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. He asked the landlord to contact another neighbour who would confirm this. 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. 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 resident emailed the landlord later on 16 April 2020 to convey his dissatisfaction with its response, highlighting that the wording implied he had. Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web! It might be a good idea to buy the documents for your neighbours house too - they might give information thats not covered in yours. 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. 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. On 29 April 2021, the landlord provided a stage one response. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. In its final complaint response to the resident, the landlord advised that there was insufficient evidence to take steps to possess the neighbours property. contact him about his complaints, but they were never resolved, and he was in the same position with no changes. When theyve got both sides of the story, a council officer will visit the site to look at the hedge and its surroundings. If your complaint is about a Housing Association tenant, you should report the matter to the Housing Association. . It said that it wanted to assure him that they were working with the neighbour. Take 3 minutes to tell us if you found what you needed on our website. Further, that other neighbours said the noise was mainly in the evening and usually stopped at around 9 pm. Around the same time, its HO carried out an Equality Impact Assessment to determine if it was appropriate to take further steps regarding the neighbours tenancy. In conclusion, the landlord made, and continued to make, reasonable efforts to evidence the noise reports made by the resident and took reasonable action to resolve the matter by initiating mediation between the parties. The legislation doesnt set a specific height. 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. 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. I honestly don't know where they found the time to sleep. It is noted that the landlord enquired about the installation of noise monitoring equipment on 19 May 2020. The Housing Ombudsmans approach to investigating and determining complaints is to decide what is fair in all the circumstances of the case. 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. 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 . 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. On 30 April 2021, the landlord visited the neighbour to deliver him a warning letter stating he was breaching. He followed this up with further reports on 17 and 18 March 2020 advising of hammering noises. If you are unhappy with a service that we have provided to you, please . Comply with above orders within four weeks. It is bounded by Isleworth to the east, Twickenham to its south, Feltham to its west and Southall to its north. You need to keep a log of all the incidents so you can accurately report the issue. 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. It may also have information on how to make your complaint, any fee you may need to pay and which department handles complaints. Check the councils website or complaint form, or contact the council, to find out how much the right fee is and how you should pay it. The landlord discussed the allegations with the neighbour which he denied. 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. Phone. The landlord concluded that it had investigated his reports of noise fully and had taken appropriate action. 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. 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 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. Please see Over the garden hedge for information on the steps you should think about taking before you complain to the council. This also states that if. 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. They might, for example, measure the size of your garden or how far the hedge is from windows in your home. 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. These were reasonable efforts made by it to witness the noise reports he made. By the landlord. The landlord made reasonable efforts to substantiate the residents reports of noise and acted appropriately by initiating mediation in accordance with its policy. The landlords ASB policy makes clear that it must do everything possible to resolve the issue using alternative remedies before considering tenancy action. On 13 April 2021, the neighbour made a self-referral for support. 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 landlords handling of the residents reports concerning antisocial behaviour from his neighbour. 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. 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. 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. That may include the date and time of the incident and how it affected them. It arranged a joint visit with its Fire Officer to inspect the neighbours flat the following week and requested a meeting with the neighbours care coordinator to discuss the 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. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs? This. subsequently interviewed the resident on 11 March 2020 however this service has not been provided with any notes of this meeting. The council cant, for example, take into account how tall other neighbours hedges are or that worrying about a hedge is making you ill. Further, here were complex issues relating to GDPR so it was unable to discuss matters relating to the neighbour. Now the whole street can enjoy my bass. the landlord made a safeguarding referral in respect of the neighbour. The landlord acknowledged his report and. Chapter 9 of High hedges complaints: prevention and cure gives detailed guidance on enforcing remedial notices. waiting for the lift. Pets that bark or squawk loudly and constantly can fall under this but a new-born baby crying is unlikely to be classed as a statutory nuisance. Theyll indicate where the boundary is and might say whos responsible for the tree or hedge. Once theyre satisfied that your complaint meets the legal tests, the council will invite your neighbour to set out their case. 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. While he agreed with mediation as a way forward, he contended that this should have been agreed in advance and not on the day of the visit. 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. I unpacked my pioneer home cinema unit just now and am blasting Def Leopard love bites so loud my ears are bleeding. that the landlord failed to act appropriately or reasonably when handling the residents reports. Serves them right, even though they could not sleep, they were all too limp to report someone they feared. Nonetheless, the landlord failed to provide the resident with any update following this despite telling the resident that it would. If your neighbour is complaining about you, If you disagree with your neighbour about a wall or fence, Deal with flooding in a rented home - overview. Search for trees on your councils website to find which department to contact. If they were to smell the cannabis themselves, they might knock on the door and broach the subject that way. News stories, speeches, letters and notices, Reports, analysis and official statistics, Data, Freedom of Information releases and corporate reports. This shows the landlord considered legal action to evict the neighbour however as its ASB policy sets out legal obligations the landlord has to vulnerable residents including when pursuing possession, it is reasonable to expect the landlord to have contacted its Legal team for advice on this issue to ensure it was fully aware of all options. 