Squeaky floorboards in upstairs flat

psycho_modo

I own a ground floor flat and am suffering from very squeaky floorboards from the upstairs flat (housing trust, rented property) which wake me up most nights (when my neighbour gets up and walks around).
The lady tenant is very nice and there are no problems between us.

I reported this problem to the housing trust. Their maintenance surveyor informed me that they would rectify the fault by screwing down the floorboards wherever necessary. However, the fitted carpets would have to be lifted up before they attempted any work - this was to be at the cost of the tenant (because the carpets are classed as "furniture" and won't be moved by the workmen!).

The tenant is on benefit so can't afford this expense (and it is not her problem - but mine!). I have paid for a carpet fitter to come and lift the carpets and refit after the work was done. I have been advised by the workmen that the joists are loose - therefore the screwing down of the floorboards may not solve the squeak problem.

The work has just been done and the carpet fitter paid by me. The bad news is that there is still bad squeaking. Does anyone have any advise for me please? I don't want to be paying out for a carpet fitter yet again if there is no guarantee that it would get any better.

DirectDebacle

As you own your flat, time to dig out the leasehold/freehold terms of the deeds. They should set out the responsibilities of each owner in terms of the maintenance of the structure of the building. For example it may be you are responsible for the foundations and the owner of the upstairs for the roof. Or this may be a joint responsibility. Find out who is responsible for the first floor joists. It may be you. Either way if the integrity of the joists are suspect then it is likely to turn into an insurance job.

You do not want a ceiling, joists, floorboards, carpet and a rather large lady (in that order) dropping in unannounced on you, as nice as she is.

phill99

[QUOTE=DirectDebacle;42490626 Either way if the integrity of the joists are suspect then it is likely to turn into an insurance job.
[/QUOTE]

Highly unlikely. There are hundreds of thousands of properties up and down the country with squeaky first floor floor-boards and people just leve with them. It is a maintenance problem, not a 'peril' which is what your insurance is for.

OP, how old is the property?

psycho_modo

Thanks for the replies. The property is approx 50 years old.

27col

The insurance co. will have absolutely no interest in the fact that the floor creaks, or in fact, if it collapsed. If it did collapse they might put right the damage caused, but not the repair to the floor, which they would class as lack of maintenance, I suspect.
In my opinion, the creaking floor should have been looked at by a competent handyman or a builder, if you could afford it. A carpet fitter is not likely to be very interested or particularly clued up about fixing the creak. It is not a difficult job, but it does need time spending on it and a carpet fitter would not be the best person to do this, in my opinion.
I speak from experience as I have fixed two creaking floors in the last month. They both required quite a lot of attention to detail and took several hours to fix. If the floor creaked after the fitter had looked at it then he obviously had not been thorough enough in his efforts.

ormus

as above.
col is dead right.

phill99

27col wrote: »

The insurance co. will have absolutely no interest in the fact that the floor creaks, or in fact, if it collapsed. If it did collapse they might put right the damage caused, but not the repair to the floor, which they would class as lack of maintenance, I suspect.
In my opinion, the creaking floor should have been looked at by a competent handyman or a builder, if you could afford it. A carpet fitter is not likely to be very interested or particularly clued up about fixing the creak. It is not a difficult job, but it does need time spending on it and a carpet fitter would not be the best person to do this, in my opinion.
I speak from experience as I have fixed two creaking floors in the last month. They both required quite a lot of attention to detail and took several hours to fix. If the floor creaked after the fitter had looked at it then he obviously had not been thorough enough in his efforts.

You have completely misread the OP. The carpet fitter didn't fix the floor. He simply removed the carpet and refitted it so that the Housing Association Maintenance Team could screw the floor down.

27col

Right, then it would appear that my remarks should have been addressed to the efforts of the Housing Association Maintenance Team and not the carpet fitter. The same points that I made still apply.