Unreasonable neighbour says we're making noise - we're not!

ahrimaniac

Hello there,

Bit of an unusual one this. Our neighbour upstairs has taken to banging on the floor all the time to tell us to keep it quiet. The problem is - we're not being loud. We're not even being noisy.

To give you an example, she started banging on the floor on Friday night at 7pm because we had the Simpsons on. It wasn't loud and we've never, ever had a problem with any other neighbours. Then, last night, we were talking in bed before we went to sleep when we get a text (she has our number from a while ago) saying 'Guys, stop talking'. It was 11pm and we were practically whispering because we tend not to shout at each other in bed!

It happens like five or six times a week and it does my nut in, because we always try to be considerate. She won't come down to discuss it or respond to our texts. Worst part is, we've been taking her bloody bins out for six months and being nice, so there's no reason for her starting to be difficult.

If we were loud, then fair enough. But we hardly ever anyone over, no parties at our house, and we keep ourselves to ourselves. Difficult one!

Tiddlywinks

ahrimaniac wrote: »

..... we're not being loud. We're not even being noisy. How do you know?

..... Then, last night, we were talking in bed before we went to sleep when we get a text (she has our number from a while ago) saying 'Guys, stop talking'. It was 11pm and we were practically whispering because we tend not to shout at each other in bed! If you were whispering then how would she know that unless she could hear you talking?

Have you made any changes to your flat? Removed furniture or carpets that used to absorb some of the noise?

ahrimaniac

Well we've lived all over the place for many years and never a complaint - and I'm using noisy people as a benchmark like parties and what-have-you. I mean, you know when you're being loud and we are simply not. We certainly haven't radically adjusted our behaviour in the last few months to become super-noisy.

In all honesty, god knows how she hears us. But having the TV on at 7 or talking in bed at 11 is not being unreasonable.

ahrimaniac

'Removed furniture or carpets that used to absorb some of the noise?'

Nope - but she might have done. If she'd come down and talk rather than sending snippy messages, we'd find out! Bah.

sunnysea83

I used to live in a flat with concrete floors and could here the tenants above us going for a wee, turning on light switches etc however the previous owner we couldn't, the people below us could hear their baby cry (only one in block of 6 flats) and when we were out they could here the flat above us but never heard us - turned out the tenants had removed all carpets and put lino down with out any real underlay and thats why we could hear them so badly.

I dont know if they could hear us, they never complained but we could on occasion here the people below but only when they had a party and had very loud music or obv if the windows were on.

I reckon she may have changed her flooring

mttylad

Has she got a new hearing aid which is turned up full?

DCFC79

I dont think theres not much you can do apart from talk to her, id stop taking her bins out then

notisis

Friends of mine had a new neighbour above them like this. He complained about noise even when they weren't at home! The local council had complaints about their boiler, cooking etc and when environmental health visited they never heard anything and told my friends not to worry as they knew the neighbour was a krank. My friends had been worrying because they needed to sell to buy a bigger home. It turns out the new buyer had the same problems but again environmental health had told him too that the neighbour was a krank. It's not necessarily anything you are doing.

yrp01

To be honest in this occasion you have 2 options live in fear from your neighbour and basically crawl about the floors.

Or really just talk to her and if she is unreasonable theres nothing she can do about it unless your having a party past 11 oclock at night or causing unreasonable noise. My neighbour used to be like this and it did end in some pretty heavy arguments(he came round 1 day with a claw hammer and tried to smash my step dad with it........it didnt end well for him(neighbour)). This was due to my mum watching TV at a very low level(trust me i watch TV pretty loud and she has hearing like a bat and has it at a fraction i do)and before my step dad moved in the neighbour used to walk all over my mum on this issue we did used to do our washing pretty late but we stopped it because even we could hear it upstairs and his bedroom was over our utility room so we did trying to solve our differences by being nice XD.

Any enough of that XD

So yeah talk to her explain i am not being excessive with noise and this has to stop if not you can advise her to seek advice from the council who can come round and audit your sound level from you neighbours house(at a cost) or she can buy equipment to do it herself(at her cost). But if your just living you shouldn't be terribly loud and if she bangs down into you again you can do the same against her go to the council and advise them your neighbour is causing unreasonable banging noises.

I know this isnt the nicest option as you all have to live together but tbh ive been through this and people like this are just unreasonable from the get go and dont understand anything else

geordieracer

How much noise were you making?

maninthestreet

Speak to her and ask if you can hear for yourself how bad the noise is in her flat when your partner walks around in your flat, or the TV is on at normal listening volume.