At the end of my tether...!

Tubz

Can anyone offer any help or advice?

Last December I moved into a social housing flat. (Through a mutual exchange). The whole flat stank of urine when I moved in, meaning I had to rip all the carpets up immediately. I still don't have carpets as I cannot afford them. My HA refused to do anything stating it as it was "swapped as seen." I can assure you it did not smell when I viewed it, so it was not "as seen!."

A few days after Christmas, I had a sewage leak through the light fitting into my bathroom. I was told by the eitkmrn my HA sent out that it was due to poor upkeep by the tenants above as their soil pipe had split and leaked down into my flat. I was also told by the plumber who attended that the flat above was "unfit for human habitation. " This was reported back to my HA, who actually admitted this to me over the phone. After strong insistence on my part, I was rehoused in a hotel for 5 nights to make sure the leak didn't reappear. To this day I can still hear water dripping between the floors, snd there's a funny smell in my bathroom, but my HA won't do anything because there's no actual leak into my property. 

The main problem however, is the tenants above. I am 99 per cent sure they take drugs by their behaviour, they don't work, so sleep all day. However, this means they come alive at night. EVERY night, and I mean every night, since I moved in at the beginning of December, I have had to endure them frantically hoovering, banging and dropping heavy objects onto the floor, slamming drawers and doors, arguing, shouting (including in communal areas!) as well as constantly running backwards and forwards across my bedroom ceiling with thudding footsteps. This is made far worse by the fact that I am 99 percent certain they don't have ANY floor coverings down!! This starts at about 10pm and goes on until about 2-3 am.

I have sent over 1 month's worth of noise diaries to both my HA and the council. Both have ignored them. I have rung my HA to ask to meet with my my housing officer at least 3 times. I have not been contacted. I have spoken to various members of staff atvmy HA by phone or email. Every time I am told that my complaint will be passed to the relevant department, or "x" will call you. No one ever does.

Mid January the tenant above’s partner shouted and swore at me, and threatened to "do me in" because I looked out my door when he and the other tenant were rowing on the communal areas. I rang the police and got a case number. The police came out, talked to tenants who made up some excuse and the case was closed! I reported the incident to my HA. Again this was ignored. The Saturday just gone, the tenants upstairs started hoovering, banging around and shouting in the communal areas at 1am. I contacted the police again who have said thst they have passed it on to the local policing team, and mooted a "welfare" check on upstairs. 3am the same night they started up again. I was a sobbing wreck on the phone! I am hardly sleeping, I have no energy, my mental health is through the floor, my anxiety through the roof. I have been to my doctor who said that she can't raise my anti-depressants as i'm on the highest dose already! I have also been in touch with Mind. 

I am on the ASD spectrum, and I also have ADHD, anxiety and OCD, which present as high noise sensitivity. The HA were aware of all of my conditions when I applied for the swap.

I have contacted the ombudsman who say I have to go thtough my HA's complaints process.  I can't even get them to contact me, let alone go through a complaints process! I have spoken to Shelter, the EASS, and have also looked into taking legal action. However, I would have to do this through Legal Aid, or through a no win no fee basis, and after ringing many solicitors, non-one seems to have the funding/expertise or capacity to take on my case.

I have put my flat back on a couple of mutual exchange sites, but as I know, these can take years. I have been told by my HA that I would not be considered high priority for rehoming, yet they refuse to do anything about the situation I am in! I have repeatedly asked for soundproofing, even for them to put carpet in upstairs to deaden the noise. They have refused. I have also adk8ed them to inspect the flat upstairs because of the "unfit for human habitation " report and my fear of the bathroom ceiling coming in. They've refused. I have quoted the DDA at them. They poo pooed it and I was told that "I'm not the only tenant they have to deal with." I was also told that there had not been any complaints from the previous tenant (which I find hard to believe, as she was also disabled!) 

I am in a constant state of anxiety, with permanent migraines, and high anxiety. I'm diabetic, and my bloods are getting a lot worse because of the stress snd because I'm an emotional eater. 

Nobody is taking me seriously. I am at the end...

woodbine

Have you considered speaking to your MP see if they can help ?

Tubz

Hi Woodbine. Thanks for your reply. Yes, sorry I forgot to put thst I'd already done that. They wrote to them about the leak, but not the noise. (??) They're still waiting for a reply apparently... 🙄

Agnia

Hi Tubz, i would like to write to you that im truly truly sorry for your housing situation and your neighbour behaviour,
my neighbours they bang their door a lot , they walk around their flat in shoes at night at 1 am and there is a wooden floor, they were hoovering about midnight 

Agnia

i really truly and seriously  understand how your neighbours behaviour affect your health 
kind regards