Therefore, from August 2020, the landlord engaged with other parties whereby an action plan was agreed to address the issues. Visiting Hounslow House. How to complain about a neighbour to the council | The US Sun The landlord subsequently returned to his flat with its fire officer and fitted a new smoke detector. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. 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 had not highlighted any noise concerns. There was a further incident in August 2021 when the police had to gain entry into the neighbours property in the early hours. We got fobbed off or ignored by the council being told it was his right, they couldn't make him homeless. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). Further, that other neighbours said the noise was mainly in the evening and usually stopped at around 9 pm. The council should decide whether the hedge is adversely affecting your reasonable enjoyment of your property and, if so, what action (if any) should be taken to put right the situation or stop it happening again. During the investigation, the ASB Team and HO worked with the police and other agencies to find a resolution to the issues raised about noise nuisance from the neighbour. It acknowledged that the issues raised about the alleged nuisance from the neighbour were still ongoing however it had responded to the matters raised in accordance with its policies. It reiterated that he should continue to complete diary sheets and send them to his Housing Officer (HO). Following this incident, the landlord visited the neighbour to discuss his behaviour, which was appropriate. the landlords handling of the residents reports concerning antisocial behaviour from his neighbour. Grade 1 cases include damage to property. Definitions.net. It is always better if neighbours can resolve their problems informally, and many noise (and other) problems can be resolved this way. Login . the landlord took the other steps identified in its action plan at the time. 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. High hedges: complaining to the council - GOV.UK The council may offer reduced fees for people who are on a low income or benefits. that there was a burning smell coming from his neighbours property two days earlier. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Claiming compensation for a personal injury, Help for victims of rape and sexual violence, Keeping your family in the UK after Brexit, Getting a visa for your spouse or partner, check if its protected by a Tree Preservation Order, Check what to do if you think a hedge is too high, Check if you can get help with legal costs. 60 councillors are elected from 20 wards, with by-elections held to fill any vacancies between elections. If you think your neighbours tree is dangerous, you can report it to the council - for example if you think it might fall over. For example, the hedge might help to make the area an attractive and pleasant place. The resident asserted that the noise persisted, and the landlord had not offered a solution to the issue; therefore, he requested that it escalate the complaint. Comply with above orders within four weeks. 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. 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 . Any disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 must also be taken into account before possession is pursued. 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. 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. Happy to be corrected! made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs? The landlord advised that it saw insufficient grounds to escalate the complaint to the final stage as there was no further investigation that c, be carried out and escalation was unlikely. The landlords complaint process states it will log a complaint when it receives one. In its stage one complaint of 29 April 2021, the landlord acknowledged the resident had been making reports for more than 12 months however said that it logged the ASB complaint in August 2020. So, before you send your complaint and any fee to the council, its very important to collect all relevant information that you may need and think carefully about your reasons for complaining. The resident first reported noise from music/TV disturbance to the landlord on 24, its noise team on 30 July 2019. 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. Also, the council can enter the land and carry out the required work. an agenda or that he was making up this complaint. The landlords internal communications show it updated the action plan in September 2020 to reflect this. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. Use FixMyStreet.com to Contact your local council. Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman and this has been carefully considered. You should check if the tree or hedge is dangerous before you decide. Noisy neighbours - London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 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. Complaints Department is not affiliated to, linked with or otherwise endorsed by Hounslow Council. This could include keeping the hedge within its new height for as long as its there. subsequently interviewed the resident on 11 March 2020 however this service has not been provided with any notes of this meeting. The conclusion by the ASB officer was that they would write to warn to the neighbour about the noise nuisance but that they were not convinced there was a case to investigate or keep open any longer. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. However, it asked him to report any further incidents in the usual way and it would continue to investigate. Search for trees to find which department to contact. We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. However, there is no evidence of the landlord explaining this to the resident which is reasonable to expect if that was the case. As no significant noise was heard, they agreed to exchange telephone numbers to communicate about any future noise concerns. It stated that it would provide an update by 24 March 2020. He said that he wanted reassurance that the case was high priority. To what extent does the hedge block light or views, even if there are gaps in the greenery or between the trees or shrubs? A West London man has been ordered to pay 6,000 after he illegally knocked down his own house. The council cant get involved in helping you get back the fee that youve paid and certainly cant force your neighbour to repay you. On receiving the residents report on 6 March 2020, the landlord interviewed the resident and asked him to complete incident diary sheets. Thank you, your feedback has been submitted. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. Once theyve got all this information, the council will weigh it all up. Please tell us more about why our advice didn't help. