Greenwich Council partially upholds complaint over neighbour's behaviour

A resident in Abbey Wood, who asked to be identified as Spring*, has had her complaint against a neighbour partially upheld by Greenwich Council. The resident has endured several years of anti-social behaviour, which she reported beginning in 2023 and continuing into 2026. The issues included noise, cannabis smoke, cigarette smoke, and cooking smells. More recently, the neighbour allegedly threw urine from their window, leading Spring* to keep her own windows closed during warmer months.

Resident's distress and attempts at resolution

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Spring* described the situation as "hell" and stated it caused her "constant anxiety" and distress. She explained that attempts to resolve the issues directly with the neighbour, including speaking to them and leaving a polite note, sometimes resulted in temporary improvements but the problems would return. She expressed frustration not with a lack of action, but with a lack of communication from the council regarding the steps being taken after she raised her concerns. She sent multiple emails in the summer of 2026 without receiving confirmation or updates from the tenancy officer.

Council's response and new policy

A Stage 1 complaint response issued by Greenwich Council on 22 September 2026 acknowledged that communication with the resident had fallen below expected standards and included an apology. The response confirmed that the neighbouring tenant had received multiple warning letters between 2023 and April 2026, with a final warning letter understood to have been issued subsequently. The council stated that anti-social behaviour has no place in the borough and that all reports are taken seriously, with investigations and tenancy enforcement ongoing. The council also confirmed the recent introduction of a new housing anti-social behaviour policy, designed to strengthen procedures and provide a clear framework for addressing such issues in council housing.

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A Royal Borough of Greenwich spokesperson said: "Antisocial behaviour has no place in our borough, and we understand how distressing and frustrating it is. While we wouldn't comment on individual cases in detail, we take all reports of antisocial behaviour seriously, and investigations and tenancy enforcement activity are ongoing. Residents can report antisocial behaviour to us and our tenancy teams will investigate. Where a tenant breaks their tenancy agreement, we act. This starts with warnings and can end in legal action."