The landlord noted that, on its visit to the property on 24 February 2020, the resident. Hounslow man fined 6k for 'knocking down his home without telling council' They might ask the owner to make it safe or deal with it themselves. The hedge must be on land owned or occupied by someone else. The landlord emailed the resident on 21 April 2020 to acknowledge his request to escalate the complaint and replied to his points as follows: It disagreed that its response implied that the residents complaint was malicious; it asserted that it had found no fault with its approach to this case. The council may use the governments guidance to help them decide what could be the best height for the hedge. Hounslow Council 29April 2022 Our approach The Housing Ombudsman's approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs? Despite the resident making further reports to the landlord of the same issue in January and March 2021, there is. the landlord to report he could smell burning coming from his neighbours flat. Therefore, from March to June 2020, apart from contacting the resident to discuss the issues and asking him to complete diary sheets, there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate the landlord properly assessed or investigated the residents reports despite agreeing that it would. Comply with above orders within four weeks. the landlords handling of the residents reports concerning antisocial behaviour from his neighbour. The landlords file notes confirm that on 16 April 2021 it had a further joint meeting with the relevant support teams to discuss progress with the action plan. Inquire About the Details of a Recent Complaint. The out of hours service is designed for emergencies only. Its an offence to fail to do what a remedial notice requires. Yesterday he blasted music from 3pm in the afternoon to 9.45am. During the joint meetings that it had with the relevant agencies at the end of March and in April 2021, one of the actions identified was for the landlords HO to visit the neighbour to advise him of tenancy conditions; this happened on 30 April. If they are failing to respond to your complaint then go along to the next surgery of your local M.P. This guide and the related spreadsheet can help you work out whether an evergreen hedge is blocking too much daylight and sunlight to your home or garden. If antisocial behaviour relates to council property or another registered social landlord (housing association) property you may still be able to report this with us online. Save time, and do it online . The council may offer reduced fees for people who are on a low income or benefits. failing to log a complaint in March 2020, this delayed the complaint process which was unreasonable. Due the neighbour having mental health issues, the landlord had a responsibility to engage with support agencies in order to help, maintain his tenancy and also establish an action plan to address and mitigate the impact of ASB on those affected including the resident. In the event of an emergency, such as if your neighbour physically attacks you, always call 999. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. They might be able to deal with the disagreement on your behalf. No. 150 for its service failures when handling his complaints. Hounslow Council criticised for delay in responding to homeless man As far as I know the women is still living at there doing her dealing, driving a BMW. I feel very unwell from the lack of sleep. It said if issues continued and legal action was required, it would require such evidence to support the legal case. 7 Bath Road. A statutory nuisance is a legal term and covers significant or unreasonable noise which stops you enjoying your property. On 29 April 2021, the landlord provided a stage one response. It forms a post town in the TW postcode area. On 22 March 2021, the resident reported that there was a burning smell coming from his neighbours flat and referred the landlord to his previous emails. The landlords notes reference that the neighbour had confirmed during this visit that he was burning paper in this flat. Email Customer Services on customerservice@hounslow.gov.uk, Call Out of hours emergency on 020 8583 2222. concern that the neighbour was increasing the level of noise in retaliation to its intervention and that his only recourse was to seek alternative accommodation. The STANDS4 Network. On 3 September 2020, the resident called the landlord to report hearing loud music from his neighbours flat at 1.45 am that morning. He said that he had been complaining for two years. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. The landlord replied on the same date advising that it appreciated that the issues were reported over 12 months ago but they had not yet been resolved. He said that the landlord had provided incorrect details of when he contacted the HO He said he contacted them in 2018 and not 2020. It also advised him of the importance of it witnessing the reported noise to be able to take further action. The council cannot order your neighbour to: It could be weeks or months. In most cases you should first approach your neighbour directly about the matter. The Ombudsmans role is not to establish whether particular events occurred; for example, it is not our role to assess whether antisocial behaviour happened. Its often best to find a compromise, for example sharing the cost of pruning a hedge even though you think your neighbour owns it. The ASB officer said he had contacted police to see if they had any concerns about the neighbour and they await their response. Some examples of these are: Complain about a Councillor breaching code of conduct, Complain about a service provided by our partners, Complain about a tendering or procurement process, failure to follow the Councils own policy, significant or repeated failure to provide a service, Copyright 2023 London Borough of Hounslow. It will take time for them to get a statement from your neighbour and arrange to visit the site. If they want you to cut your tree or hedge just because they dont like the way it looks, its up to you whether you do the work. The request was for the neighbour to be transferred to alternative accommodation