If you live in a flat or maisonette, it is important to bear in mind that what you do affects your neighbours. So please remember:

• not to make too much noise, especially at night or early in the morning
• to help keep the shared areas clean and tidy
• to take special care to keep pets under control
• to be a good neighbour.

Remember that under your lease agreement you have a duty not to cause a nuisance or annoyance to your neighbours. You are also responsible for making sure that your family and visitors to your home do not annoy your neighbours.

Shared areas and services

We are responsible for maintaining the shared areas in your block, but everyone living in the block has a duty to keep them clean and use them properly. Remember that you pay a share of the cost of maintaining shared areas so if you see someone causing damage to or misusing stairways, landings, parking areas, drying areas, rubbish chutes, security doors and other shared facilities tell the Leasehold team at once. If you can get evidence of who caused the damage we can charge them for it so that none of the cost will fall on you in your service charges.

• If you live in a flat or maisonette in a block that has one, two or three storeys and where there is no cleaning service, you and your neighbours are jointly responsible for keeping the shared areas clean and tidy.
• If you have shared grounds and drying areas around your block, we will maintain these during the year. This includes grassed areas, borders, paths, trees and drying areas. If a repair needs doing to one of the shared areas in your block, tell the Repairs Centre. Do not assume that someone else will do it. If the lights are out on the stairs, please report this immediately.

You and your neighbours

As a leaseholder of Newcastle City Council, you have the right to enjoy your home in peace and quiet, and your neighbours have the same right.

If you cause a nuisance or annoy your neighbour you are breaking the terms of your lease agreement. You may also be breaking the law. If you have a problem with your neighbour the first thing you should do is talk to them. They may not realise that they are causing you a problem – so be friendly and do not lose your temper.

Noise – how we can help

If you cannot sort out your problem by talking to your neighbour then you should talk to a member of staff at the Leasehold team who can tell you about your rights and explain what we can do to help.

In most cases a housing officer will talk to your neighbour about the problem. They can also send a written warning if the housing officer feels it is needed and will help the situation.

If the situation is serious you will need to keep a diary recording the nuisance. Your housing officer can give you an incident diary.

In nuisance cases we usually need these records as evidence if we are to go to court.

We will always try to take action where there is evidence of a serious nuisance, and where a council tenant or leaseholder is the victim or the cause of the nuisance.

It is vital that you record incidents of anti social behaviour at the time they occur so that the evidence is as accurate as possible. Remember, if you don’t tell us what is happening then it is unlikely we will be able to stop any anti social behaviour.

Legal action is used as a last resort in serious anti social behaviour cases as it could mean that the person causing the nuisance is evicted from their home or subject to an anti social behaviour order. We may ask you to attend court to give evidence if the case went that far but we will never insist that you attend Court.

Harassment

If you or anyone living in your home is suffering harassment from a neighbour let us know.  We will try to help. You may need to collect evidence in the same way as we described for noise nuisance above. 

You must also make sure that neither you, your family nor any visitor to your home causes harassment to your neighbour. This includes:

• violence or threats of violence
• abusive or insulting words or behaviour
• damage or threats of damage to property
• any actions which interfere with a neighbour’s peace, comfort or convenience.
• racial harassment - racial harassment is a serious offence. You risk prosecution if you, your family or any visitor to your home, threaten, abuse or insult your neighbour in a racist way. In serious cases you could lose your home. We will help any council tenant or leaseholder who is the victim of racial harassment. If you are the victim of racial harassment, tell your housing officer. You should also think about telling the police
• vandalism and graffiti - We need your help to stop vandalism and damage. You should report any incident to your housing officer (we will treat all reports confidentially) and to the police. Vandalism is a crime. It costs money to repair damage and remove graffiti. It also makes your estate or your road a less pleasant place to live for everyone

Pets

• If you have a pet, you must make sure that it is kept under control and does not annoy neighbours. This is a condition of your lease. If your pet does cause a nuisance, we will ask you to control its behaviour or if this does not solve the problem, to find a new home for your pet. If you are thinking of getting a pet you should think carefully whether it is suitable for living in a flat and you must check with the Leasehold team.  In blocks of flats with communal entrances dogs are not permitted, unless there are special circumstances. You must have written permission from the Leasehold team for this.
• If you are having problems with dogs (your own or someone else’s), you can ask the council’s dog warden to help.
• If you are having difficulty looking after your pet please contact a rehoming centre such as the Newcastle Dog and Cat Shelter. They will take in small animals as well as dogs and cats.

Gardens

If your flat has a garden you are responsible for keeping it tidy. You should not allow rubbish to build up as it may cause a health hazard and encourage mice and other pests.