All Rights Reserved. Hounslow schools and libraries have announced plans to celebrate the Coronation through a series of free events and activities across the borough. 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. 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 procedure also states that, f the noise levels are likely to constitute statutory nuisance, s policy provides for a two-stage complaints process, with timescales for a response of 15 working days at stage one and, working days at the final stage. No. Five Fire Brigades attended who knocked on the doors of residents in the block. Hounslow Council Contact Information. 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. The landlord acknowledged his report and. hat the landlord did fail to sufficiently communicate with the resident during the period of this review. They must also think about effects on the neighbourhood. It is evident the neighbour is suffering from serious mental health issues. It said that it wanted to assure him that they were working with the neighbour. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme. The resident said the issues had gone on for years. The landlords policy refers to interviewing the reporter and providing incident diary sheets where relevant. The document detailed the reasons for the referral as due to allegations of anti-social behaviour from residents. 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. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk. They might ask the owner to make it safe or deal with it themselves. The ASB officer said he had contacted police to see if they had any concerns about the neighbour and they await their response. 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 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. 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. the lack of action or engagement with other agencies during this timeframe was unreasonable. On 29 April 2021, the landlord provided a stage one response. 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. The complaints responses did not sufficien, detail its investigation into the handling of the issues raised. However, there is a lack of evidence to show the landlord followed up on the actions identified at this stage. 60 councillors are elected from 20 wards, with by-elections held to fill any vacancies between elections. They can only help if you try and solve the problem yourself first. If the hedge is on a bank or in a raised bed the measurement should be taken from the natural ground level. If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council. Both the resident and the landlord have submitted information to the Ombudsman and this has been carefully considered. You can find contact details for Hounslow Council above. 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. Our address and travel options for getting to Hounslow House. He followed this up with further reports on 17 and 18 March 2020 advising of hammering noises. On 8 April 2022 the landlord told the Ombudsman that: the neighbour was temporarily house elsewhere from 13 January 2022 which was agreed for six months. This doesnt include those privet hedges that lose all their leaves in winter and beech or hornbeam hedges that keep dead leaves in winter. You can cut them yourself but you must try to limit the amount of damage to the tree, which can be difficult to do. If they want you to cut your tree or hedge just because they dont like the way it looks, its up to you whether you do the work. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. The Council's definition of a complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about: failure to follow process failure to follow the Council's own policy significant or repeated failure to. They will decide whether the hedge adversely affects the reasonable enjoyment of your home and its garden or yard and what, if anything, should be done. The landlord subsequently returned to his flat with its fire officer and fitted a new smoke detector. The landlords policy also states it is important to establish if residents who report or are allegedly causing neighbourhood issues have care or support needs to ensure that appropriate measures are taken throughout the case. Now the whole street can enjoy my bass. 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. If youre having trouble writing the complaint, a relative or friend or Citizens Advice may be able to help. The landlord discussed the allegations with the neighbour which he denied. On 29 May 2020, the landlord replied to the resident apologising for the noise he was experiencing. On 19 January 2021, the resident reported. Listen, and request some time to think about the problem and measures you intend to take. Advice for people affected by child abuse. Your neighbour can cut any branches that are overhanging into their garden as long as they only remove the bits on their side of the boundary. If its on the boundary between properties, youll need to check the legal documents you got when you bought your home. He said these issues had been happening for two years. The council can order your neighbour to take action to stop the problems with the hedge happening again. However, because the landlord also has to balance the needs of the neighbour who is vulnerable, the lack of a permanent solution provided would not. Talk to your neighbour face to face if you can - make a note of what you agreed. On 30 April 2021, the landlord visited the neighbour to deliver him a warning letter stating he was breaching. any failure in the service provided by the landlord. Clearly explain: Stick to the facts and give all relevant information to back up your points. It kept happening and he was going around in circles. The resident replied to the landlord later. If you have tried and failed to resolve your neighbourly issue by talking to your neighbour you can approach your local council. Is the hedge: Does this hedges height harm the reasonable enjoyment of a home you own or occupy and/or its garden or yard? 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. However, there is no evidence of the landlord opening an ASB case, of it referring the case to its ASB team or interviewing the neighbour or his care worker to discuss the allegations. Any disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 must also be taken into account before possession is pursued. Also, the council can enter the land and carry out the required work. The resident made noise and ASB reports regarding his neighbour to the landlord between March and November 2018. Following this incident, the landlord visited the neighbour to discuss his behaviour, which was appropriate. The landlords complaint process states it will log a complaint when it receives one. More information on the cookies we set can be found in our cookie policy. They must take into account any relevant concerns raised by you and your neighbour. This can also cover artificial light or a build up of rubbish that could possibly cause harm. Welcome back Edit Account-Sign Out. Contact your local council. Their accounts of what has happened are summarised below. If that doesn't work there are other ways you can ask them to stop, for example by reporting them to the council. Your neighbour could report it to your local council and you could be told to cut your hedge. It is recommended that the landlord arranges for the installation of noise recording equipment in the residents property to confirm and identify the noise reported and take appropriate follow-on actions. 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. 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. 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. I get the feeling they fear this noisy neighbour enough to give him a wide birth but not me. Your local council can step in if the dispute involves any activity that is a nuisance or could damage your health. Police refused to do anything, and environmental health were even more useless. A West London man has been ordered to pay 6,000 after he illegally knocked down his own house. the landlord took the other steps identified in its action plan at the time. made up of a line of 2 or more trees or shrubs? Hounslow - Hounslow is a large suburban town, and the principal town of the London Borough of Hounslow in Greater London, England. The council can reject your complaint if they think you havent taken all reasonable steps to try to settle your dispute without involving them. On 7 October 2020, the resident reported to the landlord that there had been loud music from the neighbours flat throughout the night. It asserted that it had appropriately arranged for the resident to meet with his neighbour to discuss the issue. 