Any Advice Greatly Appreciated

Tubz

Hi everyone.

I wonder if anyone can help me? I posted here about Christmas time last year saying that my neighbours above me were hoovering etc during the night. Although that is still ongoing, I'm pleased to say that the council and my housing association finally took it seriously and are now dealing with it. However, I now have another, bigger problem with another set of neighbours. She is a single mother with two very obnoxious young boys. These boys and their comrades spend most of their time after school until about 9.30 at night making my life a misery by constantly kicking a hard football into the supporting walls underneath my flat: (the car park is underneath me), as well as the railings around it. They have now started to use a basketball too... They are the ringleaders of a group of 6-8 other children, all from my road who all copy their behaviour. These children have broken my letterbox twice, broken pipe brackets, a light and the lock on the communal door with their behaviour. They also kick the fire escape door, bang the railings with a large stick, scream, shout and swear at the top of their voices. They also ring my intercom and run away when I answer it. I have repeatedly asked them to stop but I am ignored and the behaviour continues. I have tried speaking to their mother, but I am sworn at, threatened and shouted at by her, and other parents. One of the children has also told me to "f off" and told me that he can "do what he wants." If I so much as tell one of the kids to stop kicking the ball against my wall, one of them goes crying to their mother who then barges into the communal stairwell of the flats; (she has her own private entrance), and hammers on my door swearing and shouting at me! My partner has bought the children soft foam balls so that they are still able to play, but without the thudding. They ignore these and use their hard footballs. The police have been involved a number of times, and have spoken to the mother. She just lies and tells the police that they're in by 7pm. She has also told them that I swore at her kids, and that I was aggressive to them!! (I'm a teacher…!) The police case has now been upgraded from antisocial behaviour to harassment as my partner recorded them shouting: "Kick the football at the wall!!". and because their behaviour has got worse recently; (assumedly because they are trying to get me to react.) Both the mother and her offspring know I am autistic and have ADHD and extreme noise sensitivity as I told them when I first moved in. I have repeatedly contacted my social landlord, but the ASB bloke dismisses it as "just children playing", just as he dismissed the noise above me as a "few footsteps and people going to the toilet", until the council got involved... He refuses to even discuss the situation, and has told me that "the case is closed." He now ignores my emails. I have contacted the council, but because my HA have told them it's "just children playing", they won't do anything. I have repeatedly asked to be rehoused, but again my landlord refuses saying that I'm "not at risk, so i'm not eligible. " Even the police have written to him suggesting I be moved! It has now got to the stage where I am having to stay away from my home from 3.30 until 9/9.30 pm because I cannot stand the constant thudding and shaking to my property. Once I return I have a few hours before the neighbours upstairs start. I am hardly sleeping and I am absolutely dreading next week as the school holidays begin and I know that the kids will be out there all day, every day, as their mother never takes them anywhere. She knows exactly what they do, as she sits out in the road. I suspect she encourages them too. My anxiety is through the roof, I am constantly in tears and I feel absolutely powerless. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA. X

Tubz

I forgot to add that the police suggested mediation, which I was more than happy to enter into. However, she refused.

Cantilip

Oh Tubz, lots of empathy. I know what noise does and I'm neurotypical. I once lived next to a young man who fancied himself as a rock guitarist. Are there no regulations and by-laws governing resident behaviour? You describe clear vandalism. My guess would be that the powers-that-be are running away from confronting this dear little family