Noise From Flat Above-Concerned About a Child

Tiddlywinks

milliebear00001 wrote: »

I am not sure what you expect outsiders (or indeed, the parents, to do to stop the noise from happening?

Um, how about the parents having a bit of consideration for the neighbours? Fitting additional matting for noise? Change the layout back again so that the noise is not as impactive? Generally accepting their responsibilities to others?

milliebear00001

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Um, how about the parents having a bit of consideration for the neighbours? Fitting additional matting for noise? Change the layout back again so that the noise is not as impactive? Generally accepting their responsibilities to others?

But they have carpet and, as far as I can ascertain, haven't changed any 'layout'. It's just not possible to make a toddler sit still and be quiet - it's one of the risks you take when you buy/rent a flat with people above you. Just as you take a similar chance if you buy an adjoined house. I know this from bitter experience having also rented below a family with a young child. We moved.

olly300

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

BUT regardless of the reason why the child is running around and making intolerable noise all day - it is still noise and it is still intolerable to the OP so why are you all having a go at him/her?

The OP is making extreme suggestions which tends to happen when you suffer from noise problems. (Been there myself luckily the problem was with an adult.)

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Why should the OP put up with it? Even if the child has 'issues' it doesn't mean that they should be imposed on others and impact on their quiet time in the privacy of their home.

I've been made aware many times that children playing or crying is noise that Environmental Health Officers ignore and state is normal, which means freeholders and landlords also ignore.

see here from CAB - http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/family_parent/housing/neighbour_disputes.htm

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Why should they move? If it were a noisy drug smoking twenty-something year old upstairs you'd all be baying for blood..... so, it's a toddler, the end result is the same; the OP can't take the noise any more.

See above. If it was an adult (without special needs) causing a nuisance then the baying for blood would be expected.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

OP, speak to your LL and have one last attempt at speaking with the parents. Someone earlier suggested that one parent be invited down to have a listen.....that said, if the other parent decides to pick the child up at that point then nothing will be achieved so maybe one of you should stay upstairs to ensure that doesn't happen.

That is the only thing that is going to work in this situation. Showing them how bad the noise is.

Also showing them other places i.e. parks where the child can play outside safely or even finding them a playgroup where they can go, is a good option.

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Also, do you know who the LL is for upstairs? Could you find out through Land Registry? You could always write to their LL to complain....

The Landlord once they find out it's a child playing won't do anything as statutory they don't have to.

Plus if the OP keeps complaining they are the one who may be told to move.

lynzpower

milliebear00001 wrote: »

There is nothing you caN feasibly do, so little constructive advice can be given. How they choose to live is nobody's business unless the child is being neglected, and nothing you've said, suggests this is the case. A flat isn't the ideal home for a young child - they are, by nature, noisy, crashing little creatures, but lots of people live in less that ideal circumstances.

I am not sure what you expect outsiders (or indeed, the parents, to do to stop the noise from happening?

but this is just plain untrue!

1) Social services may be aware, may need to be aware
2) Environmental health WILL monitor the noise

a load of avatars on a screen are not going to know if this child is being neglected. Personally i think leaving a child in one room with no stuff in it, while the parents sit in another room and leave them alone is neglectful, certainly emotional. It may wll stand to reason that the reason the child is making the noise is to try and attract attention from the "caregiver"

huangdi

i have read most of the thread and to be honest, know exactly how the OP feels ( i prefer the quiet life, i hate the banging from the flat above, drives me round the bend). i dont ever acknowledge my neighbour anymore, the guy is a complete @#$%. if you complain, you become to have issues when and if you need to sell the house ， by needing to declare any complaints to the solicitor.

I found a great temporary solution.........earplugs, yes , simple earplugs. The wax type from Boots. I wear them to bed, and when i am in the house by myself. If i didnt have them i would have moved out and rented somewhere else months ago(at a heavy loss financially).

Accountant_Kerry

TBH there is nothing to be said really, this is the chance you take if you have a flat which isn't top floor. Not much you can do about ot apart from ask the neighbour and or move.

Errata

lynzpower wrote: »

but this is just plain untrue!

1) Social services may be aware, may need to be aware
2) Environmental health WILL monitor the noise

a load of avatars on a screen are not going to know if this child is being neglected. Personally i think leaving a child in one room with no stuff in it, while the parents sit in another room and leave them alone is neglectful, certainly emotional. It may wll stand to reason that the reason the child is making the noise is to try and attract attention from the "caregiver"

That may be true. It may also be true that the parents can't afford to furnish the lounge, so sit in their bedroom and let the child play in the empty lounge. I've seen no firm evidence in the OP's posts that the parents keep the bedroom door, or any other doors, shut.

milliebear00001

lynzpower wrote: »

but this is just plain untrue!

1) Social services may be aware, may need to be aware
2) Environmental health WILL monitor the noise

a load of avatars on a screen are not going to know if this child is being neglected. Personally i think leaving a child in one room with no stuff in it, while the parents sit in another room and leave them alone is neglectful, certainly emotional. It may wll stand to reason that the reason the child is making the noise is to try and attract attention from the "caregiver"

But we/the OP don't really know that the parents are doing any of that do we/they?

Ulfar

Does the child wear shoes while indoors, if so maybe suggest they don't. This will help with the noise somewhat but won't eliminate it.

If you are renting its time to move, if you own your flat then tackle it through the management company or residents association as your lease should have a quiet enjoyment clause. If the Landlord's tenants are breaching this then so is the landlord and if he doesn't address the situation could forfeit his lease. It is amazing how fast a landlord can react when they get the letter advising of this.

As for the neglect, if the child is left alone all day in a bare room then in my opinion that is neglect. I may have missed it but how old is this child, soon it will have to go to school and things may improve as it learns how to behave.

I have been in a similar situation and flats are not suited to some children, especially ones with problems the same applies to adults who should know better. That may sound very harsh of me.

theonlyrick

The OP is angry, frustrated and tired. As a previous poster said, noise is the issue, but child neglect isn't. It is crazy and offensive to even mention the words 'child neglect' when so little is known about the situation.

If the OP is living in a conversion flat then niose is magnified (particularly with creaky floorboards). The people above are probably just walking around normally, but it would sound like a herd of elephants downstairs.

Unfortunately some people can be much more sensitive to noise than others. An ex-flatmate of mine once called out the Haringey noise team because some generators that were running that were keeping him awake. The noise team said he didn't have a case because it was impossible to hear the generators over the gentle patter of rain. (The same flatmate was also overly-sensitive to light. He didn't want me to have the hallway light on overnight when I was on crutches and my leg was in a plaster cast, but that's a whole other story...)

Anyway, the noise pollution might be a real problem to the OP, but I doubt the people upstairs are being particularly unreasonable.

You could try asking them delicately, but I would be realistic about how much you can ask relative strangers to do in their own property.

Ear plugs are a good suggestion. Music might help distract you (often being aware of being irritated by the noise is much worse than the noise itself). You might be able to download an app for your phone that plays white noise. Don't understand the appeal myself, but some people say it helps block out noise to help them sleep.

If the people upstairs won't wear slippers or put down carpet or change their child's habits, and you have a stomach for a fight, there might be a clause in the tenancy agreement that says they need to have carpets. But I'm sure very few people "win" when it comes to neighbourly disputes.

Whatever you do though, don't kid yourself that you're worried about the child. Things need to be far worse than an eleven o'clock bedtime for any kind of state intervention. From what you've said, it doesn't sound like it's even on the continuum....

Good luck.