Hounslow council only have 'noise teams' for Friday and Saturday night but no other day of the week. We got fobbed off or ignored by the council being told it was his right, they couldn't make him homeless. The landlords ASB policy makes clear that it must do everything possible to resolve the issue using alternative remedies before considering tenancy action. Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health. It also told the resident it would investigate his reports. Hounslow London Borough Council elections - Hounslow Council in London, England is elected every four years. The resident replied to the landlord later. Happy to be corrected! The council might also have to allow extra time to protect birds nesting in the hedge. The landlords internal communications show it updated the action plan in September 2020 to reflect this. We have 5,219 pages of rights advice for you covering 10,545 companies and organisations across 16 public & private sectors. 2023 Hearst UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 30 Panton Street, Leicester Square, London, SW1Y 4AJ. At tim. If youve taken the steps listed in Over the garden hedge and can answer yes to all the points listed below, the local council is likely to be able to consider your complaint. "Hounslow." The landlords policy refers to interviewing the reporter and providing incident diary sheets where relevant. It could help you keep a good relationship and might be cheaper than paying a solicitor to resolve the disagreement. On 13 March 2020, he stated that he wanted to raise a formal complaint. I unpacked my pioneer home cinema unit just now and am blasting Def Leopard love bites so loud my ears are bleeding. The remedial notice issued by the council will say what must be done. Hounslow Council Complaints - Complaints Department Contact your local councillor. Within its response, the landlord acknowledged that the resident initially raised concerns in 2018 and then further concerns were raised throughout 2020 and to date. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. The resident raised a stage one complaint with the landlord on 10 March 2020 in which he, he had raised numerous concerns with the landlord about the excessive loud TV which he believed originated from the flat above his own. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). Hounslow Council (202001964) - Housing Ombudsman Police refused to do anything, and environmental health were even more useless. In its response of 29 May 2020, the landlord told the resident that: there were complex issues relating to GDPR so it was unable to discuss matters relating to the neighbour. It asserted that it had appropriately arranged for the resident to meet with his neighbour to discuss the issue. This notice sets out what must be done to the hedge and when it must be done by. any failure in the service provided by the landlord. Rather, the Ombudsman seeks to establish whether a landlord has responded reasonably to reports made to it that are its responsibility to address and whether it acted in accordance with its relevant policies and procedures. The property is a flat on the fourth floor of the building. Any disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 must also be taken into account before possession is pursued against a disabled person. Subsidence can be caused by a hedges roots taking moisture from soils that shrink. Having reviewed the landlords actions from the date of the residents initial reports of ASB made in March 2020 until the final response on 4 June 2021, whilst the neighbours ASB was not resolved during this timeframe, the landlord took some steps to address the issues being reported, as well as support the neighbour to maintain his tenancy as per its policy. This. Where an ASB case is graded as 1, the Housing Officer must refer it to its ASB team, completing a risk assessment. Reacting to the sentence, Councillor Tom Bruce, cabinet member for regeneration and development at Hounslow Council, said: "I hope this prosecution and hefty fine sends a strong signal that we . 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. and it did not explain why it had not logged an ASB complaint prior to August 2020. pay the resident total compensation of 600. 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. 1 May 2023. We did make a few anonymous calls to the drug police. NEIGHBOURLY disputes are not uncommon, with many of us struggling to agree with those living next door. On 19 January 2021, the resident reported. Get specialist help from a tree surgeon if the roots of your neighbours tree are affecting your home and garden. You can send your complaint to the council by post or email. I could not sleep all last night and now have the same again now. In view of the reported burning smell implying a potential risk to the health and safety of the residents, it is reasonable to expect the landlord to have also undertaken a risk assessment at this time however there is no evidence to suggest it considered this. London Borough of Hounslow. The complaint must be in writing, and many councils recommend using their form. The resident advised that, the level of noise from the television continued and, kept him awake into the early hours which was having an impact on his work and mental health. Bloody disgrace. Initial complaints should be directed to Hounslow Council directly. As no significant noise was heard, they agreed to exchange telephone numbers to communicate about any future noise concerns. They might, for example, make sure that your complaint is handled by someone who isnt responsible for maintaining the hedge. Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 allows local councils to deal with complaints about high hedges whose area contains the land on which the hedge is situated. From ground level. 