Bent Council: A neighbour from hell

Despite exhaustive efforts, I fail to get the nuisance posed by nfh resolved, and am forced to adopt a more pro-active approach with both Brent Council and nfh

27th July « Nasty neighbour
[Published originally in January 2008]
Documents from Brent Council are quoted here either whole or in part to establish context.

Choosing routes available to me

nfh refused to cease specific forms of nuisance, despite the intervention of the Council's 'neighbour relations team', and refused to attend mediation offered by the Council. Because the Council's response to my complaints against nfh for the past several years had been apathetic and unhelpful, I realised now I was completely on my own. Therefore, I was forced to set about considering a means of creating a situation whereby nfh is induced to acknowledge that I have a right to live in my home without unnecessary interference from them.
THE ISSUES I NEEDED TO CONSIDER– living in the flat beneath theirs, my options were limited and I couldn't treat them as they treated me because I could do none of the things they were doing to me;

I couldn't soil their windows
I couldn't litter their balcony
I couldn't use my washing machine to cause nuisance
I couldn't play music loudly because my music system wasn't powerful enough (I did try it several weeks earlier!)
I couldn't discard bodily matter on to their home by shaking clothing and household furnishings
I couldn't jump or walk heavily on my floor so that they heard it

Consequently, the only way of making nfh take notice was to create noise which would be transmitted through the walls of the building. Unfortunately, this was certain to cause inconvenience and nuisance to families living in the flats adjoining mine because they would almost certainly hear the noise I intended to create but, The only way of making nfh take notice was to create noise which would be transmitted through the walls of the building to their flat under the circumstances, this was completely unavoidable. My view was that, since the arrival of this family, I had war inside my home because of the intrusion and inconsiderate behaviour of nfh, and peace outside my home because my relations with everyone else on our estate were all that I could wish for, and no other creature on this planet was causing me so much inconvenience and trouble. Normally, one expects to shut out the 'hostile' world when one comes home and closes their front door, but I was shutting it in! Clearly, this was an intolerable situation and I felt that, after over fifteen years of it, it was time now finally to shut it out by whatever means remained available.
By taking the action I contemplated, I was likely to have peace inside my home by creating a situation whereby nfh was forced to behave more considerately and war outside my home because this action was likely to lead to tension in my relations with the residents in the adjoining flats. Having decided upon my course of action, I set about drafting a letter on 28-6-2003 to the Council employee Catherine Taylor at the Council's 'neighbour relations team' setting out these plans. I did not yet forward it to her because I felt that the action I proposed could lead down a very dangerous and uncertain path. But my decision was made for me one day early in July 2003 when I saw clothing shaken from the balcony of nfh: this was the final straw and I set about putting my plan into effect.

Setting the wheels in motion

Reluctantly, and with a heavy sense of foreboding, I sent the letter drafted earlier and now dated 10-7-2003, to the Council employee Taylor at the Council's 'neighbour relations team'. I publish the body here in its entirety but hide the address of nfh and edit for PC reasons;

Re; Continuing Neighbour Nuisance from [the address of nfh]
I have to inform you that there have been no positive changes in the behaviour exhibited by this [edited] family and, as there has been no apparent willingness to consider changes, I must now seek an end to this nuisance on my own terms. Therefore, this is what I propose to do:
Playing of music loudly at any time of day or night: I will create loud, intrusive noise, to last for the duration of the music
Operation of laundry equipment between 21:00-08:00: I will create loud, intrusive noise, to last for the duration of machine operation
Transmission of sound through my ceilings of any intrusive sound from the sources listed: I will create loud, intrusive noise, with a minimum duration of 10 minutes
Furthermore, I will create loud, intrusive noise with a minimum duration of 10 minutes and at random times throughout any 24-hour period, until;
I receive, from this [edited] family, a written undertaking that the nuisances listed in the enclosed document will cease
the glass fragments have been removed from my balcony
the overflow pipe has been altered to my satisfaction such that it does not interfere with my home

