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She has hoarded herself out of much of the bungalow, and lives and sleeps in the one room, the bedroom wall which adjoins mine. I have had mice in my home due to the state of her property. She sleeps all day and gets up at around 9pm at night rummaging around her hoard, moving things, things crashing and banging to the floor, and then she goes to bed around 9 - 12pm the next day. Her curtains are closed 24/7. She doesn't wash, and she doesn't eat very much she is thin, frail and dirty, and the stench of dogs feces, urine and rotting debris from her property is putrid. When her family does come round they take her out, they do not spend much time in there at all, and leave her dogs locked in the small dark hall for hours, sometimes days and they suffer separation anxiety, and so constantly howl.


I spoke to the family numerous times but they ignored me and ended up changing their telephone numbers. After 18 months I went to my Landlord, social services and the Alzheimer's society. This was when her 50 year old cannabis smoking son came to stay, which then added another problem, my home stinks of cannabis most of the time. The noise recorder went in and she was served a Community Protection Notice, which has already been breached, social services were trying to gain access but the son wasn't allowing her to open the door. Then 5 months later came the lockdown due to Covid-19. I am at the end of my tether, the son is going out most of the afternoon, and returning to the bungalow at night, then sits up all night with his mother while she makes noise all night, but doing nothing to stop her. My bed has been in my living room for 13 months now as it is the furthest room in the bungalow from the adjoining wall. However, the noise she makes is loud, climbing and waded over stuff and slamming the internal doors, it is a compulsive sound, a behaviour she cannot control, she also gets nasty, and has been abusive to me, and she has threatened to attack her son with a knife. I frequently hear her on her mobile phone in the garden accusing family members of stealing money or money going missing from her account, she also thinks people are stealing things from her home and garden. She has already been verbally abusive towards one of my neighbours (this was before I moved here), for which the police were called, as she believed her husband had moved in with her, even though her husband left 10 years ago due to the hoarding. I often see black smoke coming out of the kitchen window during the early hours of the morning, where she has forgotten what she is doing and has gone on to something else. Despite all this social services and my Landlord will not breach the lockdown to take action, even though her own family are not adhering to the lockdown, neither are they safeguarding my neighbour. As a result of lack of sleep, I am sinking into a depression, my asthma is affected by the constant stench of cannabis and I'm at the end of my tether.

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Man, you really have been through it. It sounds like this lady is very ill and unable to get help. So sad that so many have dropped the ball with getting her help, but, they may have just written it off as hoarding. It sounds like much more than hoarding is going on, though. I'd likely consult with an attorney about your options at this point. Most are still doing consults by phone or internet. If funds are an issue, I'd explore legal aid. They are trying to represent people who need it during this difficult time. It sounds like all kinds of reason for there to be an investigation and intervention into that situation, but, also, if you are located inside the city, there are often city ordinances about the condition of premises. While there are holds on many types of things regarding regulations, protecting someone's physical health should still be a priority for APS. And, if there are no readily available options, I'd look into moving.
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Are you an owner or a renter? You mentioned "your landlord", suggesting the latter unless you own your part of the bungalow but not the land it is on. Especially if you are a renter, then if you can't get something done about the situation, then the reality is that it will be best to move. Part of the beauty of renting is that such problems remain for the landlord rather than the tenant. (I've never owned a property and don't regret it!)
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You do not mention one of your options.

Move.

You have tried for months to have this situation resolved and if anything it has gotten worse.

If you are in a lease it should be easy to break the lease.
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Call the police about the noise after 10. Call Adult Protection Services. If they do nothing call the health dept saying because of her house, you are getting mice. This is now a health problem. The landlord can evict her. If she is on HUDD her son cannot live there. Maybe that is why he is gone all day. Sneaking back when no one will see him.
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The woman is obviously suffering from dementia and hoarding is sometimes associated with dementia. She may have been hoarding long before dementia set in, which is an anxiety disorder in general. If pot is illegal where you live, you can call the police to report the usage of it. But I agree with the others who suggest you move out and break the lease. The landlord is being negligent by allowing all of this nonsense to go on, at YOUR expense, and doing nothing to mitigate the problem. But that is neither here nor there, really, because YOU are the one who's paying the price.

Tell your landlord you want free rent until you find a new place or you are reporting him and her to the Department of Health for code violations. I take it you are in England since you reference a "Community Protection Notice". So I don't know if you have a Dept of Health, but whatever is the equivalent, you can contact them. As well as the ASPCA for the unsafe treatment of animals. Your landlord owes you SOMETHING here.........either a safe and peaceful environment in which to live or free rent while you find other accommodations. Just my opinion.

