Flat dwellers: how much neighbour noise do you suffer from?

loveandlight

I am off to see the solicitors this week to get the noise from our Latvian neighbours below us stopped legally. We live on the top floor of an apartment building that has six flats with three on each side. It was built in the 1970's.

We have had to endure their baby for a year crying non-stop for hours on end early hours of the morning every night. Now the child is nearly two it has started to run around the flat early morning and shriek at the top of its voice. The mother is quite a heavy set woman and moves around like she morphs into an elephant. Banging and crashing noises and the whole of our flat shuddering has become the norm. She also loves her doors to bang. These are all problems that could easily be avoided if someone cares about their neighbours.

Last time I tried complaining to the Managing Agents as I wanted to get hold of their landlord to complain to him about their noise as I know he is ultimately responsible( our neighbours rent) It seems someone in the Managing Agents office tipped off our neighbours and so our neighbours complained first about our noise which as I told them in a letter was a malicious complaint in retaliation for our complaints.

Our neighbour portrays herself as a vulnerable mother on her own with a young baby and so has been able to get the Managing Agents on her side. Reality is she has a partner who goes off to work every day and she has a very hard, couldn't care less attitude. We have tried speaking to her and her husband but they have told us they don't care.

We tried to sell our flat but even showing prospective buyers around on a second viewing last Friday, you could hear the neighbour's kid shrieking and so we never heard from our interested buyers again.

We will now have to rent out our flat but I am very worried about our tenants also suffering from noise problems and moving out and us not being able to earn a proper income from it financially. I feel so trapped whatever way we try to resolve the situation.

Our management committee have said they aren't interested and that hopefully the noise will get better when the child grows up!

I have suffered terribly from serious ill health due to interrupted sleep for a year now and as a resut of recent health problems will definitely have to take legal action if the noise is not stopped soon or their landlord is made to soundproof his flat.

Before anyone says it's pointless taking legal action, you should know that I now suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia which means I can no longer eat on the right side of my mouth and last month, I had to go into hospital with a suspected heart attack and have discovered that I may now have a heart problem. All these problems are stress related and have been brought on through lack of sleep. I was in excellent health when we moved in a year ago.

I have lived in about four flats before and have never had a problem with noise.

Mozette

Small comfort loveandlight, but who else is she portraying herself as a single mother to? You could always try and dob her in re benefits. I know it doesn't solve your problem, but sometimes petty revenge is quite satisfying. Good neighbours make such a difference, and thankfully my neighbour is a total diamond.

follyfoot

loveandlight wrote: »

I am off to see the solicitors this week to get the noise from our Latvian neighbours below us stopped legally. We live on the top floor of an apartment building that has six flats with three on each side. It was built in the 1970's.

We have had to endure their baby for a year crying non-stop for hours on end early hours of the morning every night. Now the child is nearly two it has started to run around the flat early morning and shriek at the top of its voice. The mother is quite a heavy set woman and moves around like she morphs into an elephant. Banging and crashing noises and the whole of our flat shuddering has become the norm. She also loves her doors to bang. These are all problems that could easily be avoided if someone cares about their neighbours.

Last time I tried complaining to the Managing Agents as I wanted to get hold of their landlord to complain to him about their noise as I know he is ultimately responsible( our neighbours rent) It seems someone in the Managing Agents office tipped off our neighbours and so our neighbours complained first about our noise which as I told them in a letter was a malicious complaint in retaliation for our complaints.

Our neighbour portrays herself as a vulnerable mother on her own with a young baby and so has been able to get the Managing Agents on her side. Reality is she has a partner who goes off to work every day and she has a very hard, couldn't care less attitude. We have tried speaking to her and her husband but they have told us they don't care.

We tried to sell our flat but even showing prospective buyers around on a second viewing last Friday, you could hear the neighbour's kid shrieking and so we never heard from our interested buyers again.

We will now have to rent out our flat but I am very worried about our tenants also suffering from noise problems and moving out and us not being able to earn a proper income from it financially. I feel so trapped whatever way we try to resolve the situation.

Our management committee have said they aren't interested and that hopefully the noise will get better when the child grows up!

I have suffered terribly from serious ill health due to interrupted sleep for a year now and as a resut of recent health problems will definitely have to take legal action if the noise is not stopped soon or their landlord is made to soundproof his flat.

Before anyone says it's pointless taking legal action, you should know that I now suffer from Trigeminal Neuralgia which means I can no longer eat on the right side of my mouth and last month, I had to go into hospital with a suspected heart attack and have discovered that I may now have a heart problem. All these problems are stress related and have been brought on through lack of sleep. I was in excellent health when we moved in a year ago.

I have lived in about four flats before and have never had a problem with noise.

I have suffered alot of the problems you mention. the tenant above me lives with about 2 others in a 1 bed flat. He is also a council tenant but the council have told me it is "behavioural" noise and they cant do anything about it. I appreciate the cost of renting in London and the fact there are people who are prepared to offer a room to relatives/friends but because of my neighbour i have now had to buy another property and will have to rent out my current property since i will find it hard to sale since all my complaints are on record. I too am concerned that I will not be able to keep a tenant due to the noise factor.

meanmachine_2

loveandlight wrote: »

We tried to sell our flat but even showing prospective buyers around on a second viewing last Friday, you could hear the neighbour's kid shrieking and so we never heard from our interested buyers again.