I reserve the right to create loud, intrusive noise during the period 08:00-21:00 until the transmission of the sound of laundry equipment in use for more than 2 hours in this 13-hour period has been reduced.
This loud, intrusive noise can begin on 25-7-2003, from 21:00. Please be aware that any complaints received by the Council, from any quarter, regarding this noise will be ineffective until my demands set out here and elsewhere have been met in full.
The letter addressed to [the address of nfh] will be delivered by hand by me on 18-7-2003.
encl: copy of letter, dated 18-7-2003, to [the address of nfh],
my list of 16 demands which must be addressed

The list of issues to be addressed

This list of 16 issues is copied to both the Council as indicated above, and to nfh as indicated below;

1 operation of laundry equipment between 9:00 p.m and 8:00 a.m. to stop
2 playing of music loudly at any time to stop
3 transmission of the sound through my ceilings of running and jumping to stop
4 transmission of the sound through my ceilings of scraping of furniture on hard floors to stop
5 transmission of sound through my ceilings when objects are dropped, particularly at night, to stop
6 dumping of rubbish on or close to my balcony to stop
7 casual dropping of litter (papers, food, cigarette ends and the ash from cigarettes) from your balcony such that it falls onto my balcony to stop
8 dropping of food onto the grassed area by my balcony to stop
9 use of your balcony rainwater runoff as 'access' to the drainage system to stop
10 [this item had been complied with]
11 splashing of liquids on to my kitchen window to stop
12 throwing of rubbish on to my windows and sills to stop
13 hanging of clothing from [the outside of] your balcony to stop
14 shaking of clothing and/or furnishings over your balcony to stop
15 casual use of my balcony as entry to your balcony (emergencies excepted) to stop
16 your overflow pipe above my windows to be more appropriately re-sited

Setting out my demands to nfh

This is the letter dated 18-7-2003 mentioned above (copied to Taylor on 10-7-2003), which I intended to deliver by hand to nfh on 18-7-2003. I publish the body here in its entirety:

Re: Your unacceptable and inconsiderate behaviour
For more than 10 years, you have failed to use equipment in your home considerately, and failed to recognise the boundary of my home, such that my many complaints to you, and against you to the Council, regarding issues listed in the enclosed document, have been ignored by you. You also have failed to acknowledge my concerns that an overflow pipe above my windows is sited inappropriately.
You have failed to accept behavioural guidelines offered by the Council's Environmental Services and by its Neighbour Relations Team, and you have failed to accept mediation offered by Brent Mediation Service.
I must now seek to enforce my right to peacefully enjoy my home. Therefore, I require you to remove from my balcony the glass fragments deposited by you and, to ensure your compliance with the 16 issues set out in the enclosed document, I require you to give me a written undertaking of your intention to cease further nuisance and that you set out the steps you intend to take to ensure there is no further trespass, both physically and aurally, against me and my home. Because of your continued heavy use of your laundry equipment in a 24-hour period, you may be required to isolate it such that the transmission of sound to my home is reduced.
Please be aware that your response must be received by me no later than 9:00 a.m. on Friday, 25-7-2003. Failure to comply will result in action against your behaviour from 25-7-2003.
encl: my list of 16 issues with which you must comply

My damage-limitation exercise

Because I was concerned that the noise I intended to create would be intrusive and a nuisance to the residents in the nine flats adjoining mine (i.e. residents in the stacks in both mine and the one on either side), I addressed a letter dated 25-7-2003 to these nine neighbours individually and which I delivered by hand through their letterboxes on 25-7-2003. I publish the body here in full but edit to hide the addresses of both these 9 neighbours and of nfh:

