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Thanks to landlord, elderly tenants don't feel safe.

(20 Posts)
Nannakins Tue 08-Jul-25 01:43:22

I live in a social housing complex of properties for 55 years and over. At least 80% of the tenants are between 70 - 95 years old. Everything has been quiet for the years I have lived here, a nice little hub of a community. However, things are changing.Some neighbours are looking elsewhere to live, one elderly neighbour is even considering going into nursing home now. The reason is the social housing landlord has rented a property to a person, supposedly over 55, who is an acholic and takes drugs. The person has more deliveries of ' curry style bags and days, than some people have all month. The neighbour is noisy, plays his music loud shouts out the window at passersby. The person shouts at people from his door, whether they are visitors or not. Also in recent weeks there havevbeen a few attempted break ins to some of my elderly neighbours, door handles rattling. What was a lovely retirement neighbourhood on the cul de sac is no more. Reports have been made to the police and housing association, but it would seem it falls on deaf ears. Myself I have decided to seek a new location, thinking at my age I wouldn't have to move again.
As anyone else suffered a similar situation?

Ladyripple Tue 08-Jul-25 01:51:31

Yes my friend in a neighbouring street had terrible problems with a neighbour in social housing.

She and several other neighbours worked together and have succeeded in having the woman evicted.

Every time there was a problem they contacted the police and the housing association,6 sets of neighbours all reporting at the same time,the police got mighty fed up of coming out repeatedly.The woman ended up being arrested and banned from the street.

Without a doubt you need to all join forces and complain,complain,complain.Single complaints get swept under the carpet.

Sorry you are going through this,it is soul destroying.

Nannakins Tue 08-Jul-25 07:39:35

Ladyripple

Yes my friend in a neighbouring street had terrible problems with a neighbour in social housing.

She and several other neighbours worked together and have succeeded in having the woman evicted.

Every time there was a problem they contacted the police and the housing association,6 sets of neighbours all reporting at the same time,the police got mighty fed up of coming out repeatedly.The woman ended up being arrested and banned from the street.

Without a doubt you need to all join forces and complain,complain,complain.Single complaints get swept under the carpet.

Sorry you are going through this,it is soul destroying.

I know a number of neighbours have complained, myself included, as the housing landlord has informed me. Also, they have logged police reports. Nothing seems to have been done. I personally don't think there ever will be anything done, hence my plan to move instead. Neighbours are scared now the rot has set in, and more tenants with issues will be eventually moved in. Thank you for replying to my post, thankfully it was a good outcome for your friend, and someone listened.

Maremia Tue 08-Jul-25 07:59:45

Sad that it takes just one 'bad apple'.
Would it have been worth getting the local MP involved?

Homestead62 Tue 08-Jul-25 12:13:51

Sadly I knew a lady in this situation. Lived in sheltered housing, all older people then the council changed the rules and alcoholic/ addicted people were able to apply for this housing. It changed the whole place and she told me the police were never away. One person with problems had friends visiting who had same problems, you get the picture. In the end last I knew the lady was trying to get a council house elsewhere. I left my voluntary job so never learned how she got on. What she described to me was a nightmare and none of the people in the complex were getting any sleep.

Astitchintime Tue 08-Jul-25 12:29:40

Call a meeting of all the ‘pleasant tenants’ and form a plan to all make a diary of incidents that are unacceptable, anti-social, potentially illegal, potentially dangerous, distressing, and upsetting. Set a time line for recording these details and then have another meeting where one of you collates all that information. Then take this to the land agent AND you local MP.
Emphasise that all this makes you anxious, worried, in fear, or even personally threatened and keep making a noise until someone listens to you. It might so be worthwhile letting the community police team know what is going on.
None of you should be made to live like this and the only way to resolve it is to present those in authority with concrete evidence of what is happening. Communication is your best friend on this…..speak up for yourselves.

Dee1012 Tue 08-Jul-25 13:57:45

There's a similar issue close to me - most of the properties are privately owned but one is rented privately and the tenants are appalling.

The council refuses to act as it's a "private landlord" so all complaints of antisocial behaviour have to go to the police. As a friend said to me, "it's often not an emergency i.e 999 so you call 101 and are holding on for 30 to 45 minutes by which time more often than not, the issue has stopped"

CariadAgain Tue 08-Jul-25 14:05:16

Keep a diary of events - as in all of you need to do this. Why should one household impact so much on everyone else? I'd be darn annoyed too.

So that diary then - time/date/what happened/what you did about it. Same again for the next problem that this person causes.

Surely the housing association would have to act if there was, say, a dozen of you giving them a "diary for the week" every week or similar?

Astitchintime Tue 08-Jul-25 14:09:44

CariadAgain

Keep a diary of events - as in all of you need to do this. Why should one household impact so much on everyone else? I'd be darn annoyed too.