.

What a horrible situation.

Bung the vile neighbours a note telling them you'll buy their little monster a pressie PROVIDED they're quiet between certain hours (ie during a viewing).

Although lumbering someone else with the problem seems cruel.

But yes, sell up and escape. There's no other solution.

Littlered_3

I live in a ground floor flat, in a block 3 high, completed 2004. My new upstairs neighbour has two small children, which we were worried about with the noise. But our flat has to be completely silent for us to be able to hear them, and that's only really raised voices. We don't hear them moving. They don't hear my little dogs either!

Liz1966

I live in a ground floor flat built about 1989.

I can hear pretty much everything in the flat above - same problems as many others e.g. heavy foorsteps, arguing couple, screaming child, doors slamming, anything that uses the plumbing. I sleep wearing earplugs & don't invite people round to my flat because the noise is so intrusive!

I'm paying to get sound insulation fitted to the new standards. My flat is about 20' by 30' and it'll cost about £1800. It won't help with footfall noise but it will help with airbourne noise.

It will be money well spent & I have every sympathy for people who have to put up with such awful noise intrusion as described.

Thanks for those people who say newer flats are quieter, it gives me comfort the new insulation will be effective.

---lee---

I found this thread interesting. I know this post is about flats, but.. I have lived in flats, a semi and now a detached house. The noise problem never goes away, it just changes.

In the flats, it was mainly inconsiderate people slamming doors, playing music to loud etc.

The semi was not too bad but we could sill hear the couple arguing, shouting at their dog a lot and slamming the front door every 10 minutes. We were always mindful and considerate to our neighbours and for the most part, so where they.

The detached house proved to be the noisiest of all – at least until we recently got double glazing. That has made a massive difference. The noise used to drive me crazy. Again though, all the noise comes from inconsiderate people – those that turf their children out and allow them to kick balls against your fence, those that allow their teenagers to stay out until midnight sitting opposite the house screaming at each other etc.

My pet hate is that the guy opposite who has room to park 3 cars on his drive, but insists on parking 2 on the road and 1 on the substation which is alongside our house leaving his drive permanently clear for some reason. His young son used to use an electric air compressor plugged into the car parked alongside our house for half an hour at a time to blow up his bike tyres about 3 times a night. The level of noise from this was unbearable. It was impossible to hear the TV or sit in the living room whilst it was going on. Also, because he was a driving instructor, he used to move the car on and off the substation every hour or so. Really annoying as the bangs from the car doors sound like they come from inside the house and being a diesel it sounded like a double-decker bus.

Anyway, I think the bottom line is that no matter where you live, most noise comes from people being inconsiderate and unfortunately that seems to be on the increase!

Beate

We live on the top floor of a house built in the eighties. Under us are three more flats. We have carpets but really these days wooden flooring is all the rage, so if the landlord decides to refurbish, we will start being a nuisance to the downstairs neighbours without being able to do much about it.
I can't hear our neighbours a lot, only if someone has the DIY bug and is hammering away. Sometimes I can hear the downstairs washing mashine on full spin but often my own flat is noisier to myself, what with the kitchen boiler humming away like crazy.
The only thing that is really annoying is the front door which must have a faulty mechanism that prevents it from shutting quietly. It just goes BANG, we tried to adjust the mechanism but it never works for very long. And when someone shuts their flat door it usually goes WALLOP too because noone bothers to that extent not even the OH. That BANG WALLOP can really grate you if it is done at midnight.
Apart from that our outside noise is much more a nuisance, what with two clubs nearby and people spilling out onto the street late talking and laughing loudly, taxis honking, car doors slamming... I never sleep without ear plugs these days!

Foofighter

I am sensitive to all sorts of noise, sometimes I feel it's me with the problem but the slightest thing and I can't relax! I couldn't cope with noisy neighbours, really feel for some of you in this thread.

I know this topic is mainly about flats/apartments but my friend lives in a terrace and the noise from next door is just terrible, I really feel for her. Of course couples argue and shout but the couple next door are arguing day and night and scream about the most silly things I know so much about her neighbors but I've only met them once lol

I barely hear any noise from the apartment under me, although I hear there morning alarm on occasion and thankfully have only heard them have sex once in 2 years lol I wouldn't be surprised if they have heard me and my partner though (I must say I am respectful of them so would try not to be to loud :rotfl:but what can you do) The walls in the bedroom seem to be the thinnest in the whole apartment, I never hear anything else.

moneysavingmumofone

we live in flats, (no idea how old:o ) we're first floor,(2 flats) theres one floor below us (1 flat and half of a shop, we're above the shop ) and one above. (2 flats) we can always hear the outside doors being opened/shut as well as the interior doors (into the seperate hallways) we've got used to that though! we rarely hear 'everyday' noises from upstairs like walking etc but for the past few months theyve been blaring their music out at 6am!! this wakes my son up every morning! (hes only 2 yrs old) its so loud i can hear the actual words of the song/presenter! do you think a polite note through the door would be ok? i dont really fancy going up there and 'confronting' them:o