Personally, I'd move if it were me because there is just TOO MUCH going on here for you to be able to fix. You've tried, to no avail, to get help and you're not. So move on, my friend. That's the best you can do for yourself. Good luck!
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The next time the black smoke rolls out of the windows call the fire department. Their arrival may be the wake up call her family and your landlord need. And if they see the conditions there I believe they have to report it as a safety hazard. Can you call animal control about the howling dogs? They are surely better off in another home.
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I would get out as soon as possible and move for good. Horrible situation, poor animals too. Something needs to be done, this woman is obviously has mental health problems, family is no help. I would call the fire department as Pam suggested next time you see smoke. This is a bad situation for all and something has to be done now. Call the Senior Center and the Board of Health see what they can do. I visited a woman from church a year ago, her l husband and son died so I brought over some food for her. The place was fifthly, bunny poop everywhere, wires exposed, smelled and she was dirty and in a w/c. I called and reported my findings to the BOH and Senior Center and they were going to do an investigation. The neighbor should not be living alone, family is useless in my opinion. Hope she goes to a facility soon.
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Call your towns city hall and ask where do you report a horder that is putting her and your safety in danger. Then call Adult Protective Services and report an elderly person who is hording and you think mentally ill/because what you arw discribing sounda like it and ask them to so a check on her. And call rhe sheriff department and ask them to do a well check for these reasons as well.

Ask all these departments if they have any suggestions on who else you can call to help this person...and in turn it is going to help you. She will most lilely be removed from there and placed in a facility that can help her and take care of her because it sounds like she isn't capable of doing that for herself any more. And hording IS putting you in danger...can cause Fire and Rodents.

So don't feel bad reporting her to authorities that can Help her. You can't help her by yourself and hiring a lawyer isn't going to do anything but rack up a bill for you. A lawyer isn't going to be able to do anything...this problem needs Medical attention.
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Call health services on this woman and let them handle the oroblem since she is incapable and her family will not do it. There is a government agency you can report this matter but .I offhand do not know the name. Do your research since it is obvious you can use a computer. Do not stand idly by and complain. Act now. You have not only the right but the obligation to do so! You are not the mentally diseased one, are you?
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I hate to say this, but you'll probably get the strongest, fastest response from Animal Control. If you can't get the woman out of there for her own safety or due to the damage and infestation, maybe having her dog(s) taken away would work. Hoarding and rodents should be more than enough for Adult Protective Services to pull her out of there, whether she's been diagnosed with dementia or not.
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Call Adult Protective Services. Why not move?
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For just a moment, take a step back, and view yourself not as the victiim, but as a concerned neighbor. Your neighbor, poor thing, is the true victim. She has absolutely zero control over what she's doing.

Instead of calling authorities to complain, call to report a life threatening situation with an elderly neighbor. I think you will get much further in your search for help for the poor woman, than if you make yourself out to be the victim.

My humble opinion only.