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. If your complaint is about a Housing Association tenant, you should report the matter to the Housing Association. It is evident the neighbour is suffering from serious mental health issues. We will deal with these as part of the Councils day to day business, rather than through our complaints process. They must take into account any relevant concerns raised by you and your neighbour. We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. The lease started on 10 July 2017. Looking at Hounslow Council's Environmental Health Noise Nuisance web pages, they do have a weekend noise team but they also have a general team, and it states there, 'We aim to contact at least 90% of complainants within 3 working days by letter, telephone or by visiting your property': The police are not interested in noise nuisance, its your council who are responsible for dealing with it. Once theyre satisfied that your complaint meets the legal tests, the council will invite your neighbour to set out their case. Clearly explain: Stick to the facts and give all relevant information to back up your points. He had already raised his concerns previously and his safety was important. It may also have information on how to make your complaint, any fee you may need to pay and which department handles complaints. To help you test the strength of your case, it also might be worth reading High hedges complaints: prevention and cure. The landlord also failed to sufficiently communicate with the resident in response to his ASB reports and did not provide information on the progress of its investigation. None of these visits recorded any evidence to prompt enforcement action. 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. On 8 April 2021, the resident made a further report of noise nuisance and a burning smell coming from his neighbours flat. 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. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. Now the whole street can enjoy my bass. Before approaching your council you should always try to compromise with your neighbours. The resident contacted the landlord on 6 March 2020 complaining that he and his family were having sleepless nights and he had been signed off sick from work because of loud noise and banging from his neighbour. We could take no more so we sold up and moved, it took us a year to sell. Listen, and request some time to think about the problem and measures you intend to take. Serves them right, even though they could not sleep, they were all too limp to report someone they feared. Serves them right, even though they could not sleep, they were all too limp to report someone they feared. The resident said that he had previously mentioned this serious and dangerous behaviour to the landlord and so far, no action had been taken. The landlords file notes confirm it had a joint meeting with the relevant support teams on 24 March 2021 to discuss this case and what action to take going forward. What does it mean to have power of attorney? On 29 May 2020, the landlord replied to the resident apologising for the noise he was experiencing. If they were to smell the cannabis themselves, they might knock on the door and broach the subject that way. Breaking the abatement order can result in fines up to 5,000 or up to 20,000 for a factory or business. You can find out more or opt-out from some cookies, Benefit calculators: what benefits can you get, Check how much redundancy pay you can get, Template letter to raise a grievance at work, Grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills, You can't afford to top up your prepayment meter, Check if you can get your money back after a scam, Renting from the council or a housing association, Living together, marriage and civil partnership. Having reviewed the actions taken it was satisfied that the case was managed satisfactorily. hounslow and richmond community healthcare nhs trust. It followed this up with an email to the resident on 14 August 2020 advising his report had been logged and requesting him to record the times/dates of the alleged noise nuisance and ASB in diary sheets. They might ask the owner to make it safe or deal with it themselves. neighbour should have been agreed in advance and advised that this feedback would be passed on. This inevitably caused the resident distress as they were concerned about the possible consequences of some of the neighbours actions although it did advise him to contact the local authoritys Enforcement team in event he felt in danger. Ombudsman receives more than 100 complaints and enquiries about It advised him to call the Councils Enforcement when there was a smoke incident. Search for trees to find which department to contact. Well send you a link to a feedback form. It did engage, after an incident involving the police and Fire brigade, owever at times there was little or no progression of the action plan despite on going reports from the resident. If you do anything more than trim overhanging branches, your neighbour could take you to court for damaging their property. They will decide whether the hedge adversely affects the reasonable enjoyment of your home and its garden or yard and what, if anything, should be done. Complaints Department is not affiliated to, linked with or otherwise endorsed by Hounslow Council. They can only help if you try and solve the problem yourself first. If someone breaks an abatement order about noise from their home, they can be fined up to 5,000. 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. You don't mention if this person rents the property or is a lease holder. