Home Sweet Home?

Subtitled…It’s not our problem so suck it up

About 5 or 6 years ago our street won a national award for being a very very friendly street. We’re an average street in Leeds, on one side through terraces with small yards, the other blind back to backs. We don’t have gardens, the sun favours the front porches of the back to backs and the back alley. Prior to kids we’d hang out talking on our doorsteps, we met likeminded people, we had a few parties, decided we’d like to get to know our neighbours, and threw a street party.  We did this every year up until the kids came, then we partied less but we’d had a whale of a time, lots of hatchets were buried, fun was had, and importantly fostered a community spirit that still lingers.

A few years ago our single neighbour moved out of her end four bed through terrace house, sold up to a developer, and within no time at all the construction crew were creating 6  self contained flats, with kitchen and toilet. We contested this with the local authority as they had not sought planning permission and I believe the landlord then reverted the flats back to bedsits (shared kitchen/toilets).

Since then we’ve been party to anti social behaviour from a passing stream of tenants. Not usually directed at us, but with two small children having neighbours smoking pot on the front doorstep, partying through the night loudly, aggressive fights, tearing at and banging doors down has tested my liberal lefty compassionate sensibilities to the extreme.

Last night proved to be too much, we were subjected to hardcore music continuously, which shook the thick brick walls and woke the kids up. With hardly any sleep I decided as I set out for work to have a conversation with these yet unmet tenants who proceeded to challenge me to ‘Who are you?’ Upon my answer of ‘Your very tired neighbour and mother of two small children’ the lads mimed something rude and then pulled down their trousers and pressed their arses against the window.

So that’s the background, I rang the letting agents who infuriated me further by telling me that the HMO (house of multiple occupancy) was a place the local council referred homeless people to via their agency. That the tenancy agreement was based on a six month stay. and that my recourse to action was to call the environmental team at LCC, or if worse the police. Which we have done for other occupants in the past. Each new occupant would require us going through the same process should they demonstrate anti social behaviour.  Now I would say I’m pretty understanding of the reasons people become homeless, and that 80% of people have been perfectly fine, quiet neighbours. We don’t even know they are there.

My question to the person at the lettings agency was more about their systems, like why knowing that a property could be challenging to the adjoining neighbours do they not do something premptive? Like schedule a meeting when first letting a HMO like this with the neighbours to explain how things may evolve, in a non alarmist, pragmatic way. Especially as the letting agent who manages this property acknowledges that the kinds of tenants they deal with don’t really tend to have the same respect for people as they should and often cause problems. However their response to this was to see this as an issue with the liscencing authority, Leeds City Council, rather than something procedural their private company could do. She went on to say that she alone manages 300 of these types of properties in Leeds…She also said the support around the softer stuff was being lost as public authorites enact their cuts.

Personally I’d like to understand if there are measures in place to harmonise communities where people who are disenfranchised being placed into. Time spent upfront outlining the best recourse to action people have, including who to call, how to deal with situations rather than escalate them and what right you have to contest a HMO license if necessary would be very useful. I don’t wish to suggest we only have the ‘right types’ of people living in our neighbourhoods, I also guess this situation will be repeated across the country and may only get harder as the cuts bite.

I’m pretty sure I’m not being a NIMBY, I’d like to get back to having a decent night’s sleep, nod hello to my neighbours and still feel like I love living where I do.

Beyond tea and sympathy do feel free to let me know if there are places where this situation has been handled in a really good way, what systems and procedures have been put in place to be proactive and to ameliorate potentially challenging situations. 

PS Please don’t piss me off further by telling me we don’t live in an ideal world and therefore we’re stuck with the way we do things currently. Or if you do don’t expect to share a coffee with me for a bit!

11 comments

  1. Hi Emma,

    You might want to get in touch the Headingley Network. I know my folks were effected by the HMO issue in their quiet cul de sac family street. I’m not sure what actions they took, but they do have a street committee so maybe able to offer you some advice.

    Email me if you want some contacts, I know a couple of people involved.

    Hope this doesn’t turn into a bigger nightmare than you have already.

