my home
7 years ago, i moved out of an almost derelict rat-trap of a high-rise block into a smaller, but very nice, ground-floor flat in what is commonly termed "granny flats". yes it was smaller, but i now had a front yard and a huge communal back garden, which i enjoyed sharing with my neighbours, who were a friendly, welcoming and quiet lot. i even started painting again, something i very rarely do. i was happy.
4 years ago, all that began to change. the elderly husband of my upstairs neighbour finally succumbed to the cancer that had been torturing him for over 2 years. after this, his 3 daughters would come to visit his widow several times a day, bringing their children and vast collection of jack russels. the walls are paper thin, so i can hear every bark, every footstep, every drum solo on the radiators on a sunday morning(odd child, that one). i would never complain to her, she's an old lady and needs her family around her. i mention it only as a starting point.
within 6 months of the old man's death. 2 new neighbours had moved into the block. one has a very large dog, which he lets out at about 6.30 in the morning to do its business in the communal back garden. it shits right outside my window. every time. without fail. he then plants his shitty paws all over my bedroom window and barks like a maniac, trying to get at the dogs upstaits. sleep-ins are a thing of the past.
so, i'm awake now. i go into the living room and open the blinds. if it's a nice sunny day, i'm greeted by the sight of the second new arrival and his friends, sitting at the picnic table 5 feet away, enjoying their morning stella. i don't open the window on these occasions, as their conversations are quite loud and profane. again, it's a communal garden, so i really can't complain.
around the same time, a gang of local boys was coming up to "annoying fuckwit teenager" age. they quickly decided that, as i live in the end flat and there's a handy fence for them to hide behind, i was the perfect target for countless games of knock and run(or ding dong ditch, i believe it's called over the pond). just boys being boys, i thought. ignore them, they'll soon get tired and stop it.
they didn't stop. it soon escalated into spitting at me as i walked past, trying to break my door down and throwing stones at me if i dared to open my door. eventually, i had no choice but to call the police. i was a nervous wreck by this point and felt pretty much at the end of my rope. fortunately, there were large bootprints all over my front door when the police arrived, so they actually took my complaint seriously. since their intervention, the boys' behaviour toned down to just yelling profanities at me. i've been called a lot worse by a lot better.
2 months ago, one of these boys was thrown out by parents who can no longer cope with him. as he's an asbo case and classed as a "vulnerable teen", he's been given his own flat. 3 doors away from me. the garden is full of his mates every night, drinking, taking drugs and playing very loud music. one neighbour made the mistake of asking them to turn it down a bit as it was after 11p.m and he was going to bed. there followed 4 hours of full-blast eminem. garden furniture is routinely thrown about, i've had 2 fighting idiots crashing into my windows, there have been impromptu barbecues fed by ripping apart the bushes and fence planking. police will do nothing to help and we've given up asking. due to the bedroom tax, i'm now very limited as to where i could go. even if i took a smaller flat in a badly rundown area, i'd be waiting about 3 years. my nerves are taking a serious beating.
tl;dr: my neighbours are cunts. i am unhappy.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 15:57, 68 replies)

if you don't pay for your flat just be fucking thankful us hard working and kind hearted tax payers fund one for you

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 17:21, closed)

i am also a taxpayer
so go and stick it up your cock
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 17:37, closed)

also there is no such thing as a "bedroom tax"

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 17:47, closed)

if there was, i wouldn't be paying it
i have 1 bedroom
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 17:54, closed)

so you have nothing to worry about then
glad everything is working out for you
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 17:57, closed)

yeah
me too
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 18:02, closed)

It's not a tax, you aren't paying.
Your housing benefit is being reduced because you have more room than you need.

It is not a tax. You aren't handing over any money, even passively.

EDIT: wait, one bedroom? You're either lying or thick. Have you got a spare room which is converted to a study or sutin? Because one bedroom for one person is not grounds for 'bedroom tax'.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 18:08, closed)

i'm not paying bedroom tax
i'm paying council tax. i never said anything about bedroom tax, other than that it'd make it hard for me to move house as one-bedroomed places are now in short supply.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 18:24, closed)

Well, council tax is a start, eh?
Next step- breaking through the £9,440 earnings threshold to start paying income tax like the rest of the grownups do.

Fingers crossed!
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 18:25, closed)

how much tax do you pay cunt?
how much do you take out of the system?

grown ups. muppet.
( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:53, closed)

You're right Dr, taxpayers do indeed take out of the system and unless you earn an awful lot, then most people come out with a negative contribution.
Nice to see you're keeping your head here and displaying some adult dignity.
(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 0:00, closed)

i pay what i'm legally obliged to pay
which is more than can be said for some people. if i had to pay more, i would.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 15:04, closed)

I have paid into the UK system over £300,000 in personal tax.
Much more in VAT and Corporation Tax and a significant amount in NI.

If having an opinion based on tax is of key importance then I win. Gay, anti-war, antitheist. I do not judge those on benefits, nor would want to. I do this whilst judging pointless mouth breathing breeders who wish to use my money to not educate, not discipline, cause untold environmental damage with their over breeding ways. Tell me, why do I pay for your life styles in terms of NHS and Education and Military. I do so because it is necessary. Not essential but necessary. Even good parents drain my wallet by having multiple children where one child is quite enough. Yes Mr taxpayer, how much do you pay and how much have you drained out of the system?

Yes, lets pillory the fat, poor, disabled witch. Witch as irony.

Unemployed youth, best place for them to be honest. Be glad that we pay for the work shy and truly feckless to be unemployed because at work they cause more problems than they are worth. And if you think £60 a week is living a life then something is very sad.

