Having a nice place to live is something we all want and strive for, and as managing agents Watsons consider this a vital aspect of what we achieve.
Most of the time the environment we live in does not cause any issues, but occasionally there can be situations that are unpleasant, create a hazard, or may even cause a threat to safety.
Antisocial behaviour can be difficult to define. But generally it’s behaviour that lacks consideration for others and causes distress, harassment or alarm. Some examples include: Noise, vandalism, property damage and graffiti and animal nuisance, including dog fouling. So, what can Watsons do about it?
Noisy neighbours
Dealing with noisy neighbours is a tricky issue. The legal documents relating to your property will often detail when noise should not be audible outside the property, but common sense usually tells us what is acceptable.
In the first instance it is often most effective to speak to the offender yourself. But if this does not solve the issue there are other things you can do. If you contact us we will write to the resident and/or property owner informing them of the issue. However, your local authority has quicker and stronger powers to deal with persistent noise nuisance. You can report this here: Report a noise nuisance to your council – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Vandalism, graffiti and fly tipping
If you spot graffiti, fly tipping or vandalism on your site get in touch with us so we can make any repairs or remedial actions. If you know who was responsible a local authority officer or the police can issue fixed penalty notices to the individual.
Most leases will stipulate that leaseholders pay for any damage they cause to the communal areas. So if someone’s causing damage let us know. You will need to have clear evidence to identify the culprit.
Pets and their mess
Like loud music dogs barking can be dealt with as part of an excessive noise complaint. When it comes to their mess it’s a bit more tricky. You should report it to us, but as residents will hopefully appreciate, there is often limited action we can take. If we can identify the residents responsible, we may be able to recharge clearance costs to the leaseholder of the property so as much information from residents as possible is key to getting something done.
Abandoned vehicles
You should report any vehicle you think is abandoned to us with details of how long it has been there.
Criminal activity
For more serious matters such as any form of criminal activity on site, you should take the following action:
- Immediately report to the police. If you are able take notes or pictures that could be used as evidence if required.
- Report the incidence to us so we can log the issue with the client and look to see if we can take any preventative measures to stop it happening in the future.
About us
At Watsons, we understand the commitment required to maintain buildings and developments: creating maintenance plans, preparing and reporting against a credible budget, managing tradespeople and keeping to the terms of a lease and the law.
Watsons Block and Estates Management are specialists in property management, working with freeholders, leaseholders, residential management companies and right to manage companies, as well as developers of new homes. We can provide peace of mind that your property is managed professionally and knowledgeably through our in-depth understanding of block and estate management, the external adjudication of our processes and our client account financial transactions and client money protection schemes.