    L

  2. I thought a bit about this since we talked this morning. When my neighbours did something similar a while ago, I bellowed through the wall at 4 in the morning. It’s never been mentioned since but it hasn’t happened since either. It’s possible your ignorant neighbours also got the message but didn’t want to lose face by apologising.
    It reminded me too of giving a bloke at the football a piece of my mind when he was being racist. He told me he wasn’t about to take advice from a bloody woman – two prejudices for the price of one! But he shut up during the second half so I guess I won.
    If your all night party scenario happens again though, I’d look for one of your friendly neighbours who’s built like the proverbial large outhouse but whatever you do, don’t tolerate it. You are entitled to live in an unthreatening environment.

    1. I understand that, and believe me I’m not shy in having a chat with the neighbours to ask them to quieten down etc. Most are pretty polite to your face (not all show you their hairy, spotty arses) even if they go on to do it again.
      I should have known better to address these guys when I was cross.

  3. Firstly, what a well written and level headed piece considering it was so soon after the event.

    It reminded me of a story I read a few years about greater responsibility being placed on the landlords in these situations. From a quick google search I found this on gov.uk.

    https://www.gov.uk/private-renting/antisocial-behaviour

    This clearly states that, in the first instance, it is the responsibility of the landlord so the letting agent is being disingenuous or lazy (or they have too large a caseload).

    If you look at LCC’s policy on anti social behaviour it states that all letting agents will (not should) have there own procedures.

    http://www.leeds.gov.uk/residents/Pages/Anti-Social-Behaviour.aspx

    I’m guessing all these policies will be written to deal with individuals and not a repeating situation.

    From my own experience I can recommend contacting LCC. We had an issue several months ago with a house two doors away. The council team were prompt when we contacted them (partly down to a team being in the area already). The music flared up again soon after so we called again and it took longer for a team to arrive but they did. Since then we have had no problems. We also received a follow up comms piece from the council so I’m guessing the offending house did too.

  4. I can’t offer any advice but I want to say you are not in any way being a NIMBY. It is not only you that has to put with this anti-social, selfish nonsense but your kids too. That can’t be tolerated.

    If you aren’t keeping a log start one as this will help build evidence of anti-social behaviour.

    I wouldn’t be half as considered as you have been and you are right to be raging about these dragged up tosspots.

    Perhaps Tom R has some thoughts?

  5. First, well done for confronting them. Many people won’t (understandably) which emboldens youth to think they can get away with whatever they want. I’ve had similar situations (one just last night). It seems like you’re in a potentially strong position knowing many of your neighbours, get as many of them to e-mail the lettings agents about it. This is more difficult, but also see if others would be willing to go with you, say the following day after an incident, and collectively confront them to argue they need to show some respect for others – like I say, not easy.

  6. I wonder also if there is a conversation to be had with the landlords about noise insulation as a pre-emptive measure for potential antisocial behaviour. As these are new conversions there are rules that they must adhere to in terms of flat conversions and noise pollution.

    I do sympathise – not that that is any help. When i was in london, the flats had very clear rules and all were insulated and had to be carpeted and even though we had a leasehold, could have been removed for noise disturbance. It seems alittle the other way round in Leeds from my experience – there is little if any consideration about noise and its disturbance to otehrs, perhaps because the consequences are so feable, long time consuming processes and are rarely upheld.

  7. Having been in a similar situation I completely empathise. My ordeal dragged on for several months and, after many environmental health call outs and trying to reason with the guy, he became abusive. After his stereo was seized I had bricks and other objects thrown at my door and my neighbour’s tyres were slashed (I’d purposely parked my car on another street for that reason). He put threatening notes through my door, shouted abuse through the night and had no regard for the fact I had a young child. The police were useless – didn’t even come out at 3am when he was throwing things and making threats, it was terrifying. I taped up my letterbox. The environmental health team were great, but only operated at weekends! It took several months for them to build up a solid case against him, and he was eventually evicted (and presumably forced onto some other poor people). Unfortunately, you have to keep calling the noise pollution team, but don’t lie back and take it. As far as I know there is no support for disenfranchised people, as you suggest, but it’s a valid point – there really ought to be. (Sorry if this sounds very negative!).

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