Neighbour Nuisance
For the past decade, I have been subjected to a great deal of nuisance from a neighbour, the resident at [the address of nfh]. This nuisance takes the form of music played loudly, laundry equipment used into the night, unwanted sound transmitted through my ceilings, water released from their balcony which gets onto mine, rubbish dropped onto both my balcony and my windows, my windows splashed with liquids, clothing and rugs shaken over their balcony and, more recently, an inappropriately-sited water overflow pipe.
This nuisance has continued virtually since this family moved to this address. Despite my efforts to seek aRegrettably, the action I will take may cause you considerable disturbance in the form of noise resolution by asking that the issues be addressed, with futile attempts by the Council to resolve these issues in response to my subsequent complaints to the Council, no recognition has been given by this family of my right to enjoy my home. This neighbour has also refused to attend mediation arranged by the Council. I now must take action which is more forceful and persuasive in getting this resident to adopt a more considerate and less intrusive living pattern.
It is with regret, therefore, that I must inform you that the action I will take may cause you considerable disturbance in the form of noise throughout any 24-hour period. This loud noise will begin from 9:00 tonight if triggered as set out in the enclosed documents. I have not taken this measure lightly and I offer you my sincere apologies for any inconvenience it may cause you. Hopefully, this process will not last for long and we all then can live in harmony.
Please be assured that any complaints you may make to the Council regarding this noise will not affect our present cordial relationship.
encl: copy of letter to [the address of nfh] dated 18-7-2003
copy of the 16 issues which must be addressed
copy of my action plan, addressed to [the address of nfh], dated 25-7-2003
cc: [the 9 addresses in the building as indicated above]

Stepping into the chasm

I addressed the following letter dated 25-7-2003 to nfh (mentioned above— see copy of my action plan and copied to my 9 nearest neighbours), and which I delivered by hand through the letterbox at the address of nfh after 9:00 a.m. on 25-7-2003, the body published here in its entirety;

Re: Your continued unacceptable behaviour
Because of your failure to contact me with a view to reaching agreement on the issues outlined to you earlier, I must now carry out a process which will return to me my right to enjoy my home peacefully, as set out below:
Playing of music loudly, at any time of day or night;
I will create loud, intrusive noise to last for the duration of the loud music.
Operation of laundry equipment between 21:00-08:00;
I will create loud, intrusive noise to last for the duration of machine operation.
Transmission of sound through my ceilings of any intrusive sound as notified to you earlier;
I will create loud, intrusive noise with a minimum duration of 10 minutes.
Furthermore, I will create loud, intrusive noise with a minimum duration of 10 minutes and at random times throughout any 24-hour period, until;
I receive from you a written undertaking that the nuisances notified to you will cease, and that you set out the steps you will take to ensure this.
The glass fragments have been removed from my balcony.
The overflow pipe has been altered to my satisfaction such that it does not interfere with my home.

I reserve the right to create loud, intrusive noise during the period 08:00-21:00 until the transmission of the sound of laundry equipment in use for more than 2 hours in this 13-hour period has been reduced.
This loud, intrusive noise can begin tonight from 21:00.

By the fateful date, 25-7-2003, I had received a response from neither Taylor nor the council's so-called 'neighbour relations team', even though they had my contact details such as my full postal address, my e-mail address and my telephone number.
With Brent Council, by its ineptitude, having created the conditions likely to cause huge social unrest and disruption within a small local community, it appeared now the stage was set for a virtual civil war to erupt in the London Borough of Brent—and with the full knowledge of Brent Council itself.

Pouring oil on troubled waters

On the 4th of August 2003, I delivered to nfh a letter stating that some of the issues I had listed appeared to be addressed but that much yet remained to be done. In recognition of this, I informed them, I am now suspending the creation of loud, intrusive noise until 4-9-2003. However, should the nuisances listed at points 1-12, inclusive, and at points 14-15 recur within this period, the creation of loud, intrusive noise will resume in response to these nuisances, without warning and for the periods set out in my communication to you dated 25-7-2003.
To ensure nobody lost sight of my complaintsMy letter expressed my apologies for the noise nuisance I had created in the recent few days against this family, I enclosed a copy of the original list of 16 issued I wanted addressed.
The urgency with which I felt the need to bring this confrontation to a swift and successful conclusion before it destroyed the relative harmony which existed on our estate prompted me to draft a letter in the hopes it will encourage the more sane and intelligent individuals within the borough to intervene.
I addressed this letter dated 4-8-2003 individually to those of my neighbours who directly had been affected, as noted above, by the action recently I was forced to take and delivered it to them on 4-8-2003. This letter expressed my apologies for the noise nuisance I had created in the recent few days, and which I hoped I soon will not need to continue. I regarded this action I had been forced to take against nfh as of so serious nature that I told them I was determined to continue until I had achieved a satisfactory outcome but I would not fault them should they make a complaint about my action to the Council. I included also a copy of my letter to nfh dated 4-8-2003.

