Crazy Neighbour

junglist_matty

The woman who lives next door to us is totally crazy, we bought the house in April'12, and immediately she mentioned that our chimney (for a wood burning fire) was not safe to use so we didn't use it (it was summer anyway). Before the winter arrived we had a chimney sweep out who swept the chimney and then did a smoke pressure test on it, there were no signs of smoke leakage to be observed and the draw on the chimney is very good.

Anyway, we had a couple of fires last winter and soon after, our neighbour informed us that her CO alarm was going off, obviously we immediately stopped having fires thinking that our chimney was possibly at fault. However, after we stopped having fires, her CO alarm continued to go off, and waking us up regularly throughout the nights (as the walls are not very soundproof).

We went away on holiday for a couple of weeks in April and on returning she told us that she had been putting this CO alarm in different places in her house, and she even said she'd put it outside in her front garden and it still went off, so she then started blaming traffic pollution coming from the A14 (which is about a mile away from our front doors)!!!! After this we hear nothing more of the situation, CO alarm stops going off (at least we don't hear it anymore).

During the summer this year, we removed the open wood burning fireplace from our living room, bricked up around the fireplace and bought a wood burning stove and set it in position. As that was quite expensive in itself, we have waited to have it all connected up and signed off until we can start to use it for burning fires.

Also during the summer, she had a new stove installed (professionally), and they discovered a hole in her chimney that went through to ours that they fixed up.... Now this hole I gurantee is created by her because we hear weird scratching noises coming from the walls and it's probably her trying to remove bricks or something with some little metal tool or something!!!!

Anyway, this month her antics start over, she comes over accusing us of having fires (when we haven't), and that she has had to sleep with all windows open and such because the smoke is causing her problems (the source of this smoke is coming from is a mystery to us - and we think she's just mental and making it all up in her head). So last night at 2am we heard banging and noises as if there was a builder doing work next door.... I get up and go outside to knock on her door to see what the hell she was up to (bearing in mind she's nearly 80).... She opens the front door and shouts at me "Get your chimney sorted" and slams the door back in my face. So I put my arm out to stop the door from closing so I can talk to her so I ask her what the hell she is doing and she says she's looking for the source of the smoke.... She'd been doing what she did last year and pulling up floorboards in the upstairs bedroom thinking theres a hole under the floorboards into our chimney!!!!!!!! ....I told her we'd not lit a fire and she was totally mad, and went to bed, shortly after the noise stopped, but I didn't get back to sleep for another few hours!



So now I'm totally fed up and have discovered the previous owners had the same problems with her and that they had reported her to someone (I don't know who) and she had to have mental health checkups which recently stopped. Now I don't want to have her "evicted" from her own home, I just want this rubbish to stop, so anyone know what or where I can go to get this whole thing sorted.


Thanks if you've managed to read it all and have some advice for us!!!!

daviesee

Buy her a new CO2 monitor.
But do not fit batteries.
Sorted.

ballysmate

Take batteries out of her hearing aid.

seanoconn

Document every incident. Try to keep cool, don't do anything that might be deemed threatening. Contact the council or call the police if you feel you're being harassed.

daviesee

PS :-
Invite her on here. Could be a right good laugh. She would fit right in. :P

ballysmate

Got any pics of her for the big girls thread?

Pross

When I was a kid we had a genuinely crazy neighbour who gradually deteriorated. The first real sign (after a few moans about non-existent loud noises being made by us) was when I came in from school and there was a knock at the door. I was about 10 at the time, opened the door expecting it to be one of my friends and got punched in the face by her for 'making too much noise walking down the path'. A few weeks later her own elderly mother called the police and she was carted off to be sectioned due to violent behaviour. The worst thing was the damaging sight of her stripping off as they took her away while she proclaimed to be Mary, mother of Jesus. The image has scarred me for life :shock:

I would suggest if possible mentioning her behaviour to a family member if she has any visit her. Failing that it is probably worth trying to contact social services or the police. It sounds like she needs help and, potentially, you may need the threat of an ASBO for your own benefit.

mm1

Did the previous occupant of your house disclose any of this on their property information form before they sold to you? You may have a case against them if they didn't?

junglist_matty

Pross wrote:

I would suggest if possible mentioning her behaviour to a family member if she has any visit her. Failing that it is probably worth trying to contact social services or the police. It sounds like she needs help and, potentially, you may need the threat of an ASBO for your own benefit.

Unfortunately she never has any visitors, from what I gather she has two sons but they never visit; her sister did come and stay with her for a few days but we were away on holiday at the time.

mm1 wrote:

Did the previous occupant of your house disclose any of this on their property information form before they sold to you? You may have a case against them if they didn't?