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. The landlord. If the trunk or main stem of a tree or hedge is on your land, you own it. Once theyve got all this information, the council will weigh it all up. 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. It may also have information on how to make your complaint, any fee you may need to pay and which department handles complaints. The lease started on 10 July 2017. 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. They simply send you a. the landlord should work with other agencies and service providers in order to determine the best course of action to take in order to resolve the situation. It advised that there was an ongoing investigation about the issues he has raised. I unpacked my home pioneer home cinema unit just now and am blasting Def Leopard love bites so loud my ears are bleeding. Any disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010 must also be taken into account before possession is pursued against a disabled person. Having reviewed the actions taken it was satisfied that the case was managed satisfactorily. On 4 June 2021, the landlord provided a stage two final response. The out of hours service is designed for emergencies only. 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. Videos on managing unacceptable behaviour. Before approaching your council you should always try to compromise with your neighbours. The landlord did not log a complaint when the resident requested this in March 2020 showing it failed to follow its complaints policy. 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. Email Customer Services on customerservice@hounslow.gov.uk, Call Out of hours emergency on 020 8583 2222. 7 Bath Road. Theyll indicate where the boundary is and might say whos responsible for the tree or hedge. The council can issue a noise abatement order if they believe the noise levels to be unreasonable. . 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 . If you still need help, you canlook for a mediatoron GOV.UK. 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. This is evidence of the landlord failing to follow its complaints process. 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. , and in accordance with its ASB policy, above at point 2, for it to take this action to resolve the issue in the absence of evidence to support the noise reports. failing to log a complaint in March 2020, this delayed the complaint process which was unreasonable. Shortly afterwards, the landlord undertook a risk assessment and began engaging with other agencies about what action could be taken to address the situation. This is because the council have worked to settle your private dispute with a neighbour. will write to the resident to explain why. This had not highlighted any noise concerns. The key question is: There are no fixed rules on the size of gaps. 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. Phone. 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. The Ombudsman considers the evidence and looks to see if there has been any 'maladministration', for example . The landlord has said it is considering the possibility of. Chapter 9 of High hedges complaints: prevention and cure gives detailed guidance on enforcing remedial notices. 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. It is noted that it made 24 visits to the property between 28 August 2019 and 12 March 2020. The resident advised that, the level of noise from the television continued and, kept him awake into the early hours which was having an impact on his work and mental health. Take 3 minutes to tell us if you found what you needed on our website. This means your noisy neighbour must stop making the noise or face legal action. The resident emailed the landlord later on 16 April 2020 to convey his dissatisfaction with its response, highlighting that the wording implied he had. 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. After the tumultuous technical events throughout the meeting, Councillor . ABBREVIATIONS; ANAGRAMS; BIOGRAPHIES; CALCULATORS; CONVERSIONS; DEFINITIONS; GRAMMAR; LITERATURE; LYRICS; Theres no set deadline for the council. If youd like to join in, please sign in or register. 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 . Once theyre satisfied that your complaint meets the legal tests, the council will invite your neighbour to set out their case. From ground level. that there was a burning smell coming from his neighbours property two days earlier. 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 property is a flat on the fourth floor of the building. You can appeal to the independent Planning Inspectorate. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Registered charity number 279057 VAT number 726 0202 76 Company limited by guarantee. and it did not explain why it had not logged an ASB complaint prior to August 2020. pay the resident total compensation of 600. 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. The landlords policy says on receiving the initial report, the HO would make an initial assessment to determine a plan of action and to make a referral to the ASB team for Grade 1 & 2 cases. Visit Contact Page. 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. Definition of Hounslow in the Definitions.net dictionary. So stick some Motorhead or Slayer on full blast and try and wake the bastard up Once again, thanks. The councils website will have information on how you can contact them. Where an ASB case is graded as 1, the Housing Officer must refer it to its ASB team, completing a risk assessment. It may require your neighbour to keep the hedge trimmed to a certain height. You have rejected additional cookies. They might ask the owner to make it safe or deal with it themselves. You can find out more or opt-out from some cookies. Hounslow Council was the subject of more than 100 complaints and enquiries to the ombudsman about its actions last year, new figures show. One that keeps some live or green leaves all year round. Any reference to these events is for context only. Make a complaint or comment. 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. Your hedge might count as a high hedge if its over 2 metres - check the definition on the Royal Horticultural Society website. Such an offence is punishable with a fine of up to 1,000. He asked for an update as he believed that landlord had been working with the neighbour for almost four years. During the joint meetings that it had with the relevant agencies at the end of March and in April 2021, one of the actions identified was for the landlords HO to visit the neighbour to advise him of tenancy conditions; this happened on 30 April. It is clear that the resident started complaining to the landlord as early as March 2020. The resident first reported noise from music/TV disturbance to the landlord on 24, its noise team on 30 July 2019. Problems could include, for example, if you think a hedge is too high or branches from your neighbours tree are overhanging into your garden. 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. 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. Hounslow council only have 'noise teams' for Friday and Saturday night but no other day of the week. Grade 2 cases include noise nuisance outside of permitted hours and verbal abuse. 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. He then resumed today at 1pm today and is still going strong. This. This is set out in the Housing Act 1996 and the Housing Ombudsman Scheme (the Scheme). We couldn't complain to the council as we owned the house and if we sold we would have to inform the new owners. There is no evidence to show the landlord acted on this report.
hounslow council complaints about neighbours