neighbour from hell

[samt1985]

i have neighbour from hell!! I live on a public street where there are no parking bays or restrictions. Occasionally i have to park outside her house and as does she mine but when i do it i end up with coke or various other liquids all over my car, or her and her boyfriend park on my bumpers so i cannot move my car. there have also been incidences where she has rung my workplace and my dads workplace to complain about our cars being parked outside her house. she has also put in complaints to council about excessive noise from our house during the day like music and dogs barking. No1 is in during the day and we have spken to other neighbours who say they can;t hear our dogs at all during the day. its really getting us all down. can anything be done about her?

[puddicat]

Have you a mediation service in your area??

[LoftyLottie]

We had a similar problem (our neighbour got a bee in his bonnett and started complaining about all sorts of things we were supposedly doing) and sent a solicitors letter out to the neighbour concerned. The solicitor warned him about harrassment and stated that if it continued we would inform the police (harrassment is a criminal offence) and take action.

A solicitors letter should cost no more than �100 and often acts as a frightener. I personally wouldn't try to reason with the neighbour - they don't sound like reasonable neighbours.

[LoftyLottie]

Mediation is OK puddicat where both parties are reasonable. We didn't go down that route because we were being accused of things that were untrue and our neighbour was being unreasonable and making false accusations. Mediation works when there is a genuine dispute

samt's neighbours have no rights to parking outside their home. In fact, none of us have rights to park on public roads, but obviously we have to. It would be different if samt was blocking their driveway.

[Nosha123]

I can really sympathise as I have problems with neighbours too right now.... If you intend to ever go to the police it would be good to keep a diary of incidents... Can you see the parking spaces from your lounge window... can you set up a camera or something to record the person doing it?
She sounds like a nutter.. but the sort of nutter you dont really want to upset.. it aint worth it!!!

[puddicat]

Hi Lofty,i did some training with a mediation service, contact your council for advice they have information available,what will happen if both sides are agreeable, will both be visited separately from each other to get your issues, then if both parties are agreeable to a meet at a designated place,the mediators wont be anyone that knows you or them, and will come from a different area,you will bring up the issues you have and they can have there say,hopefully the mediators will do there job and suggest how they can resolve the issues, sometimes the other party doesnt realise how bad they seem and vice versa, hope that this can help!!!

[LoftyLottie]

I appreciate what you are saying Puddicat, but when you are dealing with totally unreasonable people and there is no issue to resolve I can't see that mediation is the answer. Our solicitor agreed with us in our case after we had a discussion with him on mediation.

I am not against mediation where there is something to sort out, but what samt is experiencing is harrassment pure and simple.

[puddicat]

Yep lottie as you say it depends on how they would view the service,i have shadowed as seen quite rough types actually turn up, but the council should be the first port of call to get advice, then even a solictors letter might rile them even more!!!

[LoftyLottie]

Councils can't do a lot about harrassment though puddicat, well not very quickly. We wanted a quick solution and councils can be very long winded and very cautious in their dealings.

Anyway, the harrassment has stopped now :o)

[puddicat]

yep lottie think your a nice and rational person, that was the best solution for you!!!

[LoftyLottie]

Not always nice and rational Puddicat. But thanks ;o)

[puddicat]

Me neither lol!!!

[Martiens]

People get proof! Do you have proof? Setting up a camera if you can would be great. Take photos as much as you can. If you go council or solicitor proof to support your complaint is a must!