How much noise is acceptable from neighbours?

paddypaws101

The house on one side of me is rented and split into two flats. The tenants of the downstairs flat have been really noisy from day 1 and it is really getting to me. They are a couple with a boy of around 6, and a recently born baby. However there always seems to be loads of visitors...right now there are 6 adults and 6 kids all crammed into a tiny concreted back yard, shouting, screaming, crying, throwing toys around and DRIVING ME CRAZY!
My previous complaints to them have managed to stop them smoking and lighting the BBQ directly outside my kitchen door, and also in them ditching the terrible pop music....but this number of people all shouting at the top of their lungs is unbearable.
So....am I over reacting?
If it isn't loud music, or noise at anti-social hours, do I just have to put up with it?
I am pretty sure that at least some of the visitors are LONG TERM, can I report the landlord to the council for running a HMO?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to gain some kind of compromise to make my life bearable again!

abankerbutnotafatcat

I am really sorry to hear about your distress. However, I think you've been lucky with your two earlier issues and need to handle any further complaints very carefully. It does, unfortunately for you, just sound like sociable people having a good time. As you said, if it's in anti-social times of day it's a different thing. It sounds like you've just been unlucky with your new neighbours lifestyle not being compatible with yours.

NeverInDebt

I agree with post 2 at least to there credit they have done something. Maybe invite them around to listen to see how much it effects you. It could be that the fabric of the building is partial at fault. Some flats are notorious for poor sound insulation

boxer16

I've read about a few people having problems like this and all advice states to keep a record of what happens and when.
At least you'll have a record of everything if you do end up needing to take it further.

paddypaws101

Thanks for comments above.
The noise when they are IN the house is fairly bearable....even though the kid and Dad play football in the lounge so my walls and floor all shake with the impact, but the warmer weather means they and all their friends spend most of the day/evening out in their yard at the BBQ. This means my garden is off limits for me, and really the only way to control the noise is to stay inside with all windows and doors closed.
They take no credit for responding to previous complaints....they have just ignored me till I have spoken to the landlord and he has forced the action.
Incompatability of lifestyle does sum it up, unfortunately this is one of those 'cultural' clashes where the Eastern European idea of shared space clashes with my own.

anotherbaldrick

Learn to play the trumpet, join a band and invite the group round to your place for band practice.

withabix

Contact their landlord and ask them to apply the conditions of the tenancy agreement (it will include things about behaviour, subletting [ie overcrowding] and disturbing neighbours etc). You may need to spend £4 on the Land Registry website to get the full contact details if you don't have the Landlord's address.

Tell the landlord they have extra people staying and about their behaviour.

Complain to the local council's EHO about the noise and the overcrowding of the property.

I had neighbours from hell who did the same kinds of things and finally got rid of them last month.

The peace and quiet is deafening!

Jaynne

Annoyingly for you I suspect there's not a lot you can do apart from complain to the landlord as it isn't at anti-social hours.

Try environmental health but they seem a bit toothless and I think during the day they would say that its just children playing.

If it really gets to you the last resort is fighting fire with fire - stick on a good bit of opera on the radio every time they're out making a racket its probably not the background music they want.

paddypaws101

I think the line of continuing to complain to the landlord is the one I will pursue....at least it might make him think twice about renewing the tenancy next year.
Whoever said above that part of the problem is not making enough noise myself is really spot on. I do like to be at home in QUIET, no TV or even radio most of the time so other people's noise does intrude. Also I agree that often neighbours just don't realise how much noise they make or how it travels through to next door....if I do dare to put a radio on upstairs for example my OTHER neighbour complains as he goes to bed early....the fact that he is another serial BBQ party thrower and has a screaming shouting loud family does not come into it, he rarely hears a peep from me so when he does he is shocked!
I a reluctant to 'fight fir with fire' as I feel that would only escalate the problem.