Neighbour has complained about my tenants!

PasturesNew

As a Landlord it's your responsibility if your tenants are noisy, or if the structure is noisy.

So there's no point getting all p155y about it, based on your previous relationship with your neighbour.

Different people live in space different. I have laminate above me and I suffered greatly with two sets of tenants, caught the 3rd one moving in and explained it and then by chance she had somebody doing the electrical testing up there when she returned something to me I'd lent her... and she heard it for herself and couldn't BELIEVE how unbelievably noisy one man walking across the floor really was. She went up and worked out all the noisy spots and found it was one side of the room mostly, where it got most traffic. I now hardly hear her at all. She's also like me and takes her shoes off immediately she goes in and into slippers - makes a LOT of difference.

I love laminate, even though I have already nearly had several accidents skidding on it and I can't walk on it in shoes myself because of the noise level even though it's me doing it in my own flat. But it's easy to keep clean and if I wear slippers it's great.

Your downstairs neighbour just sounds like a deaf old person. You'll be old and deaf one day. Maybe he had the TV on for company (I have mine on 24/7) and he nods off with it on. Maybe it was on a bit loud to cover up the sound of you on your laminate floor. And now, maybe, he's got kids running up and down regularly/daily and the tenant's Mrs is like Miss Whiplash and wears spikey heels, or clumpy boots.

As a Landlord it is your role to be professional and objective and to meet your obligations. You have to step back and quit all the emotional rubbish. Deal with it as a professional landlord would do and get EH involved (WITHOUT being p155y about the poor old bloke downstairs).

mlz1413

OP did you ever complain about the neighbour? if so it will be on the env officers notes and it would be worth commenting on this.

Either way talk to the env health and get them to put a noise monitor in both flats, yours and the neighbour who has complained. This monitor will have to stay for a period of time and then be discussed, by which time you will know if the Polish tenants are staying, if they are not then you can use this to delay any action as the next tenants may be quiter.

Allowing the monitors to be put in will also alert env health to any noise problems from the complainer and may actually end up helping you. There is obviously a personal dispute and an alleged noise problem, if the neighbour is as bad as you say env health will pick up on this.

naijapower

I have re-read all the post again and i think i have to agree that this neighbour might have an issue with having Polish neighbours (maybe a tolerance or a race problems). I clearly do not understand how someone who makes so much noise would complain justly about noise from others.
I have had delaings with Polish tenants and i can speak well about them based on my personal experience. They are not trouble makers but just get on with their jobs and lifes. They appear to be quite responsive if you draw any issues to their attention. Though i cannot be 100%, but i feel it is very doubtful that they have set out to create so much noise on purpose

Premier_2

naijapower wrote: »

...this neighbour might have an issue with having Polish neighbours ...

Wow, only page 2 and what a perfect opportunity to invoke Godwin's Law :eek:

real1314

Premier wrote: »

Wow, only page 2 and what a perfect opportunity to invoke Godwin's Law :eek:

Nah, false call. A participant has to call someone/something in the discussion, and it has to be the relevant reference. :cool:

naijapower

Sorry i am lost. What exactly is Godwin's law?

Alias_Omega

Had a thought,

In our front room we have the old carpet under the laminate. I guess this acts as a sound buffer, i would hate to think what the white carpet was like now..

hethmar

Godwin's Law (also known as Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies)[1] is an adage formulated by Mike Godwin in 1990. The law states:[2][3]

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

50plusabit

I have re-read all the post again and i think i have to agree that this neighbour might have an issue with having Polish neighbours (maybe a tolerance or a race problems).

I was thinking this also, lets hope the tenants do not go to the CAB and claim racial problems, then the guy below may find him self in hot water, and even the EH dept will not be able to do anything.

naijapower

50plusabit wrote: »

I have re-read all the post again and i think i have to agree that this neighbour might have an issue with having Polish neighbours (maybe a tolerance or a race problems).

I was thinking this also, lets hope the tenants do not go to the CAB and claim racial problems, then the guy below may find him self in hot water, and even the EH dept will not be able to do anything.

This is exactly what i was trying to say as well. I am also convinced largely on the balance of probabilty after assessing the entire post (as no factual exist) that this neighbour may dislike the Polish tenants due to parochial reasons.
I rest my case