New neighbours smoking cannabis and it stinks

[northernstar0412]

My new neighbours are smoking a lot of cannabis, which means I am having to keep my windows shut in the middle of summer as it affects my asthma.

Now if I report them to the police anonymously I think it will be obvious it's me. I share a tiny hallway with them - which also stinks of cannabis since they moved in - on the top floor and there are only 6 flats in our small sub-block on a larger estate.

Should I confront them and ask them to stop, otherwise I will have to report them to police? A risky option as I'm a middle aged woman and live alone.

My neighbours are a young couple - the woman looks OK but her bloke looks scruffy. I wfh and hear their flat door going constantly.

They are private tenants but I'm a homeowner and worry that this will affect my ability to sell my flat which I'm thinking of doing over the next couple of years, especially as you have to declare neighbour disputes.

I'd appreciate some advice. Thanks

Take a deep breath every time you pass their doorway….

I’d go now if I was you.

Find out who the owner is and report to them. They have a duty to make sure their tenant isn’t being anti social, which they are. Most tenancy agreements state no drug use.

Totally get the management company to kick them out. It's illegal to smoke cannabis.

I think they are unlikely to stop if you ask them to. If you are in the position to start making the move now, I would do so.

Thanks all.
Lunificent - I have a short flat lease, which will make it more difficult to sell. I'm about to start the process for extending the lease so that will sort that out but it will take at least six months.

I suppose I could rent my place out but I have never been a landlord before and understand it's financially prohibitive now for people like me - 'accidental landlords'.

Also, what do I do about declaring problems with neighbours as legally required when selling?

Also, my work is in the city where I live, and I can't afford to buy somewhere new in the same city.

I feel for you and have no advice. Reading all these neighbour horror stories, why is everyone so selfish these days. I'm lucky my neighbours are elderly but this means one day I will have new neighbours and it worries me.

I've very innocent and didn't know what cannabis smelt like until a few years back, when a boyfriend lived in a flat and the neighbours below smoked it. As u said can't open windows, the smell made me ill.

Surely the law needs to change about neighbour disputes, their getting away with being anti social as folks are worried they can't sell their homes.

Unless it becomes a legal dispute, ie solicitors, courts, police, involved then you don’t have to declare any dispute, you could speak to the agent , landlord, and ask them to speak with their tenant but you have no way of knowing if they keep that anonymous, the police won’t care unless they are dealing, your best option is to just go round and say look I don’t care what your smoking but can you go outside/ away from an area near me and tell them the reason, they might be receptive to you as your aware of what they are doing however in the event they kicks off you know it’s time to move

Not everyone finds the small of cannabis unpleasant. It’s a problem for you but not necessarily for your potential buyer.
If there’s people going in and out the whole time then they may well be selling it and the landlord would probably object to that.

I doubt the landlord or managing agent will do anything. You could report them to the police.

It is good they are renting because by the time you move they may have gone anyway.

I doubt the police will do anything. Unless they are dealing they have bigger fish to fry.

I heard it wasnt actually illegal to smoke it in private home...report to agency but doubt much will happen...its only really illegal to grow or sell it so if lots of callers then they are dealing so report it to police.

Tell the landlord.
Or you could try saying that you just want to give them a heads up, maybe they don't realise the smell of weed from their flat is very strong and your most frequent visitor works for the Drug Squad.

What a horrible situation. Cannabis stinks. Especially if it’s Skunk that is commonplace these days.

Police won’t do anything. I’d go to landlord maybe but you’re going to have to live next door to them after this so it’s going to be unpleasant.

I’ve no good advice but I feel for you. Fingers crossed they move on soon.

I had a neighbour that smoked cannabis or skunk and it was awful, they would smoke it in the bedroom with the window open (guess they didn’t want their place stinking) and it was impossible to use my garden because of the smell. It was affecting all the neighbours but no one said anything as far as I know. Luckily they have now moved on, I didn’t realise they were renting and had I known d have complained to the letting agents, I could kick myself now as I put up with the smell for about 3 years when I didn’t need too

You have every right to ask them to stop as the smell is in your home & the common area

Try the agent (a landlord may not want damage/fire risk), and definitely report any drug driving...

I still think the best bet is to report for dealing if lots of visitors...then its a police issue.

Btw, if you are going to get police involved, do it anonymously via Crimestoppers, to avoid having to declare a neighbour dispute

Air purifiers are great for getting rid of smells and have really helped me with allergies and asthma. I think you only have to declare neighbour issues if you have made a formal complaint to the council. Contact the letting agents, they and the landlord will be the only people who may be interested in this issue.

I’ve been in this situation. Downstairs neighbour was a 24/7 stoner and it stank. I’m also a landlord. I would have a word with the landlord as it probably won’t be a deal breaker for them as regards the tenancy, but could sway them towards not renewing if other issues occur, a situation which is maybe more likely with stoner tenants.

Hi folks,
Thanks for all the advice everyone gave me a week or so ago.
The smell hadn't bothered me for a few days but last night and tonight I have come home from work and my flat reeks of cannabis, even though all my windows and front door were locked.

Tonight, when the stink was really strong it has set off my asthma and I have had to take my inhaler, which I never have to do.

I have got most of the windows open and still I can smell the weed as it is wafting over from their flat but I can't shut the windows because at least the breeze is dispersing the smell a bit.

I haven't reported it to anyone yet as I didn't want to act in haste - I wanted to think it through first.

What do I do? I am a woman living alone and the neighbours are a harmless looking young woman and a scruffy bloke who has the look of a chaotic drug user. But if I upset drug dealers my safety could be at risk.

OK so a few things I've found out:

1. It is definitely illegal to smoke cannabis in your own home, even if it's only possession of small quantities for personal.

1. I looked at my flat lease and the lease says that the premises:

a) must not be used for illegal or immoral purposes; (Which it is being used for.)

b)that leaseholders are not permitted to engage in anything that will cause annoyance or nuisance to other residents. (ditto)

c) or anything that might render void the buildings insurance - presumably weed is a fire risk especially if the stoners are off their faces and fall asleep with an unextinguished joint left on the sofa or bed.

One or both of them are still in and out of the flat all day but I can't be sure if there are a lot of visitors to the flat yet. So I can't be sure if they are dealing.

Another option - although extreme and further down the line - is potentially taking legal action against the landlord if he won't act.

Any thoughts, folks? I will not be able to either move out and rent out my flat or sell it in this situation and feel it would be immoral not to disclose the problem to a buyer.

Typo correction: It is definitely illegal to smoke cannabis in your own home, even if it's only possession of small quantities for personal use.

Do you have a residents' committee ? so if in flats there will surely be someone else who is affected.

Or If you do not want to report them for cannabis - do you think ( which I believe you can - well you can ask ) as a single woman you can ask a PCSO to come and check your flat for security measures and if they happen to smell it - well ............

That's a good idea about the PCSO BasiliskStare. Also I'm wondering about the management company contractors who are often around and about doing work on the flats - they could smell it and report it.

Sadly there is no residents' committee that I know of. I could find out through the management company.