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. It said it would provide an update as soon as possible. Complaints about pay rise for councillors. He complained about the risk to the whole block and said he could not keep calling the Fire Brigade. There was a further incident in August 2021 when the police had to gain entry into the neighbours property in the early hours. Yes. On 12 August 2020, the resident and another neighbour reported to the landlord that there had been smoke from his neighbours flat at 2.45 am that morning. Sign in. These were reasonable efforts made by it to witness the noise reports he made. Heartbroken dad issues warning after son, 13, dies in TikTok challenge, Red flag after possible suspect in missing brothers case made eerie request, Two dead and four injured after 19-year-old 'opens fire at prom after party', $80k reward offered for shooting suspect Francisco Oropesa after five killed, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Noise is one of the most common neighbour complaints, just because you find a noise or habit irritating. However, there is no evidence of the landlord opening an ASB case, of it referring the case to its ASB team or interviewing the neighbour or his care worker to discuss the allegations. A West London man has been ordered to pay 6,000 after he illegally knocked down his own house. Excessive amounts of any of the following could also be handled by the council: It is hard to define unreasonable noise as this differs from person to person. 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. Housing Messy/untidy neighbour rights | Resolver UK In her report she says the Council did not take a homelessness application from him as it should have done because it considered he was not 'in priority need'. From disruptive planning permission to noise complaints, you can tackle the issue of nuisance neighbours though your local council. 60 councillors are elected from 20 wards, with by-elections held to fill any vacancies between elections. hours number to the resident. There are different ways to deal with the problem depending on who owns the tree or hedge. Any reference to these events is for context only. It was literally 24/7. Hounslow. As such, there was no maladministration in the way the landlord responded to the residents reports of noise nuisance. On 3 September 2020, the resident called the landlord to report hearing loud music from his neighbours flat at 1.45 am that morning. Whichever way you make the complaint this is your chance to set out your case, so its important that you give the right information. 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 resident is a leaseholder. waiting for the lift. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. It reiterated that he should continue to complete diary sheets and send them to his Housing Officer (HO). If you still cant agree, you can get help from a mediator - this is someone who doesnt know either of you and is trained to help people resolve disagreements. If the council decide action is necessary, theyll issue a formal remedial notice to your neighbour and give you a copy. 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. London Borough of Hounslow (202128145) - Housing Ombudsman Web. It may require your neighbour to keep the hedge trimmed to a certain height. The council will let the neighbour know that youve complained, so bear this in mind when youre writing the complaint. Is there anything wrong with this page? The council cant get involved in helping you get back the fee that youve paid and certainly cant force your neighbour to repay you. This is a simple guide and not a statement of the law. 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. This report is not an exhaustive description of all the events that have occurred in relation to this case, but an outline of the key issues as a background to the investigations findings. This and the lack of detail and explanation given in its responses was unreasonable and evidence of poor complaint handling. The landlord. The most effective way to request a service or report something to the Council is through our standard customer contact channels. Its often best to find a compromise, for example sharing the cost of pruning a hedge even though you think your neighbour owns it. On 24 March 2021, the landlord provided an update to the resident. It will take time for them to get a statement from your neighbour and arrange to visit the site. If your neighbour says your tree is dangerous, you could ask a tree surgeon for advice. Its actions were appropriate with no delays or service failures. that the landlord failed to act appropriately or reasonably when handling the residents reports. You can cut them yourself but you must try to limit the amount of damage to the tree, which can be difficult to do. The Local Government Ombudsman is the final stage for complaints about councils. The Housing Ombudsmans approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. The complaint was logged with the Housing Officer in August 2020. How to complain about a neighbour to the council | The Sun 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 neighbour whom the ASB reports concern, lives next door to the resident and is a tenant of the landlord. The council may offer reduced fees for people who are on a low income or benefits. If your neighbour has broken the law You have rejected additional cookies. 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. The landlord said it would contact him again in four weeks with an update. Login . Bare in mind that just because you find a noise or habit irritating, it does not mean your neighbour is causing a statutory nuisance. They might be able to deal with the disagreement on your behalf. On 4 May 2021, the resident asked the landlord to escalate his complaint to stage two. If you dont feel comfortable speaking to them, write a letter or ask someone to contact them for you. There are also over 60 community events and street parties will be taking . The council must be realistic about how long it will take your neighbour to cut the hedge or arrange for someone else to do it. If it is, youll have to ask the council for permission to cut the tree even if its yours. The council should determine your complaint impartially. In the second major debate of the night, over the proposal to make a huge increase in councillors' allowances, as revealed by The Chiswick Calendar, several of Chiswick's councillors criticised the increase. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. contact him about his complaints, but they were never resolved, and he was in the same position with no changes. This was appropriate as incident diary sheets provide first-hand evidence of incidents. 