My mum told me this last year when she started kicking off, but I don't really know how to go about it? ....We weren't told anything about a troublesome neighbour at any point in time whilst the sale was going through.
After we moved in, she (the neighbour) did tell us she had told the estate agent about a problem with our chimney, but that was never conveyed to us, when I asked about the fireplace on the first viewing, they said it was fully functional.

Sodafarl

daviesee wrote:

Buy her a new CO2 monitor.
But do not fit batteries.
Sorted.

Reminds me of my wifes Granny (RIP) who was starting to lose it a bit. Phoned me to tell me that her budgie was keeping her awake all night sqawking. Turned out she needed the batteries replaced in her smoke alarm, also told us about the lovely man that sorted out her TV his name was Mr Sam Sung. Thankfully she was a lovely harmless old lady.

junglist_matty

daviesee wrote:

Buy her a new CO2 monitor.
But do not fit batteries.
Sorted.

Trouble is, she has several CO monitors (all cheap rubbish), it's just one that keeps going off, the others are fine (by all accounts) ....Although this "winter" we've not heard a beep from any alarms, but we did before so maybe she's got rid of the faulty monitor!?

She's one of these real messy people, house is a complete tip, as is the garden, the garden shed roof has collapsed in the middle; her house is really in a horrible state. To be honest, we are probably going to just sell it in April (when we come out of the fixed mortgage term and just get move somewhere else, but still, that's 6 months away and with her next door that seems an age!!!!

Mikey23

What sort of age is this woman? Sounds like she needs some help. A referral to social services would probably be the way to go. Then there will be a record

John Clark1

Yossie wants to know if you can get any pictures of her norks.

I don't think its a Fed thing - more Health and Social Services (or whatever they call themselves around your way). Have a word with CAB and see where they send you.

Maxxypriest

IMO it sounds similar to dilusional paranoia as I have a member of the family doing similar

Not exactly the same but similar traits

Would certainly try and mention it to social services etc

arran77

Here's the solution...

Un-brick the chimney that you bricked up when you installed the wood burning stove, go round and bump the old girl off, bring old girls body round to your house, place body inside chimney, brick it back up, re-install wood burner, have as many fires as you like!!

the playing mantis

Why not create a hole in the chimney, make sure all her doors and windows are shut and light a big f uck off fire.

the playing mantis

arran77 wrote:

Here's the solution...

Un-brick the chimney that you bricked up when you installed the wood burning stove, go round and bump the old girl off, bring old girls body round to your house, place body inside chimney, brick it back up, re-install wood burner, have as many fires as you like!!

U bstard, stole my idea, kinda, as I was typing!

John Clark1

the playing mantis wrote:

Why not create a hole in the chimney, put you knob in it and wait if she goes for the glory hole?

FTFY

seanoconn

arran77 wrote:

Here's the solution...

Un-brick the chimney that you bricked up when you installed the wood burning stove, go round and bump the old girl off, bring old girls body round to your house, place body inside chimney, brick it back up, re-install wood burner, have as many fires as you like!!

Have you been watching C.S.I again?

Good one.

daviesee

Random thought following looking at a collection of emotive photos.
Is the old girl Jewish?*


*This is not a flippant or racist question. Merely one that may get to the root of the problem.

arran77

John Clark1 wrote:

the playing mantis wrote:

Why not create a hole in the chimney, put you knob in it and wait if she goes for the glory hole?

FTFY

GILF action

ballysmate

daviesee wrote:

Random thought following looking at a collection of emotive photos.
Is the old girl Jewish?*


*This is not a flippant or racist question. Merely one that may get to the root of the problem.

arran77

daviesee wrote:

Random thought following looking at a collection of emotive photos.
Is the old girl Jewish?*


*This is not a flippant or racist question. Merely one that may get to the root of the problem.

daviesee

Sorry.
I forgot that we are not allowed to be serious around here.

I was serious, and if we cant debate serious issues without fear then all is lost.

markhewitt1978

Sounds like she has dementia or other mental illness. Common among her age group.

the playing mantis

arran77 wrote:

John Clark1 wrote:

the playing mantis wrote:

Why not create a hole in the chimney, put you knob in it and wait if she goes for the glory hole?

FTFY

GILF action

U never know, I I've seen some ridiculous 40-45 yr old, what I've found out to be gilfs in the states. bit of work done I'd guess but massive woods.

the playing mantis

daviesee wrote:

Sorry.
I forgot that we are not allowed to be serious around here.

I was serious, and if we cant debate serious issues without fear then all is lost.

This is bb remember. Still is love to hear your theory

dave02

i love to hear you when you are in pain, tell us where it hurts, if you want to be serious meet me outside in 10 mins. :twisted: . whats her name, she sounds like my dead mum :?: