Advise on dealing with noise in a houseshare

top_drawer_2

hi,

I need some advice about how to handle noise in a shared house ... i'm the only prson who has a room on the same floor as kitchen and lounge. Last night and Saturday night I was kept awake by people coming and going (repeatedly banging the front which my bedroom door is opposite), stamping about (the floors along the hallway to the lounge/kitchen are all wooden), one housmate dropped her bike outside my bedroom door etc etc... On Saturday I was woken at 2.45 by people coming and going ...

I had to get up this morning after having to work a 10 hour shift till 10pm last night and I went to bed early etc and yet I was still so tired this morning because of all this carry on.

I have only moved into this house less than a month ago and on one hand I'm worried about falling out etc but on the other I know I put up with all this sort of thing before st (in other shared houses) and experience tells me it doesnt improve it so Im looking for a better way ...

Please dont say "Move out" as that is not an option.

Jen

anniecave

first off have you mentioned to the people coming and going late at night and early in the morning that the noise does disturb you? They may not realise that banging doors etc will affect you.
If you have wooden floors, have you tried asking the owner/letting agent for a carpet or rug on the floor? Or can you get some old carpet from somewhere and put it on the floor?
Have you tried earplugs and a vibrating under the pillow alarm wakeup (like deaf people use)?

briona

top_drawer wrote: »

Please dont say "Move out" as that is not an option.

I've read a number of your posts and you seem to really struggle with house share. From memory you've already alienated these new housemates by leaving furniture etc in common areas, and really if moving out is not an option then you need to try harder to ingratiate yourself with your housemates.

Personally I think it's unreasonable to complain about noise on a Saturday night – that is generally people's party night. I have lived in many shared houses and whilst people making noise or walking across wooden floors in heels (something I've been guilty of myself after a drink or two!) can be quite frustrating, my take on it would always be "well one day they make the noise, the next it might be me". It's all part and parcel of sharing a house.

So your options are: you complain to them, and thus run the risk of alienating them further (at which point you may find they go out of their way to make noise) or you just put up and shut up for a little bit, at least until you've been in the house more than five minutes!

top_drawer_2

No, I havent said anything ...

Where would I get a virbrating alarm from?? In the past I tried ear plugs and didnt wake up when my alarm rung lol...

Jen

poppysarah

Move. I know you don't want to but this situation will make you ill.

You need to tell them their behaviour disturbs you in a polite way or swap rooms.

tbs624

top_drawer wrote: »

No, I havent said anything ...

Often people really don't realise how noisy they are being, especially if they have had a drink or three, so try to have a chat about it in a friendly way.

I think Annie's suggestion of a rug of some sort is a good idea but IMO you can't really expect a LL to provide one when there is adequate flooring for general purposes already in place.

You'd need to get the agreement of the other housesharers though because it makes cleaning of communal halls more of a pain and if you don't use ant-slip stuff underneath the rug/mat then the clomping will probably be replaced by drunken shrieks of laughter as your housemates go rug surfing along the laminate flooring...;)

top_drawer wrote: »

Where would I get a virbrating alarm from?? In the past I tried ear plugs and didnt wake up when my alarm rung lol...

See here

And when you do move, choose an upstairs room - preferably not one against the bathroom because that can be noisy too.

tbs624

briona wrote: »

I've read a number of your posts and you seem to really struggle with house share. From memory you've already alienated these new housemates by leaving furniture etc in common areas, and really if moving out is not an option then you need to try harder to ingratiate yourself with your housemates.

Yes, I recall those posts too - also someone called Jen, but using a different user name?

briona

tbs624 wrote: »

Yes, I recall those posts too - also someone called Jen, but using a different user name?

Which she then inadvertently replied to using THIS user name before someone kindly pointed out her mistake (she had wanted to remain anonymous as I believe her flatmates are aware of her user ID on this site!).