Oh woe is me (bad previous rented properties)

BaldySmurf

I'm very much the same - although not moved quite so many times!

I've always been sensitive to noise even when living at home with my older brother playing his music in his bedroom! I grew up in a detached house and my first place was a two bed flat - so the first time I'd actually shared any wall space with anyone. I bought the place but sold it two years later as it was driving me potty - and yes I can appreciate the floorboards too. Thankfully it was never a big problem but did hear heels occasionally and if it had been too repetitive would have been a big distraction.

Learning from the flat experience I bought a detached house on a fantastic quiet street. Everything sorted with noise, right? Well - no. Despite living in the town for some 25 years I was suckered in by the house itself and didn't appreciate the car park / convenience store / pub / takeaways / community centre that were all within a couple of hundred yards of my back fence. Stayed five years and was gutted to leave in the end as had done a lot of work to the place, but nothing out the back was ever going to change so moved on.

Now in a two bed rental with the equity from the previous properties in the bank and waiting to pounce on the right house. Gorgeous property in the middle of nowhere so again thinking I wouldn't have any outside interferences. Wrong again - next door have a little yappy dog that barks away, thankfully not TOO bad though and about 150 yards away.

One thing I've learnt is that nowhere is perfect - the property game is all about compromise. Providing the positives outweigh the negatives then I'll be happy.

damtheman

I'm happy to compromise. I'd happily swap someone mowing their lawn every bloody day, or someone playing music sometimes. I'm just sick to death of all the everyday noise that I tend to hear at the most annoying times in the day.

Glad to know there are others like me in this regard. You have much more tolerance than I do!

innovate

How about starting a family? Good chance you won't hear the neighbours when the baby cries and the toddler is throwing a tantrum - but when it's "your own" noise, it's often a lot more acceptable.

nrsql

Presumably you don't use the speakers on the TV knowing it might annoy the neighnours son couldn't record it anyway?

PasturesNew

The trouble with being single is that you're renting the cheapest end of the market - and more often will find the neighbours ferkin annoying... happens to me all the time too.

No way out of it easily really - while you're stuck in 1-2 bed attached places there'll always be some c*** ferkin up your peace and quiet.

As I type this, the noisiest brat in the world is running back and forth with thumping feet on the floor above me...... little runt. Well, not so little, probably 6-8 - and it's constant

Ivana_Tinkle

I have a similar over-sensitivity to noise to you. Like you, I wouldn't be too bothered by a lawn mower or a busy road, but yelling kids or loud music send me up the wall.

Three things that have helped me are, firstly, understanding that people aren't (generally!) making noise to spite you - the vast majority of the time either they're just not thinking about you at all or it's the design of the building that is at fault. I think the reason these types of noises annoy us is because we feel they could be avoided if other people were as careful as us. Well, they're not, so we need to accept that!

Secondly, you need to recognise that you are over-sensitive and find practical ways of coping with it. This includes earplugs, white noise and soundproofing where practical.

Thirdly, move to a detached house in the middle of nowhere! This is the best solution I've found so far...

Mischa8

damtheman wrote: »

Thanks everyone for your messages. I appreciate that most people won't understand how it feels, as they can probably tolerate it themselves. I'm just not one of those people who can be physically busy enough to tolerate it and it just induces the 'woe is me' state of mind.

Fortunately I do not believe I am hyper sensitive enough to be bothered by construction works or a fountain water pump, as frustrating as that sounds for you.

To be honest with you - even the neighbour admitted their pump was loud and also the construction works involve cranes, rubble being moved etc - all the neighbours have complained! it involved the demolition of a church.

I can tolerate some dog barking, but our previous landlord's dog was doing it right outside out single-glazed kitchen window that looked upon the patio that the dog had rein. Yes, I knew he had a dog and Yes, I anticipated that dogs bark, but not to this extent - ultimately this scenario was more I had a problem with the fact he did not stop the dog from barking and less so the dog's noise.

FYI - the dogs also barked continuously and what annoyed me then was that the neighbours (we could hear them *forgot* to let the dogs back in at night and these neighbours had friends over late til early hours of morning. I actually felt sorry for one dog who had arthritis and was old.

Floorboards, yes, I was complaining. Especially given that they were walking around heavy footed and some in high heels - I could hear the reverb, it was frustrating especially at 7am, just when I'm lying in.

I'd record the current property noise to demonstrate, but that is not fair on my neighbours, nor is it an accurate representation of the noise because a microphone will record anything and everything. Unless I record while the telly is on.... but if I did post it here, who cares really? There is little point in the exercise plus its not like its going to mean anything to anyone because they aren't here to hear it for real. Plus it'd make me feel worse if everyone said they could put up with it - lol!.

I have used ear plugs on and off but they make my earholes ache and that is not worth going through every day to not suffer noise. I will tolerate some but not all.

Get gel earplugs - they're better than the other ones. or invest in a white noise machine which *blanks out the noise*.

Detached in a village would be nice, very nice. But is everyone's argument that they have to put with it then so should I?

Given I am conscious of other people's noise (not listening out for it mind) I am also aware of how much noise I make. One neighbour has complained about my footsteps, but he was below me - I guess he got his own back playing his music loudly. Since, no one has ever said anything about me as a neighbour. I'm obviously some floating fairy that lives in a rolling bubble...

Finally if you are that bothered by noise from footsteps and noise - then next time you move get a flat with noise deadening material for floors (common in lots of flats in fact a condition in a lot being sold, I should know work for a solicitors!) and also for walls.

And based on your comments yes you are a precious so and so. Afford your own place in the middle of nowhere if noise bothers you that much!

Mischa8

Ivana_Tinkle wrote: »

I have a similar over-sensitivity to noise to you. Like you, I wouldn't be too bothered by a lawn mower or a busy road, but yelling kids or loud music send me up the wall.

Three things that have helped me are, firstly, understanding that people aren't (generally!) making noise to spite you - the vast majority of the time either they're just not thinking about you at all or it's the design of the building that is at fault. I think the reason these types of noises annoy us is because we feel they could be avoided if other people were as careful as us. Well, they're not, so we need to accept that!

Secondly, you need to recognise that you are over-sensitive and find practical ways of coping with it. This includes earplugs, white noise and soundproofing where practical.

BUT he's not oversensitive - he just said - bless him. :rotfl:

Mischa8

There's a really interesting side note to this.

My parents have a holiday home in countryside in SW France. Off I went for a holiday there recently (there are a few houses nearby as neighbours but only one opposite their house).

anyway - I slept really well as did OH and baby. BUT - and even parents said this - it was so quiet and dark at night that it was spooky. It was really weird that stuff you normally hear (and we live in a quiet area on outskirts of London anyway) you didn't hear AT ALL in the countryside. Most you'd hear was birds and even then hardly of those around! there was a train but it didn't run at night.

so there can be almost a downside to it. I almost thought the place was haunted, saw stuff etc - but by the end of a fortnight was used to it!!!

Blackpool_Saver

nrsql wrote: »

Presumably you don't use the speakers on the TV knowing it might annoy the neighnours son couldn't record it anyway?

again please, in English...........