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 youre having trouble writing the complaint, a relative or friend or Citizens Advice may be able to help. 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. He then resumed today at 1pm today and is still going strong. After the resident made further reports of noise on 18 and 19 May 2020, the landlord enquired about installation of noise recording equipment but was informed that, due to the ongoing corona virus pandemic, the noise team were not entering properties. He said these issues had been happening for two years. This phone number is Hounslow Council's Best Phone Number because 54 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback . Hounslow Council complaints contacts. The landlord noted that, on its visit to the property on 24 February 2020, the resident. the landlords handling of the residents reports concerning antisocial behaviour from his neighbour. The council can reject your complaint if they think you havent taken all reasonable steps to try to settle your dispute without involving them. Videos on managing unacceptable behaviour. The complaints responses did not sufficien, detail its investigation into the handling of the issues raised. . 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. Its an offence to fail to do what a remedial notice requires. The needs of residents are our top priority and we pride ourselves in delivering quality services in the most effective and efficient way possible. The council cannot order your neighbour to: It could be weeks or months. The landlord concluded that it had investigated his reports of noise fully and had taken appropriate action. It was working with other services to assess the residents vulnerability and explore the possibility of moving him to an alternative accommodation on a permanent basis. This guide explains the powers that local authorities have to deal with disputes between neighbours about high hedges, and how home owners and occupiers can complain to the local authority about such hedges. How to Deal With Neighbors That Complain About Everything Furthermore, the landlord spoke to the residents neighbour, September 2019 and January 2020, and it arranged mediation between the two parties on 24, February 2020. In this instance the landlords ASB policy state. The landlord should seek legal advice if necessary. It advised it would take the necessary action and that it had requested a report from the Fire Brigade. A statutory nuisance is a legal term and covers significant or unreasonable noise which stops you enjoying your property. Your feedback will help us give millions of people the information they need. I get the feeling they fear this noisy neighbour enough to give him a wide birth but not me. The landlord subsequently returned to his flat with its fire officer and fitted a new smoke detector. We are an independent directory of contact information that enables consumers to quickly and efficiently find appropriate contact information and discus their own complaint experiences with other internet users. If the dispute arises from lifestyle differences and no tenancy breach is found, then it shall offer mediation. 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. He said that he wanted reassurance that the case was high priority. . I gave up with the authorities. On 14 May 2020, the resident contacted the landlord to report further instances of loud music and banging early in the morning. If you are unhappy with a service that we have provided to you, please . For example, the hedge might help to make the area an attractive and pleasant place. One that keeps some live or green leaves all year round. Its a good idea to ask your council if they can help you find a mediator. Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web! 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. No. 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. Check what to do if you think a hedge is too high on GOV.UK. As far as I know the women is still living at there doing her dealing, driving a BMW. In the event of an emergency, such as if your neighbour physically attacks you, always call 999. Should you be. If it is, then councils can order the owner of a high hedge to take action to put right the problem and stop it from happening again. You can make a complaint, like I did before and nothing happens. Hounslow gears up to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III and Let us know, Copyright 2023 Citizens Advice. The landlord issued its stage one complaint response to the resident on 16, August 2019 and 12 March 2020 to observe the noise level. confirmed it was still working with the neighbour. Our address and travel options for getting to Hounslow House. Hounslow schools and libraries have announced plans to celebrate the Coronation through a series of free events and activities across the borough. Following this incident, the landlord visited the neighbour to discuss his behaviour, which was appropriate. Citizens Advice is an operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. that it was meeting with other agencies that week. In accordance with paragraph 54 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was maladministration by the landlord when handling the residents complaints. We had a similar issue with students that went on for about 11 months. This is Hounslow Council's best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a Hounslow Council agent. How to Dispute a Hounslow PCN [98% Success] - DoNotPay The landlord has said it is considering the possibility of. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Definitions.net. 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. What is a complaint | Make a complaint or comment - Hounslow 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. Hounslow councillor criticised by standards committee the landlord should work with other agencies and service providers in order to determine the best course of action to take in order to resolve the situation. 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.
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