COMPLAINTS concerning tenants in a rented property not recycling were dismissed at a council licensing meeting because the practice is a choice, not an obligation.

An application to renew a House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) licence for a house in Haddington was objected to by a neighbour, who accused residents of anti-social behaviour.

It was claimed that tenants, who were not allowed to smoke in the semi-detached property on Tyne Court, congregated outside smoking late at night, talking loudly on mobile phones and disturbing neighbours through the night.

It was also highlighted that complaints had been made regarding alleged anti-social behaviour there over the past three years.

However, at a meeting of East Lothian Council’s licensing sub-committee, legal adviser Ian Forrest told members that while the local authority’s ASBO team recorded one complaint in 2017 relating to excessive noise, discarded cigarettes and not recycling, the recycling issue was not a consideration.

He told the committee: “Recycling is a choice, not an obligation.”

Property owner Bernard Gaughan, who applied for the HMO licence, insisted that he maintained all his rental properties to a high standard and sought to resolve any issue raised by neighbours.

He said: “We have two other properties in East Lothian where we have very good relations with neighbours.

“I am more than happy to have any conditions [imposed] to resolve any issues.”

He told the committee that one of his tenants had accused neighbour Greg Chandler, who objected to the licence, as “rude”.

Mr Chandler, however, told the committee that he and his wife were unable to open their bathroom window because cigarette smoke from outside was drawn into their home and complained of tenants talking on their mobile phones in the early hours of the morning outside the property.

He said some behaviour had led them to call the police, although it had not led to action.

He said: “We’ve reported anti-social behaviour several times to the police but they deemed it unimportant and never rocked up.”

Mr Chandler conceded that not all tenants living in the property caused problems.

He said: “We are just asking for the tenants to be educated so we can live harmoniously together.

“There are some tenants who are very nice but there have been some bad eggs.”

The committee granted the HMO licence for one year, urging the applicant to work with Mr Chandler to find a solution to the concerns and thereby avoid the need for another review in future.