All rights reserved. We had a similar issue with students that went on for about 11 months. Citizens Advice is an operating name of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux. 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. He had already raised his concerns previously and his safety was important. If youre worried because you havent heard anything, you can contact the council to check progress. He asked the landlord to contact another neighbour who would confirm this. 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. 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. The council cannot order your neighbour to: It could be weeks or months. It could help you keep a good relationship and might be cheaper than paying a solicitor to resolve the disagreement. The officer will also get other facts that they need to help them decide your complaint. Yesterday he blasted music from 3pm in the afternoon to 9.45am. Information and translations of Hounslow in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. If he's a little bloke, kick his head in and stick his hi-fi up his arse if he's massive, just ask nicely Rather than start a campaign against them which will most likely lead to, http://www.hounslow.gov.uk/index/environment_and_planning/environmental_health/noisenuisance/noise_nuisance_reporting.htm, https://www.gov.uk/how-to-resolve-neighbour-disputes/complain-about-noise-to-the-council, http://www.problemneighbours.co.uk/neighbourissuescategory.html. . 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. 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. It is a matter of judgement whether a hedge meets this test. From disruptive planning permission to noise complaints, you can tackle the issue of nuisance neighbours though your local council. 1 May 2023. Hounslow Council was the subject of more than 100 complaints and enquiries to the ombudsman about its actions last year, new figures show. We couldn't complain to the council as we owned the house and if we sold we would have to inform the new owners. It is noted that it made 24 visits to the property between 28 August 2019 and 12 March 2020. 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. The sub woofer is incredible on this system. It also said it would keep him updated on the progress. 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. Following this incident, the landlord visited the neighbour to discuss his behaviour, which was appropriate. . Comments are moderated so may not appear immediately. Save time, and do it online . If tenancy action is being considered against a person who may be at risk, the HO must be confident that everything possible has been done to resolve the issue using alternative remedies. On 29 April 2021, the landlord provided a stage one response. Phone. Think carefully about the reasons for your complaint. A statutory nuisance is a legal term and covers significant or unreasonable noise which stops you enjoying your property. acknowledge these issues in its complaint responses. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Its actions were appropriate with no delays or service failures. The landlord noted that, on its visit to the property on 24 February 2020, the resident. The complaints responses did not sufficien, detail its investigation into the handling of the issues raised. As the landlord found no actionable evidence of noise issues, it stated that mediation was the best option to resolve matter. Hounslow London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. 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. The Ombudsman recommends that the landlord provide regular updates to res, Videos on managing unacceptable behaviour. 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. More information on the cookies we set can be found in our cookie policy. Further, that other neighbours said the noise was mainly in the evening and usually stopped at around 9 pm. The Local Government Ombudsman is the final stage for complaints about councils. It said that it wanted to assure him that they were working with the neighbour. The Housing Ombudsman's approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. If its not clear where the boundary is, you can get help from RICS - they work with surveyors who can help with property problems. Sign in. If your complaint is about a Housing Association tenant, you should report the matter to the Housing Association. A West London man has been ordered to pay 6,000 after he illegally knocked down his own house. Registered charity number 279057 VAT number 726 0202 76 Company limited by guarantee. If the trunk or main stem of a tree or hedge is on your land, you own it. But a hedge with gaps at more than 2 metres above ground level that significantly affect its overall effect as a barrier to light or access is not a high hedge and, therefore, you cannot complain to the council about such hedges under this procedure. 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. The Housing Ombudsmans approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. I unpacked my pioneer home cinema unit just now and am blasting Def Leopard love bites so loud my ears are bleeding. Read what we're saying about a range of issues. We use cookies to improve your experience of our website. Register. 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. On 8 April 2021, the resident made a further report of noise nuisance and a burning smell coming from his neighbours flat. If you and your neighbour disagree about a problem with a tree or hedge, its best to try to resolve things informally. Hounslow Council complaints contacts. 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. The complaint was logged with the Housing Officer in August 2020. Collecting written evidence from you and your neighbour and visiting the site will make sure that the council have the information they need to make the right decision. STANDS4 LLC, 2023. 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. You have rejected additional cookies. If you are unhappy with a service that we have provided to you, please . It explained that the complaint process was not a means for punishing residents and it approached complaints impartially, based on the available evidence. 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. hat the landlord did fail to sufficiently communicate with the resident during the period of this review. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. There are different ways to deal with the problem depending on who owns the tree or hedge. So can your neighbour. The landlord issued its stage one complaint response to the resident on 16, August 2019 and 12 March 2020 to observe the noise level. The committee met in private at the end of last month to discuss a complaint about the behaviour of Mr Gill. If you dont feel comfortable speaking to them, write a letter or ask someone to contact them for you. 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 landlord advised the resident that it was working with other departments, and it had a meeting booked next week. The resident, and others on his behalf contacted the landlord during July and August 2021 about the neighbours alleged behaviour and the fire risk. You can find contact details for Hounslow Council above. 