Deeper into the Black Hole of Brent

Encouraged by a neighbour to have just one more try at getting the Council to intervene by contacting the 'manager of the housing service', I wrote a short letter addressed to the Council employee Helen Evans, described by my neighbour as the 'manager' of the council's 'housing service'. Evans describes herself as the 'managing director' of 'brent housingI delivered a letter early in September 2003 to the ‘reception’ at Mahatma Gandhi House in Wembley partnership', also known as the Council's 'housing service'. Briefly, this letter outlined the nuisance I was experiencing from nfh and the difficulties I encountered in getting the Council to deal effectively with them. I summed up these difficulties by saying I believed that, as its tenant, the Council effectively had sold my rights.
I delivered this letter early in September 2003 to the 'reception' at Mahatma Gandhi House in Wembley because I was given to believe this was where the 'manager' of the council's 'housing service' was based. I asked that it be forwarded to Evans but, foolishly, did not ask for proof of receipt from the council's 'reception employees'. I received no reply to this letter. After my complaint to the Ombudsman in summer 2005, I learned that this letter had 'disappeared' and Evans denied any knowledge of it. This is despite the Council's 'neighbour relations team' receiving a copy of this letter from Cllr Janice Long in October 2003 ( see Befuddled, bewildered Brent The 'neighbour relations team').

Finally, the trouble spreads

On 13-8-2003, in reaction to the intrusive sounds of heavy items dropped on a hard floor transmitted through my bedroom ceiling after 12:30 a.m., I got up again and started to create loud noise at 12:40 a.m. by hitting a brick wall with a hammer. The resident in the ground-floor flat in the stack next to mine on the right (looking onto the park) rang my doorbell and, in an aggressive and intimidating manner, he asked what I thought I was doing. I apologised for the nuisance I was creating and attempted to explain to him that the council had failed to resolve the nuisance I was experiencing from nfh and that I had no other alternative. He shouted at me 'I don't care', that I must stop making this noise. I told him I would not stop, as I had explained in my letters, and he told me to 'stop giving me those letters'.
I had been hitting the brick wall for almost 9 On both occasions, they told me they would complain to the Council about me if I didn't stopminutes before this neighbour rang my doorbell, and didn't resume the loud noise when he had left because, with about 1 minute left of my stated minimum noise-creation time for nuisance of this type, I felt that I had made my point to nfh.
Two of the residents in another ground-floor flat in the stack next to mine on the left (looking onto the park) came to me on two occasions, also, while I was creating this loud noise. One occasion was late at night and I showed them into my bedroom to hear for themselves the sound of laundry equipment operating. I expressed my regret for the nuisance I was creating and they suggested I tell the Council about nfh. I explained, again, that the council had refused to resolve the nuisance and that I wasn't going to stop making this noise until nfh behaved more considerately.
On both occasions, they told me they would complain to the Council about me if I didn't stop and I agreed with them they should do this. While they were frustrated and impatient with what I was doing, they were not aggressive or abusive and behaved as I would in a similar situation.
In December I realised the resident in the first-floor flat in the stack next to mine on the left (looking onto the park) had started playing music at a loud, nuisance level. This noise was of a similar level to that of the loud music played by nfh and just as intrusive. On 16-12-2003, I went round to his flat to ask him to turn it down, and didn't address him angrily or give him cause to feel offended, I simply told him that the loud music was making life difficult for me. He said he was sorry for causing the nuisance, and the loud music was turned down almost immediately.

