To make a complaint against HA because of constant anti social behaviour from neighbours?

[housinglass]

I have written about the is before but I am at my wit's end with my ongoing situation.

I have lived in my HA house since December 2024 and from day 1 (these are new builds & everyone moved in the same time) two neighbours have literally walked straight onto my driveway from one house to another and walked past my living room window multiple times a day as well as their kids.

They were already friends as prior to moving here and managed to secure a house on the same street by pure luck.

It got really bad that I paid over £300 for some big planters which temporarily stopped all this.

But the kids would/will still ride up and down on their bikes/ scooters the other side but it wasn't right near my living room window.

My neighbour's plants were planted just before my driveway so she often is on my driveway and right near my front door tending to her plants.

I know this isn't her fault as it's the way the houses were designed but it really makes me feel uncomfortable and as if I have no privacy.

The other day her and another neighbour were back and forth on that side of the driveway doing some weeding. She can stick to her own side but for some reason chooses to come over onto my bit.

The planters actually fell during the extreme winds and I have had to move them as they almost fell on my neighbours car.
These are those big trellis planters.

Since the planters have been moved it's all back to square one again.
Convos by my living room window standing on my drive way.

I have told them and the kids so many times that it's my privacy and your standing by my window but it still happens.

I contacted my Housing Officer and she came down and stood outside and told me "well it can happen anywhere, maybe you should try to private rent" and walked off.
All this was captured on my neighbours Ring door bell as she asked me about it.
There was no discretion in her visit to address these issues.

The driveway is allocated to my house and is not a communal area at all.

I spoke to a customer service advisor the other day on the Customer Services number for my HA and she was astonished at what I am experiencing and at the lack of support form my HO.

She advised me to re register back with the Local Authority which I now have done and waiting to hear if I have been accepted.

I really want to make a complaint as my HO has been useless and very rude telling me "well you won't get a move through us".

I know there are more extreme cases than mine but I was a victim of a crime a few years back as I suffer from anxiety and all this just makes me feel on edge all the time.

My neighbour also plays loud music in her garden and she she gets back from clubbing.

When I closed my curtains the other day as one of the neighbours cats ( who I have never even spoken too) was in my bush by my window and literally looking into my house one of my little one's started crying so it affecting my kids as well now.

I want to make a complaint to my HA as I just feel nothing is being done to help me.

I would call you HA customer service and ask for a face to face at their offices, question . Would they like people peering through window 2, would they like their driveway used as a play ground or communal area.3. Would they like music so loud that its disturbing your quality of life. Ask them to put a fence each side if your drive way to separate boundary lines as it is effecting your mental health and the Housing officer who visited you, has demonstrated in her attitude that she had no empathy and she was rude which has impacted on your anxiety and even your children are showing signs of it.

@Brinny Thank you for your reply.

I am waiting for a call back of my HO but I sent them an email earlier on to document the anti social behaviour in writing.

A fence on both side's would be brilliant and it would mean I wouldn't have to see any of my neighbours when going out etc and not be forced to engage with them.

Even the lady at the customer services centre showed more empathy and support than my HO.

I don't hold much hope in them helping me as they just keep advising me to re join the Local Authority housing list.

I have re registered and just waiting to hear back to see if they have accepted my application.

Can you put some proper fencing up to separate your driveway?? Draw us a diagram of the layout @housinglass

Is this a joke?? Literally NOTHING you have mentioned is anywhere near antisocial behaviour! A cat that you've never spoken to (!) was looking through your window and made your child cry?? Get a grip.

I bought privacy film off amazon. I am on a corner and people just naturally look in as the go past. It cost 20 quid and has helped massively in this heat.

It would annoy me too. Deffo a camera would be going up, even if it is a fake one. But a cat looking at you? What's that all about?

I would think long and hard before you try to move. I don't think anything you have stated is that bad and most of it could be worked around e.g. like you were with your planters - you could easily get big but low planters that then won't blow over. The loud music after clubbing sounds the worst so depends how often that is. You could tackle that as noise nuisance.

It would be very easy to move to somewhere with far more issues than you are experiencing and it doesn't sound like you would cope well with that. Nowhere is perfect in terms of neighbours and I think in this case it's better the devil you know.

It sounds a bit annoying.

Not sure why a cat looking in your window is such a big deal. Do you think the owner told it to?

@HornyHornersPinger no if you had read it correctly. A neighbour was looking for THEIR cat who happened to be hiding in my bushes.

The neighbour was someone whom I have never spoken to was staring directly into my windows as their cat was hiding in my bushes which is near my living room window.

The loud music was on today again all day and on right now.

Sorry OP, but if you re-read what you wrote in your post about the cat, you don't mention a person, just a cat looking at you.

'When I closed my curtains the other day as one of the neighbours cats ( who I have never even spoken too) was in my bush by my window and literally looking into my house one of my little one's started crying so it affecting my kids as well now.'

This ^

It sounds annoying but you can’t complain where a cat was looking. Put the planters back up! Noise you can complain about after 11pm

Can you draw a diagram? Maybe a hedge could be planted? I’m not sure what the driveway is like from your description

Are you allowed to do private swaps? Are you and your neighbours houses the same? Ask about swapping with one so they can live next door to each other and you wont be in the middle.