I just paid £145 for a nice meal out for 5, which is very cheap.
( d.r._and_quinch when will you be famous?, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:40, closed)

Get a job. Save up some money. Move.
And in the meantime, stop moaning. If living there is that unbearable go and sleep rough somewhere.
( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 18:48, closed)

i think she's pretty rough no matter where she sleeps

( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 19:02, closed)

oh you scamp

(dozers, do fuck off ur a nob m8, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 19:10, closed)

Well Smash, according to your post you are well used to
this sort of reception. These are not just neighbours, these are b3ta neighbours. Full of the milk of human kindness. Oh and don't worry if you haven't given all the details of your circumstances. Whatever information is missing they will cast amongst their prejudices and assume something suitably derogatory with which to bombard you. Think I would rather live on your block than on theirs.
( edjogs Collared doves are shit., Sat 17 Aug 2013, 21:13, closed)

A mate of mine told me
that it wouldn't be so bad living in a poor neighbourhood, if weren't for all the fucking poor people.
(the other guy not the one that gave you coochie warts, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 21:27, closed)

So here we are on b3ta where this (youngish) lady has highlighted a problem about where she lives.
And in the past has openly shared with us how her sight is gradually failing.
The perfect opportunity for some enterprising white knight b3tan internet-hardman (there seemed to be a veritable abundance of them a few weeks ago!) to go round and have a quiet word with these problem causing young men and hopefully find a solution to Smashie's neighbourly disputes.

But no. This is b3ta baby. Where if you don't behave like an "annoying fuckwit teenager asbo case" then you yourself end up being accused of being a cunt.
I know you don't need me to tell you Smash - popping people like rory and Plummy and Baked Ape on ignore makes a vast improvement to this site.
(s0ckpuppet logging out to reply to you if you're not careful, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 22:30, closed)

I was beginning to think it was just me.

( edjogs Collared doves are shit., Sat 17 Aug 2013, 22:46, closed)

One of the 1st things I did when I *ahem* came back
was draw up a list of the "usual suspects" and put them on ignore.
The thread count is down overall but really it makes for much better reading.
(s0ckpuppet logging out to reply to you if you're not careful, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:35, closed)

ignore is a last resort
but my list is getting pretty full
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 14:57, closed)

You might have more luck contacting the council housing office/housing association (the scrotes will certainly be in breach of their tenancy agreements), environmental health, and the dog warden. Worth a shot.
( Happy Phantom has been to Hastings, Brighton, and Eastbourne too, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:28, closed)

i know for a fact we've got no dog warden here
as my mate is warden in an adjoining area. been onto the housing, given them police incident numbers, nothing's happened.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 15:03, closed)

Grim
You sound like a nice person who has fallen into an unpleasant situation over some time, and I admire your fortitude and patience. Keep to your plan of moving; three years is a bit long but it might be good to always seek out alternatives if and whenever possible. Dialogue with neighbours, locals, friends is important and imperative: communication opens possible opportunities and the therapeutic value of simply talking is immeasurable. Hold on to and maintain a sense of self-determination and feeling of your own power, however small you might think it to be - you must keep your will and refuse the power to transfer to morons. One day it will be behind you - never lose sight of that day.
(roysin, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:32, closed)

^ What Soda Water Spiller said! ^
;]
(s0ckpuppet logging out to reply to you if you're not careful, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:36, closed)

Ho!
I see you are differently attired. I'm on tomato juice now, can I get you a *trips on undone shoe-lace, spills drink* Duck! Sorry!

TAXI!
(roysin, Sat 17 Aug 2013, 23:53, closed)

It's the "virgin" in a virgin Mary
that makes it spesh!
Tsk! Look at me now - it looks like I've been giving mouth love to a menstruating haemophiliac.
(s0ckpuppet logging out to reply to you if you're not careful, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 0:21, closed)

it'd be lovely here
if not for these few idiots. i know some of my other neighbours are suffering as much as, if not more than, me. i've been offered a spare room by some homeowning friends, but that's hardly a solution and i'd feel weird. i'm keeping one eye on the transfers list, but so far, nothing has come up except high-rise blocks, which i'm no longer fit to live in. still, it'll all turn out in the end.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 15:01, closed)

I suppose keeping one eye on it is all you can do.

( Fucking hell Jeff I am not a robot, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 15:23, closed)

oh you

( drimble he'd been white, he'd been black, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 16:19, closed)

you cunt, that made me laugh

( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 16:39, closed)

This is why replies should be able to win.
( social hand grenade I was a lurker before you were a lurker, Sun 18 Aug 2013, 18:59, closed)

magnificent

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 19 Aug 2013, 7:57, closed)

I used to live in a similar situation
Ultimately you just have to move - the police can't do anything
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Mon 19 Aug 2013, 13:03, closed)

i know :(

( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Mon 19 Aug 2013, 13:12, closed)

Can't you form / join some sore of neighbourhood / residents association? There must be plenty of other people as fed up as you are.

( 2 Can Chunder Word to your mums, I came to prod bums, Mon 19 Aug 2013, 14:46, closed)

there are
but they've learned not to complain. nothing gets done, except these lads get a telling off. this then means they behave even worse. nobody is wiling to rock the boat, i was the only one who'd dare to phone the police in the first place. a few people told me afterwards they were glad someone had, but they'd never do it themselves, for fear of reprisal. many of my neighbours are elderly, so i can't blame them.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Mon 19 Aug 2013, 15:47, closed)

Just arrange a meeting of concerned residents, safety in numbers and all that. If enough of you complain to the council they'll have to do something.
Calling the police won't solve anything long term.
( 2 Can Chunder Word to your mums, I came to prod bums, Mon 19 Aug 2013, 16:47, closed)