which might work better for the neighbour. You can find your council's website on GOV.UK. If the hedge is on a bank or in a raised bed the measurement should be taken from the natural ground level. The landlords internal notes show it contacted Adult Mental health team who confirmed which team the resident was under the care of. Your neighbour could report it to your local council and you could be told to cut your hedge. They can only help if you try and solve the problem yourself first. On 8 April 2021, the resident raised a formal complaint with the landlord relating to the length of time it had taken to act against the neighbour for nuisance. He followed this up with further reports on 17 and 18 March 2020 advising of hammering noises. The landlord acknowledged his report and. On 30 April 2021, the landlord assessed whether it was proportionate to escalate the action it was taking against the neighbour taking into account his vulnerabilities. The landlord discussed the allegations with the neighbour which he denied. On 13 September 2020, the resident provided the landlord with records of noise nuisance from 3 September to 12 September 2020. It could help you keep a good relationship and might be cheaper than paying a solicitor to resolve the disagreement. . The complaint is about the landlords response to the residents reports of noise nuisance. agreed for it to bring the upstairs neighbour to his property to observe the noise generated by her television downstairs. We had a similar issue with students that went on for about 11 months. Call Customer services on 020 8583 2000. The resident contacted the landlord again on 20 March 2020 complaining about the length of time taken to act on his reports. The landlord assured the resident that a great deal of effort was involved in resolving the issues and the case was overseen at a senior level. Hounslow includes the districts of Hounslow West, Heston, Cranford and Heathrow. Grade 2 cases include noise nuisance outside of permitted hours and verbal abuse. If youre worried because you havent heard anything, you can contact the council to check progress. The complaint was logged with the Housing Officer in August 2020. The council will let the neighbour know that youve complained, so bear this in mind when youre writing the complaint. Complaints Department is not affiliated to, linked with or otherwise endorsed by Hounslow Council. You can send your complaint to the council by post or email. Contact your local councillor. Well send you a link to a feedback form. But the further away it is, the more difficult it will be to show that the hedges height is harming the reasonable enjoyment of all or part of your home and/or its garden or yard. It said it would provide an update as soon as possible. 1 Noise is one of the most common neighbour complaints Credit: Getty . It also told the resident it would investigate his reports. The numerical value of Hounslow in Chaldean Numerology is: 6, The numerical value of Hounslow in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1. It did not explain why it had not logged a complaint when the resident had first made reports in March 2020 or during the interim period up to August 2020 despite further reports by the resident. The landlord said it would contact him again in four weeks with an update. Complaining about your neighbour This advice applies to England If your neighbour is noisy or stops you feeling comfortable, try to discuss it with them if you can. To manage and tackle ASB the landlord may send the perpetrator an ASB warning letter, engage with agencies including the police, social services, community mental health teams or other support agencies. Not usually. They must take into account any relevant concerns raised by you and your neighbour. Neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour - Local Government and These were reasonable efforts made by it to witness the noise reports he made. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. This service has seen evidence that the ASB officer discussed the situation with his care worker. The landlord also reiterated to the resident at this time that there was an ongoing investigation. In accordance with paragraph 54 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was no maladministration by the landlord in its response to the residents reports of noise nuisance, The landlord made reasonable efforts to substantiate the residents reports of noise and. But in some cases the council will decide that its right to refund all or part of a fee. Provide the Ombudsman and the resident with further details in relation to its statement that it will explore securing a permanent move for the neighbour as referred to in its 8 April 2022 communication. Registered number 01436945 England Registered office: Citizens Advice, 3rd Floor North, 200 Aldersgate, London, EC1A 4HD, If you disagree with your neighbour about a tree or hedge. For action to be taken in response to noise nuisance the landlord must first satisfy itself that there is evidence of this. The council here instructs the police to confiscate items. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. Make a complaint or comment. There is also no evidence of the landlord following up on a further report from the resident of a burning smell from the neighbours flat on 6 November 2020. Any disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 must also be taken into account before possession is pursued against a disabled person. Moreover, the landlords updates were invariably advice that its investigations were ongoing. Resolving neighbour disputes: Overview - GOV.UK But you can still try to settle your dispute by following the steps in Over the garden hedge. The council can order your neighbour to take action to stop the problems with the hedge happening again. Problems could include, for example, if you think a hedge is too high or branches from your neighbours tree are overhanging into your garden. One that keeps some live or green leaves all year round. The Housing Ombudsman's approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. Contact your local council. It advised him to call the Councils Enforcement when there was