GRcade

Thanks, guys. This incident is really doing a number on me.

It's been quiet again for a while... so I've just (silently) stacked up a couple of chairs on the floor behind my front door... some sort of additional block. Safe to say that I don't think I'm gonna get much sleep these next few nights.

jawa_ wrote:Thanks, guys. This incident is really doing a number on me.

It's been quiet again for a while... so I've just (silently) stacked up a couple of chairs on the floor behind my front door... some sort of additional block. Safe to say that I don't think I'm gonna get much sleep these next few nights.

I realise you're scared but they have no business with you and stacking chairs infront of your door is a huge fire hazard.

OMG just read the past few posts. Sounds artful hope you are okay! It'll be fine don't worry.
Out of interest what is the general neighbourhood and are like? Is this normal there?

Hey, thanks, No.1FFF. Yeah, it's been a tough few days and the outcome appears to be... nothing is gonna change. The person seems to still be living there. The owner doesn't care 'cos he's getting his money via the letting agency; and the letting agency are being paid regardless. So, yeah, strawb-float any other residents here who are impacted.

Most folk who live here are absolutely fine; some are lovely. But, like anywhere I guess, it only takes one ass to cause a lot of trouble for other residents.

It's quiet at the moment and I'm hoping to actually get some sleep tonight.

Yeah, nothing seems to have happened. Breaking doors, breaking locks, breaking in... yeah, well, so what?

Spent half the night being woken up by squeaky door opening and closing multiple times.

Sorry to hear this sounds awful. Have u tried sleeping with noise cancelling headphones on?

Is the property leasehold? Or rented? You should be able to complain to the freeholder of nuisance neighbours.

Unfortunately there is that cycle of "owner getting paid from letting company; letting company getting paid by council" that means that the people getting paid are doing so no matter what happens and so nothing is gonna really be done about it. The recent incidents are, as far as I know, being put down to "other people" rather than the resident by the owner and the letting agency. Which is complete BS.

I anticipate that, based on past evidence, we'll now witness a week or two of "good behaviour" (bar squeaky door opening and closing all night as people arrive and leave) until things revert to normal (i.e. bad).

I've said this before here but, to be clear, the issue is not that the resident's bills are being paid for by the council. It's the shocking anti-social behaviour.

start being antisocial yourself

jawa_ wrote:Unfortunately there is that cycle of "owner getting paid from letting company; letting company getting paid by council" that means that the people getting paid are doing so no matter what happens and so nothing is gonna really be done about it. The recent incidents are, as far as I know, being put down to "other people" rather than the resident by the owner and the letting agency. Which is complete BS.

I anticipate that, based on past evidence, we'll now witness a week or two of "good behaviour" (bar squeaky door opening and closing all night as people arrive and leave) until things revert to normal (i.e. bad).

I've said this before here but, to be clear, the issue is not that the resident's bills are being paid for by the council. It's the shocking anti-social behaviour.

Does the local council have a noise compliant line you can ring? It's should be under leaseholder rules that everyone can live peacefully.

Yeah, we could try contacting the council but the issue is proof. The resident claims that they had nothing to do with the damage or break-ins (even though they were the ones doing it) and so, from an external perspective, another party can't "side" with anyone.

Our flat committee is now keeping a log of recent (and future!) incidents - dates, times, issue and impact - so that we can build up a record of evidence should we need to use it.

A bright spot - last night was quiet with no noise/damage/early-hours visits. Feels like strawberry-floatin' luxury living .

I think you need to enquire what the council or whomever else would accept as "proof". Eye-witness testimony? CCTV? Mobile phone recording? Mystic Meg? etc.

Yeah, I think the last one.

"I can see into the future, and if you come to this council flat today at 12:25, you're in for a big surprise."

I phoned my local council noise complaint line once at 1am due to some noise outside in the car park.
Someone did pick up and she said cos it was a public car park they couldn't do anything but if it is a neighbour in the same building then they would come out with officers to witness the noise there and then.
So I think based on that, your council noise compliant line might be the same. If you ring even at 1am they will come out...but not sure how long it will take for them to arrive to witness the disturbance.

Looks like you'll have to go Poirot and pre-empt it, jawa.

how many people in the block of flats Jawa?

Thanks for checking, guys.

Yeah, no changes have happened - the resident(s) remain; seemingly they played out a "it wasn't them, we're the victims of harassment" angle and this was believed by the flat owner. Anyway, it's since been pretty quiet bar when - on most nights - people are arriving and leaving between 23:30 and 07:30. I have no idea why people are regularly arriving at those times, but I always get woken up, even sometimes just because their door is so noisy when it is opened and then banged closed.

So... we gotta log all incidents and gradually build up a wall of evidence to share with the owner.

jawa_ wrote:people are arriving and leaving between 23:30 and 07:30. I have no idea why people are regularly arriving at those times

I think it's called drug dealing and prostitution.

You won't hear anyone call the woman 'dear', as she's probably quite reasonable.

Mrs Stool Bloke has a new dog, it's a tiny little thing, all cuteness and sweet from a distance, and it's a lovely little critter right?

WRONG!

It is the devil, an evil, vicious, nasty scrap of malice! Just this morning, it was running around the street off the lead, and when i stepped out my front door, it ran up to me snarling, barking, and with a look in it's eyes like it wanted to rip me limb from limb! Mrs Stool Bloke called out to it, and it completely ignored her, and i had to retreat back inside before i was savaged.

She came and grabbed the monster, but being Mrs Stool Bloke, she was surly, rude, and completely ignorant. There was no apology, no words of regret, and not even an acknowledgement that something was amiss.

No wonder Stool Bloke moved out.

Think it's time you do what he obviously did.

Grab a campervan and run for the country.

Was awoken by the sound of people arriving/leaving my neighbours early on Saturday morning and then again at 0230, 0300, 0430 and 0620 today. Their front door is stupidly - ridiculously - squeaky (you couldn't make it noisier if you tried) and quite often it seems to be left open and so bangs about; and then they let the main entrance door slam, too (whilst sometimes breaking the lock; our locksmith notified us that the two lock breaks in the past weeks were both done deliberately).

All incidents are now being noted (and by my other neighbours) so that we can share them with the actual flat owner.