk

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2021V2 · 13/08/2021 16:44

Photos and FB on the local pages -name and shame the MP and people who said they would get back to you. Take pictures of the rats etc

Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 16:55

Think that’s what I’m going to have to do I always tell them about their rubbish but they don’t think it’s a problem trouble is 2 years ago they spray painted on my white upvc front door in purple spray paint bitch slag slut and I couldn’t get it off I had to spend £800 on new door they also keyed my sons car and slashed his tyres but I couldn’t prove it was them I now have a camera on front and back. They have been reported by different people about their rubbish at front of property and also to social services about the kids but with me living next door they always think it’s me. I can’t afford to move and wouldn’t be able to sell it either with the state of their house/garden

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Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 16:57

They don’t like my cameras as they do drugs and have shoplifters and dodgy friends there

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Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 17:04

@

Neighbours rubbish and rats
Neighbours rubbish and rats
Neighbours rubbish and rats
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Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 17:05

Mine is one with yellow chair in yard

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Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 17:06

More photos

Neighbours rubbish and rats
Neighbours rubbish and rats
Neighbours rubbish and rats
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FleasInMyKnees · 13/08/2021 17:20

Blimey, that's a huge amount of stuff and some of it could be recycled or donated., I wouldnt normally suggest name and shame or contacting the media but what else can you do if no one is listening, be careful about your own safety though. If it's a fire risk or stops emergency access maybe the fire brigade can help. Do you know who they rent off.

lannistunut · 13/08/2021 17:25

This is difficult but you have a few things in your favour:

  1. They are tenants, which means there is a landlord upon whom the council can apply pressure
  2. There are rats which make this public health issue, not just a mess of furniture

You need to get organised and get dates. Write a list of every single time you have contacted the council and what has been done.

You can try to email your councillor again, but perhaps also contact the other Labour Councillors as well. You can also ask aorund and see if any of the other parties are active locally, sometimes you get more help from the opposition! My bias says try the local Lib Dems as they are usually quite keen on local casework.

Nick Brown has surgeries on a drop-in basis, you can go to these perhaps? This month's are tomorrow: www.nickbrownmp.com/advice-surgeries/

You need to keep any emails to people very brief:

  • I am reporting an urgent environmental health hazard
  • There are large numbers of rats due to a pile up of rubbish in my neighbours' garden
  • I have tried to contact my neighbours' landlord with no success
  • The rats are now entering my home and spreading around the area
  • I have reported this problem on [number of] previous occasions
  • I want the council to take urgent enforcement action
Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 17:27

No and the council say they can’t tell me for data protection every time I contact the council I think they send a copy to landlord and they asked for permission to send them the photos these photos are for May it is worse now. We are Newcastle and I think the landlord is London. There rent is £1200 a month so I think the landlord isn’t bothered as long as he gets his money which gets paid direct to him from dss

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lannistunut · 13/08/2021 17:30

If you pay £3 you can purchase the owner's details from the land registry - but you should not need to do this yourself as rats and this level of rubbish should be tackled via the Council.

Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 17:33

Will try ringing nick brown tomorrow as we are both at work have tried today and emailed yesterday but no reply will try others. Will pay the £3 to get his details too

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JanuaryBones · 13/08/2021 17:37

I feel your pain. I used to have a problem with the next door neighbours in my old house. She had two dogs and never cleaned up their mess, I mean never. It stank, we couldn't sit in the back garden. She had five wheeliebins full with rubbish and dog poo, she would just steal another wheelie bin when it was full.
I had letters to the council, took photos, went to the MP everything. Like your neighbours, she wasn't pleasant and would bad mouth me to everyone.
All I could do was constantly write to the housing association and keep everything recorded. In the end I just didn't speak to her directly and did everything through the housing association.
You will get there eventually. They will get bored of being bothered and surely the landlord doesn't want their property to be trashed. Can you contact them directly? They might be living abroad.

SaltySheepdog · 13/08/2021 17:47

I feel for you op, this is awful

zaffa · 13/08/2021 17:50

OP have you called the police about the door vandalism? That is horrendous, these people are properly anti social! If you are not getting any luck with the council, I would take this to the local papers - this is like that 'neighbours from hell' programme!

Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 18:15

Called police at the time but couldn’t prove it was them. My husband runs a social club think I am going to sleep on the chairs in committee room tonight

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eightlivesdown · 13/08/2021 18:19

Local paper might be interest in running it as a story. Social media posts, including pictures of mess, rats, and MP / Councillors who've let you down - they won't like being named in negative publicity, might stir them to action. Contact opposition politicians, who may help. Basically, make lots of noise so fixing the problem is less aggravation than having you on their case!

Get landlord's details from Land Registry and contact them; they won't appreciate owning a rat infested house and may worry that if the tenants are trashing the outside of the house, they're also trashing the inside.

zaffa · 13/08/2021 18:21

@eightlivesdown

Local paper might be interest in running it as a story. Social media posts, including pictures of mess, rats, and MP / Councillors who've let you down - they won't like being named in negative publicity, might stir them to action. Contact opposition politicians, who may help. Basically, make lots of noise so fixing the problem is less aggravation than having you on their case!

Get landlord's details from Land Registry and contact them; they won't appreciate owning a rat infested house and may worry that if the tenants are trashing the outside of the house, they're also trashing the inside.

Absolutely all of this, and mention your husband runs social club also - member of community etc - how badly let down by everyone. Give the paper the landlord name so he can be contacted for comment (after getting from land registry). This is a ridiculous situation!
Theunamedcat · 13/08/2021 18:25

How can they blame you when it's literally them?

Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 18:30

Thanks for all suggestions I was stuck in living room until 10 mins ago every time I came out to go downstairs the were really noisy I could hear them as soon as I opened the door and went onto the landing. I had to ring hubby to come from work to get me out of house as I was too terrified to go downstairs myself. Am currently in Morrison’s picking up a sandwich to take to club for our tea! I’m a right baby aren’t I ? X

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eightlivesdown · 13/08/2021 19:23

No, I'd hate it too.

The situation is totally unacceptable; you shouldn't have to live like that. The shame is on your feral neighbours and the officials who have failed to act.

Original poster
Jacflett · 13/08/2021 19:34

Hubby had call off council they are coming out at the end of next week to remove rubbish hubby told them it would probably fill 2 skips the said they would be billing them or landlord

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