A tenant in Abbey Wood says she is unable to open her windows because a neighbour has been throwing urine from their flat, leaving her with “constant anxiety” after years of anti-social behaviour. The resident, who asked to be named as Spring, told News Shopper she first reported issues with the neighbouring property in 2023, with problems continuing into 2026.
Years of noise, smoke, and smells
Spring said the problems have included noise nuisance, cannabis smoke, cigarette smoke, and cooking smells. More recently, she claims a neighbour has been “throwing urine” from a window that sits parallel to her own. During the June heatwave, she said she had to close all her windows because of the smell.
“This is hell. Honestly, it's hell to live with, constantly having to deal with it for years and years,” Spring said. “You've got the smell of the weed, you've got cigarettes coming in, and then you've got the smell of urine on top of that.”
Attempts to resolve the situation directly
Before escalating the matter through the council's complaints process, Spring said she and her husband spoke directly to the neighbour on several occasions and left a polite note outlining their concerns. She said those conversations sometimes led to temporary improvements, but the issues eventually returned.
“It will resolve for a bit, but then it will go back to how it was,” she said. “We tried speaking to the neighbour, my husband spoke to them as well, and we left a polite note. I didn't want to make a complaint, I just wanted us to be able to live as neighbours and resolve the situation.”
Lack of communication from the council
Spring said her main frustration was not a lack of action but a lack of communication about what was being done after she raised concerns. She sent several follow-up emails during the summer of 2026 but received little acknowledgement from the council.
“I think I sent her about three, four emails. I didn't get no confirmation. I want to be acknowledged as a tenant,” she said. “I want to know that they are doing something about this situation. The tenancy officer is not getting in touch confirming anything.”
The ongoing situation has affected her wellbeing, she said. “Every time I write a new email, my stress and my anxiety, my distress is even worse. As a tenant, as a resident of Abbey Wood and as a human being, I didn't feel completely heard or acknowledged.”
Council partially upholds complaint
Spring sought advice from former councillor Ann-Marie Cousins before escalating the matter through the council's complaints process. A Stage 1 complaint response issued on Tuesday, September 22, partially upheld her complaint. The letter, seen by News Shopper, acknowledged that communication with the tenant had fallen below the council's expected standards and included an apology from a Tenancy Enforcement Officer.
The response also confirmed that the neighbouring tenant had been issued multiple warning letters from 2023 to April 2026, and a final warning letter has since been issued. Spring said the complaint process was the first time she felt her concerns had been properly acknowledged.
Greenwich Council said it had recently introduced a new housing anti-social behaviour policy designed to strengthen existing procedures and provide a clear framework for tackling anti-social behaviour in council housing. 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.”