So that diary then - time/date/what happened/what you did about it. Same again for the next problem that this person causes.

Surely the housing association would have to act if there was, say, a dozen of you giving them a "diary for the week" every week or similar?

I did state all this upthread…….it will be interesting to see if the OP comes back to acknowledge all efforts to help and support them

Coconut Wed 09-Jul-25 14:09:11

See if you can get a newspaper reporter onside with you, the housing association won’t want bad publicity…..

Gangstagran7 Wed 09-Jul-25 14:33:33

I live for in similar. Go through the Housing Association official complaints procedure. Enough complaints, witness statements they will take action for anti social behaviour, 2 written warnings 3rd strike eviction proceedings kick in. Be careful to focus your complaint on behaviour which is causing distress such as noise and Harrassment. There are usually no rules on excessive drinking since it’s not illegal but most have a strict no drugs policy. If you believe this person is using drugs you will need to evidence why you suspect this. Smell of cannabis, suspicious drop offs etc. keep a diary and stick strictly to the actual nuisance rather than how many takeaways he buys as this will distract from your legitimate cause of complaint. Good luck it can be resolved!

welbeck Wed 09-Jul-25 14:47:39

I presumed by takeaways being delivered the OP meant drugs being supplied ?
It's the same round here in a quite affluent area. Young men whiz around on scooters bringing teeny weeny packages to well off young men.
Perhaps they are on a diet?
Or more likely what is being delivered is not food at all.

welbeck Wed 09-Jul-25 14:48:26

OP could you try complaining to or via your local councillors.

Grandmotherto8 Wed 09-Jul-25 14:59:20

You are your neighbours need to become a nuisance to your social housing provider. Do everything suggested by others - keep a diary of nuisance events and reports made, get your local councillor round, write to your MP, get your local copper round to talk to you & the nuisance neighbour AND KEEP GOING. They will want to shut you up! Get the local newspaper round to interview you & a few neighbours. They love ways to fill their column inches. You have to be relentless. Moving would not be an option for me as it can be out of the frying pan into the fire.

FranP Wed 09-Jul-25 15:04:53

All good advice here, but I would add contacting the council's environmental protection dept too about the persistent nuisance.

wendym8116 Wed 09-Jul-25 17:36:21

Try writing to the ombudsman.they have more authority over housing ..,or if you are really scared call the police.

M0nica Wed 09-Jul-25 20:03:37

Horrible for you all, but just get together form a group and start complaining, and complaining, and complaining. First of all complain to the social landlord. It may be this person has been moved on more than once because neighbours created a row about him because of hs socially disruptive behaviour and the SL thinks that older people won't complain

Inform the police and complain to them regulalry. Build up a group of you tomwork together and keep diaries of every delivery, every anti-social action, any disruptive behaviour.

Complain to all your local councillors, and your MP.

Do not just sit there and suffer. Do something.

CariadAgain Thu 10-Jul-25 07:46:55

Grandmotherto8

You are your neighbours need to become a nuisance to your social housing provider. Do everything suggested by others - keep a diary of nuisance events and reports made, get your local councillor round, write to your MP, get your local copper round to talk to you & the nuisance neighbour AND KEEP GOING. They will want to shut you up! Get the local newspaper round to interview you & a few neighbours. They love ways to fill their column inches. You have to be relentless. Moving would not be an option for me as it can be out of the frying pan into the fire.

The local newspaper thing worked wonders when there was a problem back in my last area. Boy did they ever make a splash of it LOL! I wasnt the one that got them in - but it certainly did the trick okay. The reason I was concerned about the Problem Situation was because I'd always known from Day 1 in that house that it was a starter house and I intended to sell it and move to a better one at some point and my concern was in case the area got dragged down by the issue concerned and I would not have liked to have to try to sell it whilst the issue was getting blown-up and brought to the attention of the whole of my, then, city. But I calculated however much fuss we all made would be a "7 day wonder" blast at the issue - and it would be solved - and long forgotten by the time I actually managed to be in a position to sell that house as per plan. That is precisely what happened in the event and my house price hadn't been dragged down by what could have been the "start of a slippery slope".

Aely Thu 10-Jul-25 21:38:33

A similar thing happened at a housing comples for the elderly a friend of mine lives in. He actually knew the guy who ended up living next door to him, as he had been the cook at the homeless drop-in centre and the new neighbour had been helping in the kitchen until he got frisky with the knives and was removed. My friend told me their would be trouble and there was. Constantly drunk and abusive it ended up with armed police beseiging the place and removing the trouble maker!

Milsa Sat 12-Jul-25 16:58:04

If there is a council or HA , there might be one...blessed we are when none