How to Handle Neighbours Disputes In Your Block of Flats

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Experiencing a conflict between neighbours when managing a block of flats? With a mix of different people and personalities, there are times where things just clash. Landlords can't always be held responsible for the actions of their tenants, issues can arise if they allow antisocial behaviour to continue unchecked. If you find yourself in this situation and are not sure what to do, here is a brief guide for you.

Duty of Care

Every landlord or member of apartment block management has a duty of care towards tenants. When issues or matters of disputes occur within an apartment block, the landlord or those managing a block of flats will more than often find themselves in the firing line. Leaseholders can report this as landlord negligence if no action is taken.

What is Landlord Negligence?

Landlord negligence is where leaseholders encounter injury or property damage because of careless behaviour from the landlord. Examples of negligent behaviour include not ensuring proper maintenance work, leaving damp or mould untreated, not having appropriate security when necessary, and much more. Landlord negligence will also apply to apartment block management. For those managing a block of apartments, proper checks and measures should always be in place. This will help to ensure any claims you make on your buildings insurance for your block of flats are successful in the event of a problem.

How to Handle Disputes between neighbours when managing a block of flats

Noise complaints will be a common reason for disputes between neighbours. Reasons for disputes will vary depending on the situation. If you are managing a block of flats and are aware of antisocial behaviour, you must show action against it. Not only can doing nothing harm your reputation with your tenants, but you could be held liable.

To avoid this, there are various steps you can take. 

  • Ensure your neighbours and tenants can contact you. The easier it is to contact you, the more informed you can stay. As a result, this should help you better manage the apartment block.
  • Be open with your tenants. Be receptive and approachable so that your tenants can talk to you about problems. It's important to maintain good relationships with leaseholders and neighbours. So, explain the issue, ask how they will resolve this, and offer suggestions for how to rectify it.
  • Take out proper buildings insurance for the block of flats. This will provide cover against malicious damage that could be caused by tenants or neighbours. Be sure to check what the block insurance for flats covers and get a quote if you have not already.
  • Make regular visits to inspect the property. If problems have been highlighted to you, showing you are taking steps to solve the situation is essential. However, remember there are rules for landlord inspections that you must respect.
  • Use the tenancy agreement. The agreement should have rules and regulations listed which tenants must follow. There’s no need to threaten immediate eviction, but you should still explain if there has been a breach of rules.
  • If your warnings are still ignored, then consider the further action you are going to take. You can do this by seeking legal advice or contacting your local council. In the worst cases, you can serve the tenant with a section 21 notice, or call the police. 

Do I need Buildings Insurance for Block of Flats?

It’s always wise to get adequate block insurance for flats, as you can never be certain of problems tenants might cause. Having proper cover and ensuring you have the measures in place to stop things escalating are both crucial. A legal expenses policy is something we strongly recommend you consider if you manage a block of flats. Many legal expenses providers offer free legal advice as part of the service which can often be amazingly useful. Flats Direct arrange buildings insurance for blocks of flats and will assist you with enquiries about your requirements.

For more information on block insurance for flats, get in touch with Flats Direct. We can help recommend the best cover for you and provide advice, should you find yourself in the middle of neighbour disputes when managing a block of flats. Call 0800 731 6242 or email info@flatsdirect-uk.com to learn more.