complaining about noise from upstairs - issues of having a 'dispute'?

melancholly

i've read a few threads about complaining to the council about noise from a flat upstairs. without going into details, it's not poor insulation, we've asked politely and no resolution seems obvious (i.e. the guy is just being unreasonable/too drunk to be aware of the volume!). i know some threads have warned about complaining to environmental health because you have to declare a dispute with a neighbour if you ever sell - can anyone go into this a bit more so that we can decide if speaking to the council is worth it in the long run....?

tenke

In my experience the coucil has been useless in terms of going the extra mile to sort noise problems.

We used to live in a flat we really liked, couple alone, mid-thirties. We had been there for almost 1 1/2 years, when a family with a VERY HYPERACTIVE child moved downstairs. They had laminated flooring, and the child's continuos running, squelaing and playing with toys agaisnt walls, resonated so much, we couldnt even concentrate to see TV !

We talked to the father to not avail, the child's irritating behaviour ruled the house and we started to hate to live there.

Contacted the Environmental dept., nothing you could do, he was just a child playing... They didnt even come when the noise was at its highest to measure sound disturbance, nothing.

In the end, WE that had just been a quiet couple, good renters, wishing to enjoy our time peacefully after work, had to leave to give that squealing tormentor the chance to rule the building now and forever...

It was not fair, and it was sad to do it. The fact that I got an ok job in another city sweetened things alittle, but I know for experience that when you encounter neighbours from hell, you have decide between leaving or stomach ulcer

Hope you get things sorted

Good luck :j

tbs624

When you sell you will need to complete a SPIF (sellers property info form) and on that form will be the following questions, under the heading of Notices/Disputes:

Do you know of any disputes about this or any neighbouring property?

Have you received any complaints about anything you have, or have not, done as owners?

Have you made any such complaints to any neighbour about what the neighbour has or has not done?

Have you either sent or received any letters or notices which affect your property or the neighbouring property in any way (for example, from or to neighbours, the council or a government department)?

Have you had any negotiations or discussions with any neighbour or any local or other authority, which affect the property in any way?

You have to answer specifically, yes or no, and, where applicable, provide further details/copy letters etc.

The info given on this form is relied on by the buyer, and by the buyer’s solicitor for his advice to them - if you fail to declare anything that would possibly have made your buyer want to pay less for the property, or to decide not to proceed at all with the purchase, then you leave yourself open to potential court action for compensation. (This can also be the case if you are asked verbally about neighbour disputes and aren’t truthful, although obviously there is a greater difficulty in proving the content of a personal conversation.) You are also obliged to mention to your solicitor anything that changes after you have completed the form

melancholly

well we have noise from a stereo system in the middle of the night (starting between 1am and 4am!), so i'd hope the council wouldn't dismiss it as 'normal'! selling and moving is a big deal, and this is a bad time to do that, and a letter from the council may be enough to make this idiot realise it is a problem (it may also make it worse, so we're not sure what to do!). i just want to know the full implications of escalating things for any future sale so that we know all possible outcomes before doing anything.

EDIT - tbs624 - that's exactly the info i wanted - thank you so much! now we have to think about what to do!

Swipe

There's nothing worse than inconsiderate neighbours which is one of the reasons I decided to buy another place. They were tolerable up until around six months ago when one of their kids began playing up and the wailing banshee of a mother now constantly shouts at the kid. They also have barking dogs that haven't been walked once in the two odd years they have lived here.

I hadn't planned on moving until early next year but I found the perfect place at a discounted price so hope to be neighbour free within two weeks. I've purposely not raised the issue with them just because of having to declare it on this form. I'm sticking my current house in the auction once I've moved out (it's a wreck) but I assume this form is still required for auctioned properties?