It cannot get more serious

On the morning of Friday 9-1-2004, I awoke shortly after 7:00 a.m. to the sound of the operation of laundry equipment by nfh. The first entry for my laundry equipment diary for this date shows a machine start time of 7:15 a.m. The first entry in my noise-creation diary for 9-1-2004 shows I created loud noise at 7:15 a.m. lasting for 1 minute and with 6 strikes on the wall. (I had begun recording the number of strikes on the wall on 17-11-2003.)
At about 7:30 a.m., my doorbell rang. When I opened my door to the resident in the first-floor flat (this is one of the neighbours to whom I addressed the letters mentioned previously and who had been playing the loud music since December 2003 as described above), he told me to stop making the noise. I told him I was sorry for the nuisance caused but that I couldn't stop, and for reasons I had explained earlier. He said I had come to him about playing the loud music and he didn't see what the difference was.
He stood very close to the threshold of my door and, about a metre The ‘man-friend’ nfh then came into my hallway, all the while I tell him to get out of my home behind him, stood the 'man-friend' of nfh. The first-floor neighbour took a few steps forward into my hallway and, despite my telling him several times not to come in, entered my home. He grabbed my clothing, pushed me against the wall, telling me to stop the noise.
The 'man-friend' nfh then came into my hallway, all the while I am telling both of them to get out of my home. The 'man-friend' takes hold of my clothing and, at this point, the first-floor neighbour to let go of me. The 'man-friend' continued to push me against the wall, pointing his finger close to my face and telling me all the nasty things he will do to me if I don't stop making the noise. From the time I opened my door to the time they both left together, this intrusion and assault lasted for about 1 minute.
Because the sound of laundry equipment operating before 8:00 a.m. still was obvious, and to show these two thugs I would not be intimidated like this, I resumed hitting the wall with the hammer. While doing this for about 10 minutes, I had decided it was pointless telling the council about the assault because they will ignore it, and immediately I telephoned the police instead, then continued hitting the wall. I stopped making the loud noise at 8:00 a.m. and the police arrived shortly afterwards.
Because I admitted to creating a nuisance by making the loud noise, they chose not to take my complaint of assault further which, under the circumstances, was to be expected. What was important, however, was that the assault will have been recorded and not ignored as it would have been if I had reported it to Brent Council. I was now convinced beyond any doubt this organisation no longer possessed the ability fairly to deal with the nuisance posed by nfh.

Reaching my limits of endurance

With over 7 hours of laundry equipment operation recorded throughout 9-1-2004, and over four hours of continuous operation ending only after 1:00 a.m. on 10-1-2004 (without operation of this equipment in many of the daylight hours of 9-1-2004 during which their flat had been occupied throughout that day), and with intrusive noise still transmitted through my ceilings at virtually any time of day or night, a I simply saw no way out of the impossible situation in which I had been placedmajor form of nuisance continued without change, as though absolutely nothing I did could induce a more acceptable pattern of behaviour from nfh.
It appeared to me I was getting nowhere very quickly indeed and I simply saw no way out of the impossible situation in which I had been placed, living here interminably with the intrusion from this family's laundry equipment and heavy footfalls, with the knowledge that those who have shown no concern whatsoever for my feelings or welfare virtually have complete control over my own home. There was nothing I wanted more than to be rid of the burden I had borne since the arrival of nfh at that address in the late 1980s, over 15 years previously. The only way out simply was to end it all by suicide. This was not a novel idea to me, having given it a some thought during the past few weeks when I could see no other sure, quick way out. Now, having been convinced I was abandoned by Brent Council to the hell provided by nfh, there was every inducement to contemplate it more thoroughly. By Sunday 11-1-2004, I had decided this was the only answer, and had chosen the method. I set about to carry out my decision the following evening, Monday 12-1-2004.

This thread is continued in Uncaring Brent.

Loud music nuisance Interfering with my telly Litter and filth A heavy-footed family Misusing their balcony Washing machine noise Soiling my windows A catalogue of nuisance Hell twice over

A neighbour from hell