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. It might be worth reading Hedge height and light loss. They might be able to deal with the disagreement on your behalf. It might be a good idea to buy the documents for your neighbours house too - they might give information thats not covered in yours. The complaint must be in writing, and many councils recommend using their form. Do it online. On 30 April 2021, the landlord visited the neighbour to deliver him a warning letter stating he was breaching. Inquire from the landlord or other neighbors about the details of a recent complaint about your behavior. Clearly explain: Stick to the facts and give all relevant information to back up your points. On 14 April 2020, the resident requested an update from the landlord. Thank you, your feedback has been submitted. Check if you can get help with legal costs. Its often best to find a compromise, for example sharing the cost of pruning a hedge even though you think your neighbour owns it. 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. Contact your local councillor. Visiting Hounslow House. The right hedge can be an ideal garden boundary but the wrong hedge may bring problems. From ground level. Image above: Hounslow Council Budget meeting, Tuesday 2 March 2021. The request was for the neighbour to be transferred to alternative accommodation which might work better for the neighbour. 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. The landlords ASB policy also says it will maintain contact with the reported of ASB throughout the case who must be update on the progress of the investigation. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. The STANDS4 Network. On 8 June 2020, the resident reported that there had been a burning smell coming from his neighbours flat the day before; they could not breath while. The outcome of the investigation was that there was insufficient evidence of noise nuisance for it to take enforcement action. 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. Now the whole street can enjoy my bass. This Investigation will not consider the landlords handling of the events in 2018 as they were not raised as a formal complaint until March 2020 which is more than six months after the events occurred, as the Ombudsman expects formal complaints to be made within a reasonable period of the matter arising which is usually six months. Sometimes things go wrong and we need to be aware so that we can fix and learn from them. The council should assess the case in the same way as an application to carry out work on trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order or a notice of work on trees in a conservation area. Live in London (or any major UK city) then expect noise. 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. Its also worth finding out if your council can check if the tree is safe - you can find your councils website on GOV.UK. Grade 2 cases include noise nuisance outside of permitted hours and verbal abuse. One that keeps some live or green leaves all year round. They simply send you a. Search for trees to find which department to contact. Even when I asked them about the noisy neighbour they were very defensive. Some dissatisfaction about the Councils action will be treated as a request for us to do something, for example, a service request. The landlord should seek legal advice if necessary. 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. 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. After the tumultuous technical events throughout the meeting, Councillor . contact him about his complaints, but they were never resolved, and he was in the same position with no changes. London Borough of Hounslow delayed in assisting a homeless man with mental health issues finds Local Government Ombudsman, Dr Jane Martin. The resident contacted the landlord again on 20 March 2020 complaining about the length of time taken to act on his reports. If youre having trouble writing the complaint, a relative or friend or Citizens Advice may be able to help. 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. 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. when we had a nuisance neighbour it was near on impossible to get rid of him. You can contact the council if you think your neighbour isnt acting in accordance with this notice. You can find your council's website on GOV.UK. But in some cases the council will decide that its right to refund all or part of a fee. 150 for its service failures when handling his complaints. This includes occasions when it failed to respond to the residents communications within a reasonable timeframe, only responding after the resident contacted, a response. 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. The neighbour whom the ASB reports concern, lives next door to the resident and is a tenant of the landlord. If you receive a PCN, you can either pay the charge meted on you or challenge the fee through an appeal to the London borough of Hounslow council. the steps youve taken to try to settle the dispute, the problems that you are having in your home and/or its garden or yard because the hedge is too tall, how you think the hedge is adversely affecting the reasonable enjoyment of this property, take any action that could result in the hedges death or destruction, trim the hedge to a height less than 2 metres above ground level. Now the whole street can enjoy my bass. The council can reject your complaint if they think you havent taken all reasonable steps to try to settle your dispute without involving them. There was a further incident in August 2021 when the police had to gain entry into the neighbours property in the early hours. Check what to do if you think a hedge is too high on GOV.UK. Use this comments section to discuss problems you have had with Hounslow Council, or how they have handled your complaints. Hounslow - Hounslow is a large suburban town, and the principal town of the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs? 2020 and confirmed that it would escalate the complaint to stage one of its process. You can also send a copy to your neighbour so that they know what youve done. Serves them right, even though they could not sleep, they were all too limp to report someone they feared. 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. Visit Contact Page. the landlord made a safeguarding referral in respect of the neighbour. You can complain to the council if you think theyve done something wrong, failed to provide a service or not followed correct procedures. What does Hounslow mean? that it was meeting with other agencies that week. Use FixMyStreet.com to Contact your local council. "Hounslow." 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. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Contact your local council. Having reviewed the actions taken it was satisfied that the case was managed satisfactorily. He said that he wanted reassurance that the case was high priority. For example, the hedge might help to make the area an attractive and pleasant place. Where an ASB case is graded as 1, the Housing Officer must refer it to its ASB team, completing a risk assessment. These were reasonable efforts made by it to witness the noise reports he made. DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK. . The complaint was not upheld as it said the investigation was still ongoing and was being carried out satisfactorily and in accordance with the landlords policy. 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. There were also instances of it not providing updates when promised. This doesnt include those privet hedges that lose all their leaves in winter and beech or hornbeam hedges that keep dead leaves in winter. He said he was concerned about calling the Councils Enforcement team as he did not want to jeopardise his or his familys safety.
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