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. You can send your complaint to the council by post or email. 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. If youre not sure what to do, you canget help at your nearest Citizens Advice. Contact your local council. There were also instances of it not providing updates when promised. This notice sets out what must be done to the hedge and when it must be done by. Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health. He followed this up with further reports on 17 and 18 March 2020 advising of hammering noises. If their behaviour crosses into verbal abuse and intimidation that can be classed as antisocial behaviour. Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health. 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. 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 landlord noted the residents dissatisfaction in its email to him on 24. Whichever way you make the complaint this is your chance to set out your case, so its important that you give the right information. We couldn't complain to the council as we owned the house and if we sold we would have to inform the new owners. 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. How to Dispute a Hounslow PCN [98% Success] - DoNotPay You must tell your neighbour in advance if a tree surgeon needs to go on their land. You need to keep a log of all the incidents so you can accurately report the issue. Its an offence to fail to do what a remedial notice requires. 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. It also says it will contact/interview the alleged perpetrator notifying the reporter of the outcome. Please see Over the garden hedge for information on the steps you should think about taking before you complain to the council. Its also worth finding out if your council can check if the tree is safe - you can find your councils website on GOV.UK. In August 2020, the police and Fire Brigade attended the residents floor to investigate smoke in the communal corridor and it was identified that the source of the smoke was the neighbours flat. Well send you a link to a feedback form. "Hounslow." 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. Contacting Hounslow Council. This service has seen evidence that the ASB officer discussed the situation with his care worker. On 7 October 2020, the resident reported to the landlord that there had been loud music from the neighbours flat throughout the night. It might be worth reading Hedge height and light loss. How to pronounce Hounslow | HowToPronounce.com Register. 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. If its not clear where the boundary is, you can get help from RICS - they work with surveyors who can help with property problems. Registered in England. 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. Serves them right, even though they could not sleep, they were all too limp to report someone they feared. Dont include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. In its final complaint response to the resident, the landlord advised that there was insufficient evidence to take steps to possess the neighbours property. Whilst it is acknowledged that the landlord must adhere to rules when sharing personal data from one party to another, it is reasonable to expect the landlord to manage the residents expectations about what action it was taking to tackle the issues and provide regular reports of its progress. the landlord made a safeguarding referral in respect of the neighbour. From disruptive planning permission to noise complaints, you can tackle the issue of nuisance neighbours though your local council. It said that the investigation was still ongoing and was being carried out satisfactorily and in accordance with its policy. The landlords notes reference that the neighbour had confirmed during this visit that he was burning paper in this flat. Police and council can't stop noisy neighbour. Digital Spy If you do anything more than trim overhanging branches, your neighbour could take you to court for damaging their property. Shortly afterwards, the landlord undertook a risk assessment and began engaging with other agencies about what action could be taken to address the situation. If youd like to join in, please sign in or register. 1 Noise is one of the most common neighbour complaints Credit: Getty 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 landlords internal file note dated 9 June 2020 show its ASB officer interviewed the residents neighbour about noise and ASB reports raised by the resident. As the landlord found no actionable evidence of noise issues, it stated that mediation was the best option to resolve matter. It asserted that it had appropriately arranged for the resident to meet with his neighbour to discuss the issue. 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. What is a complaint | Make a complaint or comment - Hounslow The landlord stated that it had checked its own records and spoken to other residents to ascertain if any corroborating noise reports could be found. 1 May 2023. Take 3 minutes to tell us if you found what you needed on our website. Numerous emails were exchanged and multiple visits to, the property were carried by the landlord between 31 July 2019 and 10, that it had spoken to the neighbour about the noise concerns and. the landlord to report he could smell burning coming from his neighbours flat. 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. To help you test the strength of your case, it also might be worth reading High hedges complaints: prevention and cure. The right hedge can be an ideal garden boundary but the wrong hedge may bring problems. She added . The council have to weigh up all relevant information before reaching a fair and balanced decision. Information and translations of Hounslow in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. The landlord noted that. 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. The council may use the governments guidance to help them decide what could be the best height for the hedge. 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. 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 investigation is thought to relate to a . Hounslow councillor criticised by standards committee The landlord took steps to investigate the residents ASB reports after he first reported burning smells from the neighbours flat in June 2020 which was appropriate. If your neighbour says your tree is dangerous, you could ask a tree surgeon for advice. This is evidence of the landlord failing to follow its complaints process. If you dont feel comfortable speaking to them, write a letter or ask someone to contact them for you. Postal Address. Subsidence can be caused by a hedges roots taking moisture from soils that shrink. Moreover, the landlords updates were invariably advice that its investigations were ongoing. Hounslow residents are being encouraged to come together with neighbours, friends, and family in celebration of the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. This and the lack of detail and explanation given in its responses was unreasonable and evidence of poor complaint handling. 