a smoke incident. Neither did it respond to the residents request for an update on 14 April 2020 or to his further report made on 14 May 2020 of loud music and banging early in the morning. The landlords internal record dated 19 August 2020 confirms it visited the neighbours flat with its fire officer and that a smoke detector was fitted. This can also cover artificial light or a build up of rubbish that could possibly cause harm. You will need to explain what, and how serious, those problems are. On 29 May 2020, the landlord replied to the resident apologising for the noise he was experiencing. The neighbour whom the ASB reports concern, lives next door to the resident and is a tenant of the landlord. If it is, youll have to ask the council for permission to cut the tree even if its yours. However, there is a lack of evidence to show the landlord followed up on the actions identified at this stage. Videos on managing unacceptable behaviour. Chapter 9 of High hedges complaints: prevention and cure gives detailed guidance on enforcing remedial notices. a town of Middlesex, 10 m. SW. of London; railways have done away with its importance as a posting town; in the vicinity are gunpowder mills, barracks, and the famous Hounslow Heath. His original complaint had not been dealt with satisfactorily. One of the most common neighbourly issues is excessive or unreasonable noise levels. Subsidence can be caused by a hedges roots taking moisture from soils that shrink. You can find your councils website on GOV.UK. There was a referral in October 2020 in respect of the neighbour to the appropriate agency, however there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate that. Yes. The resident, and others on his behalf contacted the landlord during July and August 2021 about the neighbours alleged behaviour and the fire risk. He had already raised his concerns previously and his safety was important. If youre not sure what to do, you canget help at your nearest Citizens Advice. Before approaching your council you should always try to compromise with your neighbours. We used to go to work shattered. When councils are determining a complaint they must first decide whether the height of the high hedge is having an adverse effect on a neighbour's enjoyment of their home and/or its garden or. Bloody ridiculous people have to put up with these selfish sod neighbours! When councils are determining a complaint they must first decide whether the height of the high hedge is having an adverse effect on a neighbours enjoyment of their home and/or its garden or yard. However, the landlord said that its HO continued to monitor the situation which resulted in periods when the nuisance stopped. Login . In a reply on the same date, the landlord advised it would start the investigation immediately and the resident would be kept up to date with their progress. We did make a few anonymous calls to the drug police. As no significant noise was heard, they agreed to exchange telephone numbers to communicate about any future noise concerns. neighbour should have been agreed in advance and advised that this feedback would be passed on. You don't mention if this person rents the property or is a lease holder. Please do not post any personal information relating to yourself, or employees of Hounslow Council as these comments will not be approved. COMPLAINT 202001964 Hounslow Council 25 January 2021 Our approach The Housing Ombudsman's approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. From disruptive planning permission to noise complaints, you can tackle the issue of nuisance neighbours though your local council. Most of Hounslow, including its Town Centre, the area south of the railway station and the localities of Lampton and Spring Grove, falls under the TW3 postcode. None of these visits recorded any evidence to prompt enforcement action. If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council. i think you only have to inform a purchaser if there is an actual dispute and its within the last 12 months. When theyve got both sides of the story, a council officer will visit the site to look at the hedge and its surroundings. Complaining about your neighbour - Citizens Advice Whilst the landlord has to take steps to address ASB in line with its ASB policy, it has a responsibility to balance this with the needs of its vulnerable residents including those who may be the perpetrators of ASB. However, not all of the actions were progressed in a timely manner and there is no evidence to show the landlord followed through with some of the actions in its plan. Is there anything wrong with this page? This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. It may consider legal action against those in breach of their tenancy agreement however possession is a last resort in abating ASB. , and in accordance with its ASB policy, above at point 2, for it to take this action to resolve the issue in the absence of evidence to support the noise reports. The landlords policy says on receiving the initial report, the HO would make an initial assessment to determine a plan of action and to make a referral to the ASB team for Grade 1 & 2 cases. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. Definitions.net. He expressed frustration with the landlords response and felt that, 13 March 2020 to advise that it had not raised, complaint at stage one of its complaints procedure, referred the matter to a staff member to attempt to resolve. The Ombudsman considers the evidence and looks to see if there has been any maladministration, for example whether the landlord has failed to keep to the law, followed proper procedure, followed good practice or behaved in a reasonable and competent manner. