Ellieben Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 i have a tenant who has lived with her toddler at my property for nearly ten months. She is a good tenant paying her rent on time and looking after the property which is managed by a letting agent. However unbeknown to me she has for some time had issues with her neighbours next door to the point where she has informed both the police (apparently) and the local authority. I was only made aware of this only recently when the letting agency sent me copies of log sheet the local authority had sent her to complete on 17th November 2015 together with a request that she a avails herself of free cavity wall insulation which she claims would help to cut down the noise. I have since asked the agent to let me know the outcome of her reporting matters to the police and local authority as her current contract ends on 15 March with no success. The company is under new management and emails are just ignored. Should I go ahead with her request for cavity wall insulation although how that will help with noise is beyond me. The issues with neighbours are also a worry. I have written on this blog before when she asked me to include her au pair on the lease. He apparently has gone .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 Cavity wall insulation, correctly installed has got to be a good thing. It will improve any epc rating, make the property more attractive when selling or renting and if you can get it for free it's a bit of a 'no brainer'. Don't get involved in any disputes that your tenant has with the neighbours......you are not responsible. Let your tenant do what anybody else does in the same situation i.e. let them report issues to their local authority. Don't let them con you into thinking that because they pay rent they are somehow entitled to get special treatment from their landlord....they are not. Leave well alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grampa Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 If you start to get involved it will start taking up more and more of your time and if it goes legal you will have to declare it if you ever sell the property. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carryon Regardless Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Don't hold out much hope of Police or local authority assistance. Under staffed, over stretched they generally patronise in hope the problem goes away. I assume the abusive neighbours aren't your T's? You might also consider that your T is being creative. I've had many such complaints, some reasonable but in some cases the complianant would find the seaguls on a desert island too noisy. Nowadays I try to find discreet ways to learn the truth, talking to other neighbours can be useful. If I can control I do, otherwise it is an envornmental health department issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortitia Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 Yes do get the cavity wall insulation done - make sure there is a warranty and that it is carried out by a reputable installer. Stay out of tenant/noise matters and let her sort it herself. This is one where interfering will not help you now or in the future should you want to sell the house at some time in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellieben Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Thank you for your help. I will not get involved with the noise problem and will ask to see warranty for the cavity wall installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellieben Posted July 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 I took your advice and did not get involved. My tenant has a little girl and I am now told that the little girls bedroom window which opens quite wide is often left open and the girl has been seen sitting on the window sill and could possibly fall/climb out which is a big worry. I informed the agents two weeks ago of this and they are arranging with a contractor to fit restrictors on all the upstairs opening but not sure how the tenant is going to react to this being done as she is highly strung and have not heard from the agents. It does take the agent a long time to do things ... I requested copy of invoices to do my tax return five weeks ago and I have still not received them. The priority is the little girls bedroom .... any help would be greatly appreciated. Btw the disputes between my tenant and her neighbour are still on going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted July 9, 2016 Report Share Posted July 9, 2016 So you are still getting involved in spite of all the advice to the contrary that's been provided. Your tenants lifestyle is not your concern. Whoever told you this was happening could have spoken to the tenant about it themselves. If you are that concerned you could arrange your own contractor to fit the window limiters on an emergency basis but it's really not the landlords responsibility to ensure their tenants children don't fall out of the window.....however bad the parents are. Personally I'd have done nothing. You could of course involve social services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellieben Posted July 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2016 I feel I have a moral obligation for the safety of the child but I am loathe to call social services as it is the neighbours words against my tenant. The neighbour approached me and I did not make any promises and did not divulge the name of the managing agents. Thanks for your reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richlist Posted July 10, 2016 Report Share Posted July 10, 2016 In that case.......the neighbours need to be told that you are not responsible for your tenants actions, the tenants are. You are not a one stop advice centre every time the neighbours see something that they don't like. Your tenant is entitled to be left alone by you and them. As far as I am aware she is not breaking the law, causing a problem with the tenancy or disturbing anyone. As far as a moral obligation goes......do you feel the moral obligation because you are the landlord or because you think it's the right thing to do? If it's because you are the landlord, then that is wrong. If it's the latter, then don't be to surprised if you get the whole street asking you to sort their problems out. Are you sure that you are cut out to be a landlord ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mortitia Posted July 11, 2016 Report Share Posted July 11, 2016 Let social services sort this out - if indeed there is anything to sort out. Don't re-act to neighbours gossip - nothing to do with you. Take the rent, maybe change agents or sell up if all this is too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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