Saying this kindly (i work in housing). This is not ASB. Annoying yes but not ASB. Best to see if you can transfer because people are desperate for HA properties and would snap up where you live in a heartbeat.

No it wasn't a cat, it was a neighbour looking into my windows whilst looking for their cat.

One neighbour lives in a 3 bed and the other lives in an end of terrace 2 bed house.
I am mid terrace, it's unlikely the end of terrace neighbour would want to move to a mid terrace.

The lady on the phone did say it does fall under anti social behaviour but she couldn't really advise as she wasn't trained in housing advice, she is just a customer service advisor at the contact centre.

Sorry OP but the way you've framed the nosey anti social cat is hilarious.

I don't know about Anti social behaviour but We've just moved into a new build apartment less than 2 months ago and the day we moved in the police came to arrest the guy opposite on the Landing, last week someone was taken away in an ambulance and the same flat today the police came on blue lights for what seems like dv and 4 coppers took the guy away .

Awaiting the next drama! It must be these new builds attracting the problems

🤣

No it wasn't a cat, it was a neighbour looking into my windows whilst looking for their cat What is stopping you from flinging your window open and asking them what the fuck they think they’re doing staring in your window, and are they happy now they’ve frightened your child?

I have told them and the kids so many times that it's my privacy and your standing by my window but it still happens How are you telling them? Is it a ‘you two have a lot to talk about’? Or a ‘For fucks sake, will you two piss off and chat somewhere else so I can have a bit of peace and quiet?’

You can complain about the loud music.
If the tall planters fell over what about hanging baskets hung as head height.
You could use lower planters and troughs and plant really prickly plants in them so they prickle their legs when they walk by.
It’s not hugely antisocial but it’s annoying and clearly causing you issues so I’d try a few more ways to block them

Sorry I was feeling a bit sorry for you but then the cat!

I agree this wouldn't fall under anti social behavior for any HA that I have worked for. The customer service agents are mainly just a switchboard logging and transferring cases so I wouldn't really be taking their advice on this as it's highly unlikely you'll be rehoused by the LA under these circumstances.

Have you checked the Housing Associations website? They usually have a section detailing what they class as ASB. You could try asking if they offer a mediation service to try and resolve this with your neighbors, but it sounds like you don't want your neighbors to know you're complaining? Sorry if I'm getting that part wrong. How do the neighbors react when you tell them it's bothering you?

In don't know why people keep mentioning the cat.
I have no issue with the cat! It's the owner who was looking into my windows!
I was too shocked to and stood staring and then by the time I opened the window they had gone.

I have asked the kids "Hey guys, can you not play by my window please"? And they just look at me blankly.
Move off and then come back after 20 minutes.

The call handler advised me it's been logged and I will get a call back.

Yes I want to remain anonymous as it will just cause me further isolation and more tension.

As others have mentioned...a fence and privacy film would be great...if you don't need your driveway for a car and the fence doesn't happen/ isn't high enough/ I'd do something like see about getting loads potted plants for free on Facebook groups etc so there's literally nowhere for then to stand except the path to your front door. This is a prettier version of 'hostile architecture' - some places put all these long metal poles up to stop people congregating outside.

Music after 11pm is absolutely antisocial behaviour! I understand it might be difficult with your circumstances to try and have a conversation with your neighbour but sometimes people can be oblivious and more considerate when they know they're disturbing you. I also understand there are certain people you have a feeling won't be reasonable if you confront...I had a neighbour that someone else complained about noise wise and he thought it was me and had a right go at my boyfriend who kept repeating, 'we were visiting family at the weekend, so why would we make a noise complaint when we weren't there'. So I think there is an option to complain to the council.

OP you've writtent that a cat was looking into your house, so what?
Sorry for your anxiety but that's your problem not your neighbours problem. just becasue you have a problem doesn't mean that your neighbours have to tiptoe around it.

Privacy film on the windows, rose bushes under the window, a 'Get off my land' shout. 95% places you would move too sound worse than this.

How about swapping with one of the neighbous so they are next to each other?

I work for a HA and compared to most of the calls we get, these issues are pretty trivial. As a pp has said, they wouldn't reach the threshold for ASB. I have previously worked for a local authority and not getting on with your neighbours would not be grounds for getting on the housing list. You have to have a housing need.

Your HA will investigate if you ask them, but how do you expect to stay anonymous when you are complaining about them being on your drive and looking in your windows? The housing officer won't mention you by name but it won't be difficult for them to work out who has complained.

Your best bet would be to look for a mutual exchange. There are a number of sites you can register on to find an exchange partner this is one: https://www.houseexchange.org.uk/

I understand that these issues are irritating, they would definitely annoy me. Your lovely new build property will make it easy to find a mutual exchange, but think long and hard before you go down this route. Given the type of desperate calls I take every day, what you are experiencing is very minor. You could find yourself in much worse situations than this one.

I thought the cat was looking in the window as well!

You say the kids were playing ‘on the other side’. Do you mean on their drive?

I get that them walking by your front window is annoying. Fencing or a hedge put in seems an obvious solution.

Can you put blinds up or a lace curtain to help
your privacy?