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Hounslow - Hounslow is a large suburban town, and the principal town of the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. The landlord advised the resident on the same date that the neighbours care worker had confirmed that his neighbour had been taken to hospital that morning for treatment. Ask them to keep their dog inside at night or to impose a curfew for their child's drum practice. He asked the landlord to contact another neighbour who would confirm this. The Local Government Ombudsman is the final stage for complaints about councils. Complaints about pay rise for councillors. https://www.definitions.net/definition/Hounslow. This was appropriate as incident diary sheets provide first-hand evidence of incidents. The police came round a couple of times (he posted a note through our door making threats), we kept the diary. Once theyve got all this information, the council will weigh it all up. I have a neighbour. It might be worth reading Hedge height and light loss. Police refused to do anything, and environmental health were even more useless. If your complaint is about a Housing Association tenant, you should report the matter to the Housing Association. The landlords complaint process states it will log a complaint when it receives one. If its not clear where the boundary is, you can get help from RICS - they work with surveyors who can help with property problems. On 14 May 2020, the resident contacted the landlord to report further instances of loud music and banging early in the morning. If you dont feel comfortable speaking to them, write a letter or ask someone to contact them for you. On 30 April 2021, the landlord visited the neighbour to deliver him a warning letter stating he was breaching. 18 May and 19 November 2020, the landlord made 22 visits to the property to assess noise in response to 50 reports of noise made by the resident. the lack of action or engagement with other agencies during this timeframe was unreasonable. At tim. We bought a house a few years ago, only to find as soon as we moved in, a single mother drug dealer lived next door. The resident first reported noise from music/TV disturbance to the landlord on 24, its noise team on 30 July 2019. an agenda or that he was making up this complaint. By the landlord. He said the matter was urgent and he requested that the landlord take action or evict his neighbour. If your neighbour wont cut branches hanging over your garden, youre allowed to chop them off - but only the bits on your side of the boundary. The landlords ASB officer spoke to other residents in the block as well as the neighbours care worker. I unpacked my home pioneer home cinema unit just now and am blasting Def Leopard love bites so loud my ears are bleeding. The resident replied later the same date asking for a permanent solution to the issues. If you disagree with your neighbour about a tree or hedge Whichever way you make the complaint this is your chance to set out your case, so its important that you give the right information. Despite the resident expressing dissatisfaction with its service on further occasions, the landlord only logged a complaint in April 2021. The landlords policy refers to interviewing the reporter and providing incident diary sheets where relevant. The legislation doesnt set a specific height. Please tell us more about why our advice didn't help. He said that he wanted reassurance that the case was high priority. You can complain about problems that you have in a home that you own or occupy and/or its garden or yard because of the hedges height. It might be a good idea to buy the documents for your neighbours house too - they might give information thats not covered in yours. This is evidence of the landlord failing to follow its complaints process. There were also instances of it not providing updates when promised. Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman and this has been carefully considered. Before you cut a tree, check if its protected by a Tree Preservation Order. Housing Neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour Speak Neighbour nuisance and anti-social behaviour This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people having problems getting the council to deal with anti-social behaviour near their homes and who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. An action plan was agreed in August 2020 which included several actions both to address the ASB and mitigate the effects of his ASB, which was appropriate. The resident replied to the landlord later. The landlords policy also states it is important to establish if residents who report or are allegedly causing neighbourhood issues have care or support needs to ensure that appropriate measures are taken throughout the case. Whilst it did consider the option of enforcement action and attempts were made to move the neighbour by gaining his consent, due to the difficult circumstances, this was not possible. On 16 March 2020, the resident reported there had been loud music and banging all night for the last three nights from his neighbour. Antisocial behaviour - www.kingston.gov.uk The resident is a leaseholder. This procedure also states that, f the noise levels are likely to constitute statutory nuisance, s policy provides for a two-stage complaints process, with timescales for a response of 15 working days at stage one and, working days at the final stage. 020 8583 2000. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. Further, despite the resident reporting further instances of loud music, hammering and banging over the subsequent two weeks, there is no evidence to show the landlord acted on these reports. To complain all you need to do is contact your local council, many have a specialist team to deal . If you do anything more than trim overhanging branches, your neighbour could take you to court for damaging their property. Live in London (or any major UK city) then expect noise. For example, the hedge might help to make the area an attractive and pleasant place. the landlord made a safeguarding referral in respect of the neighbour. It may require your neighbour to keep the hedge trimmed to a certain height. The needs of residents are our top priority and we pride ourselves in delivering quality services in the most effective and efficient way possible. Hounslow gears up to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and It is noted that the landlord enquired about the installation of noise monitoring equipment on 19 May 2020. Hounslow London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. On 13 March 2020, he stated that he wanted to raise a formal complaint.