Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

I want to do a Housing Association swap. .. . . . I thought it was all approved and am now PACKED and ready to move,

Can you give us an idea of the timescale involved.

You say you're "packed and ready to move" which implies that you have found and agreed in principle the right property to swap with already. This would mean that there is also a person in another property packed and ready to move into yours. If so this may help if they too put pressure on the HA to sort this quickly.

Or do you mean you've packed up in the hope of finding a swap as soon as you get the paperwork sorted?

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

My HA now say I can NOT swap without a Dr.'s letter. My own Dr. is on leave. The locum refused to write a letter! . . . ALSO, I am socially isolated up here, and the move to Liss wil give me freedom to use a mobility scooter!!! I am stuck up here on a hill.

Do you know why the HA are requesting a letter from your GP and what it should say? Is it because the miserable circumstances in which you're living have had a negative impact on your health? If your GP has given you any medication for this issue then it should be easy for them to write that letter based on your notes at the surgery. I can't think of any reason for the locum refusing so did they give you the reason?

Why not make an appointment to see the doctor who knows you well when they're back from leave; unless it's a six-month maternity leave in which case it can't wait that long.

My GP surgery charges £20 to write a letter but I'm sure that fee could be waived if you're on benefits.

[Scarlettmh]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Thank you, I am getting a good response!!!

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

I have BAD upstairs neigbours who bully me, and they really abuse me. Mediation has not helped. I want to and need to move. Please help

This is shocking. No one should have to tolerate bullying from neighbours. This is anti-social behaviour pure and simple. Cloggy is right that this needs to be investigated, quite possibly by the police who deal with harassment because that's what it is. Harassment is a criminal offence. How long has this been going on?

You refer to "mediation" not helping. I assume this was mediation set up by your HA in which case they'll know about the harassment and they'll know it hasn't stopped despite the mediation attempt. I would like to think that this harassment is enough of a reason to get you rehoused (with or without a swap) and shame on the HA for not looking deeper into this aspect, never mind the wet-room shenanigans.

Make a written complaint asap to the HA about the way they have failed to protect you from this bullying. If the upstairs neighbours are also tenants with the same HA then that would make things easier all round. It doesn't have to be a sophisticated letter, it can be one paragraph to say that you find life unbearable due to the harassment from these horrid people and you wish to complain that the HA has not done enough to prevent it or protect you from it. Ask then to agree to re-house you because of the anti-social behaviour of your neighbours.

Once you've logged a complaint you can then approach the Housing Ombudsman who will investigate it on your behalf. The Ombudsman is independent so will not automatically back your HA. In theory you're supposed to wait for a response from your HA first, but you can still log the complaint with the Ombudsman who will then contact your HA and tell them to pull their finger out.

Here's a link to the Housing Ombudsman's website. Have a read about how the complaints procedure works. There are some useful Case Studies where you can see what sort of problems the Ombudsman can cure. This one is similar to yours and it has a happy ending. I hope yours will too because you deserve a bit of happiness after all you've been through


http://www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/.../#.UyRFUPl_tqU

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

I am getting a good response!!!

And we've only just started

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Whilst I have some ideas of how to make the existences of the nasty neighbours a bit more interesting.

This "bullying" could be criminal harassment couldn't it? Do you think Scarlett should report it to her local Neighbourhood Policing Team who may decide to pay a visit to the upstairs neighbours for a cup of tea and a chat?

[Pixie]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

All I can say is good luck in involving HA and the police in neighbour harassment.

I had a neighbour who actually assaulted me and was sent to prison for the assault but the local council (was still a council house at that time) and the police were useless. Maybe it was because I wasn't a council tenant (owner occupier) or because the other neighbours wouldn't get involved (they were all little old ladies who were terrified of this guy) This was 15 years ago so maybe things have changed since then.

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

I had a neighbour who actually assaulted me and was sent to prison for the assault but the local council (was still a council house at that time) and the police were useless. Maybe it was because I wasn't a council tenant .

What a dreadful thing to have happen to you Pixie

Even if the police are useless they will have to give Scarlett a Crime Reference Number once she reports it and this will formalise the situation. Hopefully the HA will take her request to move more seriously then.

I think Scarlett should start a diary to log everything that these neighbours say or do with the date, the time, and the nature of the incident however trivial it may seem to outsiders.

[PriorityOne]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

When I had neighbours from Hell living in my road last year, we were all advised to keep a diary of events…. because councils cannot take action without evidence; whatever type of tenants they are - council or private. Their actions/behaviour were also reported to the non-emergency police 101 number and a crime reference "file" was quickly built up that way as well. Your council will have a number for reporting anti-social behaviour and in my own case, there was a separate one for logging the behaviours of people living in privately rented accommodation, as opposed to council accommodation. A quick call to the council switchboard should tell you what the number is. A direct email address is also useful… and you can get this once you've made that first call.

If the locum doctor would not write a letter supporting your move, then request an appointment with a different one and if that fails, lodge a written complaint with the practice. There are no grounds for refusing to write a letter like that; not to my knowledge anyway.

It's unfortunate that there's so much red tape with these kind of things….. it makes life extremely hard for good people.

[Pixie]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

What a dreadful thing to have happen to you Pixie

It's the reason behind why I'm now a HA tenant and in lots of debt.

I think Scarlett should start a diary to log everything that these neighbours say or do with the date, the time, and the nature of the incident however trivial it may seem to outsiders.

I agree. I had to log everything this guy said or did...I couldn't just write that he swore at me, I had to write the exact words.

I really hope scarlett gets moved soon...it's awful having bad neighbours.

[Scarlettmh]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Thank you, and yes I kept a diary and discussed it with my Housing Officer, and attempted Mediation, but now all I want to do is move. That is my focus, and my Dr will be back tomorrow, hopefully, as he knows me well, he will write that letter. Meanwhile I have contacted Housing's OT and she is looking into it, as there appears there is a "5 year" rule, which is good, as I had the grant for the wet room 6 years ago. Many irons in the fire today. Thanks!

[PlanB]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Let us know how you get on after your doctor's appointment because that letter should be enough evidence to get you re-homed with or without the need to find a property willing to swap with you

[Scarlettmh]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Success,I got the OK to go ahead from The Housing Association's own OT!!!
Thank you, each and every one. You gave me the motivation to plow on and tackle the problem more affectively.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Well Done Scarlettmh pleased for you now enjoy your life

[IF]

Re: Housing advice ,I am on Benefits

Well done from me too Scarlettmh