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. They can only help if you try and solve the problem yourself first. You can buy the documents from the Land Registry if you dont have them - it only costs a few pounds. The council will let the neighbour know that youve complained, so bear this in mind when youre writing the complaint. It is understandable that due to the ongoing issues experienced and the safety risk posed by some of the neighbours ASB, the resident seeks a permanent solution to the situation. As at the date of its final response on 4 June 2021 the landlord advised the resident that its investigation into his ASB reports about his neighbour was ongoing. 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. Grade 2 cases include noise nuisance outside of permitted hours and verbal abuse. Problems could include, for example, if you think a hedge is too high or branches from your neighbours tree are overhanging into your garden. He stated that he had no choice but to allow the upstairs neighbour to enter his property on its visit to him to assess the noise level. Breaking the abatement order can result in fines up to 5,000 or up to 20,000 for a factory or business. This service has not seen any evidence to show the landlord wrote to the neighbour to warn him about the noise nuisance at this time. If you still need help, you canlook for a mediatoron GOV.UK. Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. If its on the boundary between properties, youll need to check the legal documents you got when you bought your home. If the trunk or main stem of a tree or hedge is on your land, you own it. It also explained that whilst there were some discussions with the neighbour about a possible move this was not something he wanted to do at that time. If the dispute arises from lifestyle differences and no tenancy breach is found, then it shall offer mediation. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. I honestly don't know where they found the time to sleep. It may also have information on how to make your complaint, any fee you may need to pay and which department handles complaints. It is noted that the country was in lockdown during this timeframe as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which may have impacted on the landlords ability to provide its usual service. It also told the resident it would investigate his reports. It also advised him of the importance of it witnessing the reported noise to be able to take further action. They might, for example, measure the size of your garden or how far the hedge is from windows in your home. Search for trees on your councils website to find which department to contact. By the landlord. 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 landlord carried out a risk assessment on 27 August 2020 with the neighbour following which it discussed their case with other agencies and identified an action plan to assist and support him. It might be a good idea to buy the documents for your neighbours house too - they might give information thats not covered in yours. 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. 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 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. The council cannot order your neighbour to: It could be weeks or months. Meaning of Hounslow. You don't mention if this person rents the property or is a lease holder. In this case injunctions can be imposed, fines can be handed out, or courts could make Criminal Behaviour Orders (formerly known as ASBOs). On 8 April 2021, the resident made a further report of noise nuisance and a burning smell coming from his neighbours flat. The lease started on 10 July 2017. It was literally 24/7. Your feedback will help us give millions of people the information they need. It said it appreciated that the issues were reported over 12 months previously, but they had not yet been resolved. It is a matter of judgement whether a hedge meets this test. A statutory nuisance is a legal term and covers significant or unreasonable noise which stops you enjoying your property. None of these visits recorded any evidence to prompt enforcement action. will write to the resident to explain why. Out of hours emergencies. Chapters 4 and 5 of High hedges complaints: prevention and cure include detailed guidance for councils on the sorts of hedge problems they can and cant deal with. His children had to cover their mouths and he had spoken to another resident who was also aware of the incident. You can find out more or opt-out from some cookies. He said that the neighbour was also verbally abusive which frightened his children. no evidence of the landlord engaging with the relevant support agencies again until the end of March 2021. resident aware that he could contact the local authoritys Enforcement team to report any such incidents if he felt in danger which was appropriate. Call Customer services on 020 8583 2000. How to complain about a neighbour to the council | The Sun Yes. We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly. 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. If you are unhappy with a service that we have provided to you, please . We use cookies to ensure that we provide you with the best possible experience on our website. On 13 September 2020, the resident provided the landlord with records of noise nuisance from 3 September to 12 September 2020. On 24 March 2021, the landlord provided an update to the resident. This is a simple guide and not a statement of the law. Whilst this review has not investigated events after the final response, it is noted that the neighbour was absent from the flat for a while although, resident has indicated that the neighbour may have recently returned to their property. We had a similar issue with students that went on for about 11 months. I have to say I am amazed how protected these people are. This is comprised of: 450 for its failed to adequately deal with his ASB reports and communicate with the resident. failing to log a complaint in March 2020, this delayed the complaint process which was unreasonable. They might be able to deal with the disagreement on your behalf. Bloody ridiculous people have to put up with these selfish sod neighbours! I get the feeling they fear this noisy neighbour enough to give him a wide birth but not me. Contacting Hounslow Council | London Borough of Hounslow