Best of luck to you both.
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Dianed58 May 2020
Great reframe of the problem! - it may work
(3)
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I would absolutely call the police. Hopefully she would be taken to the hospital and they can address her behavior. I would also call Adult Protective Services.
But she must get her behavior under control and needs help with her sleeping and hoarding. In addition, I would consider moving.
I wish you the best of luck,
Donna
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Sad, frustrating, but i'm not sure you can do anything!
Spounds like the family don't care, to them it's a place to sleep?
Hangout....ppl can do what they want, sleep when they want, live in filth too.
Its too bad you didn't have a nice relationship instead. But i've thought it thru & she may be there bothering you for yrs to come, so I would say move too.
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I would move ASAP. Period. Tell landlord why. They will have a hard time leasing it out with the stench so maybe they will report her. Good luck.
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Maryjann May 2020
Would that count as breaking a lease for cause? It may be tough for OP to rent a place she can afford if she has been there a while. My mother was a hoarder and I felt horrible for the neighbors. But there was NOTHING we could do about it. Hoarding is a mental illness. Unless the hoarder is deemed incompetent by the courts, s/he has a right to live in squalor if desired. It can be hard to get the code people to care. I hope the OP can get people onboard as this is so wrong.
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You could call APS and ask for a well being check.
You could call the police when you hear banging that late. Noise that late is a disturbance and the police can deal with it.
You could also call the village or county and talk to someone in the Health Department or Code Enforcement both have regulations on hoarding and if it is bringing in rodent infestations that is a health concern for you as well as your neighbor.
Oh, next time you see smoke...call the Fire Department. Because the next time it might be a fire they have to deal with. And do this every time you see smoke.
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You need to move as soon as you can. She will cause mold problems and all kinds of vermin and bug problems with her hording. It will affect your health. Call the board of health if you have to break you lease to move. It will give you a reason to break your lease. I have seen this in condos, where one persons mold problem is making a neighbor sick, and the neighbor has no knowledge of the problem below or beside him.
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I would contact adult protective services (Area Agency on Aging) to report the situation. They should be able to help remedy the situation. I know this would be difficult but when the restrictions from this pandemic are lifted, I would move. I would also call the police about the cannabis as possession of it is still legal. If your neighbor is a danger to herself and it seems that she is, the police or protective services may be able to take her for a mental health evaluation.
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Really I don’t understand why you would be on this site complaining about a neighbor?
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MountainMoose May 2020
Wrong, wrong, wrong, Greymare. That neighbor is a serious hazard to herself, Rose21, and those animals. While trying to protect herself and the safe life she's entitled to, Rose21's trying to protect her neighbor. Rose21 is being a caregiver of sorts to an elder by trying to help her.
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I was in a situation similar to this when I was younger. The people in the adjoining apartment moved out and since there was nothing left in that apartment ALL the vermin came through the wall to MY apartment. I awoke in the middle of the night with cockroaches crawling all over me! When I turned on the light I saw hundreds of them swarming in my room. I did not sleep one more night in that place. I went and immediately found another place to live.
I realize with lockdown it might not be that easy but my point is even if you get rid of her do you know what will be left behind?
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MountainMoose May 2020
I'm horrified just reading your post! I am so sorry. You make an important point about the aftermath. *shudders*
(7)
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I would call the police and/or adult protective services along with landlord whenever I hear a threat or see black smoke or anything that seems dangerous. I would also make plans to move ASAP. You can tell your landlord your plans and if he has other units away from this can consider.
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Call local code enforcement officials. Rose this is something they should be able to assist with .. then call ur local drug hotline on them . There is a lengthy process in this which will take time . But better results will occur when you can have others calling in on these people.
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Rose21,
Yes Adult Protective Services!!
I had a similar situation, but it was a condo full of young men.
Besides having the police on speed dial, I also went to the HOA board. I explained all that was going on. I also explained how it was lowering everyone's property values! That did the trick!
Maybe talk to other neighbors and see if they are willing to give written testimonies. More ammo for the HOA board!
I'm so sorry that you have to deal with all this and "Lock down ".
Hang in there!!
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Maybe Dept of health or Area on Aging? Any other neighbors can go to landlord? Most likely have to wait till plague leaves. She sounds like human plague, but certainly has dementia...you might have to take action..perhaps calling a news station? Document everything...by taking pictures & videos....Write down day & time of each incident with descriptions....
You can’t live like this for sure. Keep at it ...hugs 🤗
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tjshd57 May 2020
That is sundowners syndrome very hard to get through
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What is the matter with your land lord? She is a danger to herself and others. She could burn the house down. Your place has become unliveable. You could stop paying rent until he deals with the situation. He has the right to evict her. Adult protective services, animal abuse agencies are probably best for quick action. I watch the show "Hoarders" on tv and situations like this are more common than I would have thought. Very sad. I would not confront the people directly. You would be helping her by reporting. There are building code violations in there for sure and the landlord could be fined. I can't believe he has let this go on for so long. He has a lot to lose.
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i agree to all the suggestions others have given for your situation.I understand that after 10pm there should be only minimal noise and not a disturbance of the peace.I have a neighbor living above me(only been here a month and a half) and since we rent out this condo unit out i now understand why our renter left.These people upstairs stomp and stomp all nite until 4am.Oviously I've called the police and to have this problem put down quickly.But the main problem is that their 6 year old child is kept awake and she stomps from one end of their condo to another through the nite, making lots of noise.the police presence has quieted these people down some.But why is a child forced to be awake at this hour at nite?I'm contacting the APS to see why these people keep their child awake...or are they giving this child something that forces her to be awake at that hour. any suggestions on this issue?
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Isthisrealyreal May 2020
You will want to contact the department of child safety (DCS) not APS.
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While you are waiting for something to happen, including you moving out, try industrial ear plugs. I had a (much nicer) problem when my neighbours upstairs in our flat were getting up, showering, toileting and eating at 4am because they needed to get to work with a very early start. Good ear plugs really do help. Go to a work safety shop, not a pharmacy.
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Adult Protective Services needs to be called.
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Call the Health Dept. And look for a new home in a better neighborhood. The Health Dept is quite busy these days so do not expect a quick solution. Since your landlord will not do anything, you may legally break the lease. Talk to a Elder lawyer, too. Call you legal aid folks-- via 211. The folks at 211 can help immensely. The my help with a free Ombudsman ( negotiator/mediator)… and-- have you spoken to the Police?--- since it still is illegal to smoke pot and anybody who uses is probably selling it.
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Move. Now. Do not wait for the lockdown to end. You can find amazing move-in deals now with a few months of free rent or a move-in bonus that reduces your rental pay, in some cases.

You neighbor is not your problem. Let her family deal with her.

If you have a lease and are not simply month-to-moth, you need to send a notice to your landlord stating that he has constructively evicted you by allowing the unhealthy conditions next door, and by refusing to deal with the noise complaints, has violated your rights to peaceful enjoyment of your rental unit.

Under these circumstances, you do not need to give any further notice. Move and clean up your place in a reasonable manner and then demand the return of your deposit as well.

Good luck!
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