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. It kept happening and he was going around in circles. His original complaint had not been dealt with satisfactorily. 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. He asked for an update as he believed that landlord had been working with the neighbour for almost four years. Mohammed Ali Khan, 45, of Thornbury Road, was found guilty of instructing a contractor to demolish a building without notifying the Local Authority as required by section 80(2) of the Building Act 1984 after a trial at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on February 3. The legislation specifically says that councils cant deal with problems caused by roots. NEIGHBOURLY disputes are not uncommon, with many of us struggling to agree with those living next door. Hounslow Council was the subject of more than 100 complaints and enquiries to the ombudsman about its actions last year, new figures show. Our address and travel options for getting to Hounslow House. If you do anything more than trim overhanging branches, your neighbour could take you to court for damaging their property. The landlords internal communications show it updated the action plan in September 2020 to reflect this. I gave up with the authorities. He said that he had been complaining for two years. Wed like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Visit Contact Page. 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. I get the feeling they fear this noisy neighbour enough to give him a wide birth but not me. She added . for the installation of noise recording equipment in the residents property to confirm and identify the noise reported and take appropriate follow-on actions. As no significant noise was heard, they agreed to exchange telephone numbers to communicate about any future noise concerns. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Where a tenant at risk has a support network the HO/HAO should always seek to involve the support agency or advocate in order to assist the tenant in the process. 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. Call Out of hours emergency on 020 8583 2222. However, there is a lack of evidence to show the landlord followed up on the actions identified at this stage. It was during the middle of my final year uni exams it got worse. But you can still try to settle your dispute by following the steps in Over the garden hedge. 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. Live in London (or any major UK city) then expect noise. You can contact the council if you think your neighbour isnt acting in accordance with this notice. He said that the neighbour was also verbally abusive which frightened his children. The council may use the governments guidance to help them decide what could be the best height for the hedge. Although most of the district lay within the London Borough of Hounslow, some parts fall within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the London Borough of Hillingdon including Heathrow Airport. Well send you a link to a feedback form. The HO did. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. The landlord noted that. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council. He said these issues had been happening for two years. The key question is: There are no fixed rules on the size of gaps. If someone breaks an abatement order about noise from their home, they can be fined up to 5,000. Some dissatisfaction about the Councils action will be treated as a request for us to do something, for example, a service request. The resident said the issues had gone on for years. 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. 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 could help you keep a good relationship and might be cheaper than paying a solicitor to resolve the disagreement. One that keeps some live or green leaves all year round. It is evident that the landlord made 22 further visits after the conclusion of the residents complaint between 18 May and 19 November 2020. growing on land owned or occupied by someone else? 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 visited the neighbour who confirmed that he was burning paper to which the landlord warned him about the dangers of doing this. 7 Bath Road. 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. hat the landlord did fail to sufficiently communicate with the resident during the period of this review. Visiting Hounslow House. On 29 May 2020, the landlord replied to the resident apologising for the noise he was experiencing. Problems could include, for example, if you think a hedge is too high or branches from your neighbours tree are overhanging into your garden. Let us know, Copyright 2023 Citizens Advice. 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. Postal Address. 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. 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. 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. Initial complaints should be directed to Hounslow Council directly. the lack of action or engagement with other agencies during this timeframe was unreasonable. 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. Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health. 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. 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. 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. Its actions were appropriate with no delays or service failures. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. If you think your neighbours tree is dangerous, you can report it to the council - for example if you think it might fall over. 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. Your neighbour could report it to your local council and you could be told to cut your hedge. Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3, Part 8 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, High hedges complaints: prevention and cure, trees protected by a Tree Preservation Order, appeal to the independent Planning Inspectorate. 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. Image above: Hounslow Council Budget meeting, Tuesday 2 March 2021. The resident, and others on his behalf contacted the landlord during July and August 2021 about the neighbours alleged behaviour and the fire risk. Is the hedge: Does this hedges height harm the reasonable enjoyment of a home you own or occupy and/or its garden or yard? This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-hedges-complaining-to-the-council/high-hedges-complaining-to-the-council. In accordance with paragraph 54 of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, there was maladministration by the landlord when handling the residents complaints. Take 3 minutes to tell us if you found what you needed on our website. Use this comments section to discuss problems you have had with Hounslow Council, or how they have handled your complaints. 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. Clearly explain: Stick to the facts and give all relevant information to back up your points. If the trunk or main stem of a tree or hedge is on your land, you own it. 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. Search for 'trees' on your council's website to find which department to contact. It is evident the neighbour is suffering from serious mental health issues. The landlord. 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. It might be worth reading Hedge height and light loss. 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. 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'. 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. So can your neighbour. Hounslow is the principal town in the London Borough of Hounslow. More information on the cookies we set can be found in our cookie policy.
hounslow council complaints about neighbours
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