Our Aims
- Tell you what action we are taking.
- Encourage you to sort it out yourself or use mediation.
- Resolve problems quickly without using the law.
- Reduce fear of getting involved or giving evidence.
- Take legal action where appropriate.
What Can I Do?
First try talking to your neighbour. A friendly, polite approach often solves the problem without any longterm ill feelings. If this does not work the Association can give you some advice How Can the Association Help? or refer you to another organisation Who Else Can Help?
How can the Association Help?
We have a procedure for dealing with Neighbour Nuisance. If you have a problem follow these steps:
- First try talking to your neighbour to sort out the problem yourself.
- If this doesn't work, see if there is an agency who is able to help with this problem (link to Who Else Can Help?)
- Contact your RHA with all the relevant details of the complaint, including dates and times of incidents and how it affects you. If you think the nuisance is racist or involved serious harassment we give top priority to resolving the problem.
- We will carefully consider all complaints we receive about neighbours and will place each into one of the following 3 categories:
Complaints where tenancy conditions have been broken and we must take action.
Complaints which we, along with other agencies, need to get involved with.
Complaints which we are not responsible for and have to pass to the appropriate agency.
- Your complaint will be acknowledged within 5 working days and you will be provided with the name and contact number of the person/team who is dealing your complaint.
- If appropriate, the Housing officer will visit the person causing the problem or tell them that a complaint has been made and explain why.
- If appropriate, the Housing officer will write to the person causing the problem confirming the details of their first visit. The Housing officer will also tell you about any further action we may take, including mediation by an independent company.
- If the complaint is of a very serious nature, particularly where there have been a number of justified complaints about the same problem, we may take legal action against the offending tenant. We will only do this as a last resort if all other steps have failed.
Who Else Can Help?
Below shows various organisations who can help with particular problems. Click on problem for details.
- Threats and Violence - Police or Rural Housing Association (if they are a tenant)
- Noise Problems - Environmental Health District Council
- Litter - District Council or Rural Housing Association (if the litter is on our land)
- Build up of rubbish - Environmental Health District Council
- Dog nuisance - Police or Rural Housing Association (if the dog owner is our tenant)
- Unruly children - Social Services, Rural Housing Association (if the parents/guardians are tenants) or District Council
- Abandoned vehicles - District Council or Rural Housing Association (if on our property)
- Repairing vehicles as part of a business, from a home - District Council Rural Housing Association (if on our property)
- Untidy gardens whose condition affects the area Disrict Council - Rural Housing Association (if on our property) or Police
- Sectarian or Racial harassment - Rural Housing Association (if victim/offender is tenant)
- Offensive, indecent phone calls - BT and the Police
- Malicious letters or written abuse - Police
