Help! The nutter downstairs is making our lives a misery.

vet8

We bought an upstairs flat just over 2 years ago and after 3 days we received an anonymous note moaning about us making a noise "all night every night". This really upset me as we are middle aged, responsible people and I was concerned that we were disturbing anyone. We are both in our 50s, we are light on out feet and always wear slippers in the flat, we have no T.V., radio or sound system and if one of us watches something on the computer we always wear headphones, so we make no noise at all. I would honestly think we were ideal neighbours and having spoken to the others on our floor they have all said they have never heard a sound from our flat.

After receiving other notes I worked out that it was the guy downstairs sending them. Now in his defence, the flat had been empty for years so he was clearly unused to someone above him, but he is very strange and does odd things. We have carpeted the place and we creep around but he still moans.As an example of how reasonable we are we never flush the WC at night and we have never had sex in the flat for fear of making too much noise which might disturb him.:eek:

He has now complained to the managing agents and I spoke to a really rude and unhelpful woman there who said we were making thumping noises all night. What! we are asleep.

Now he has started banging on the ceiling during the night, originally with a broom handle or something similar but now he seems to be standing on a chair and pounding repeatedly with a shoe heel or something. We cannot sleep and we now dread going home. My OH has tried to talk to him, but he refuses to open the door and avoids ever meeting the neighbours so we cannot speak reasonably to him to find out what the problem is.

My OH is all for kicking his door down and beating his head in, therapeutic but not very useful. Has any one got any ideas. I will complain to the useless management company who do nothing anyway, but the rude woman said to me that if they receive a complaint about noise all they do is send a standard letter. Not much good.

Anyone got any ideas before my OH loses his rag totally.

Ms_Chocaholic

Contact Environmental Health, they will send out diary sheets for you to record the details of these incidents, following which they may install noise monitoring equipment.

Usually Environmental Health can confiscate the noise making equipment (usually TVs, stereos etc), not sure what they would do though about confiscating a broom handle.

krlyr

Could be worth speaking to your local police re. his harrassment. The local council might deal with him in regards to a noise nuisance and/or anti-social behaviour too

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/housing_e/housing_problems_where_you_live_e/neighbour_disputes.htm

http://www.nfh.org.uk/

http://www.problemneighbours.co.uk/

Quite a few websites on the subject - you're not the first and won't be the last to have nightmare neighbours! I hope you can resolve it soon.

clockworks_2

Sounds like he is trying to bully you out and on top of that a coward as he refuses to confront you.

I would personally fight fire with fire. Buy a sound system and if he accuses you of being noisy you may as well be.

thelem

If he won't answer the door, have you tried him a note explaining that it can't be you making the noise he's complaining about as you're sometimes asleep at the time!

Would be police be interested? (harassment)

sussexchick

Oh you poor things, you have my sympathies, and what a horror of a neighbour !

Personally I'd make as much noise as possible, then he really would have reason to complain ! Everytime he stands on his chair and whacks the ceiling, take a shoe and whack your bedroom floor. He'll soon get fed up and realise that you are not push-overs. Who does he think he is ! - cheeky beggar !

Probably not the most helpful post of the century, but good luck to you both. Enjoy your sex life too ! - life is too short

x

vet8

I agree he is a coward, only cowards send anonymous notes and refuse to speak to people. We have tried thumping back on the floor when he thumps in the past, but I have now stopped that as it seemed to make it worse and reduced us to his pathetic level..

vet8

thelem wrote: »

If he won't answer the door, have you tried him a note explaining that it can't be you making the noise he's complaining about as you're sometimes asleep at the time!

Would be police be interested? (harassment)

I have dropped off a letter at his place stating the facts and asking him to stop banging and leaving "anonymous notes".

We have in fact contacted the police a while ago about other odd things he has done, he is VERY strange. We strongly suspect for example, but cannot prove, that he stole our doormat. How odd is that?

GreenSheep

My first flat was empty for 8 years before I moved in.
The woman downstairs was a little more tactful with the messages to start with but then she started texting me telling me 'You need to...' do this that and the other regarding noise.
I had no TV, no sound system, no girlfriend, a friend visited twice in the year I owned it. I basicly ate, read and slept there. Sounds like I'm exaggerating but I was almost an angel.
One 'need' text irritated me one day. I knocked on her door and told her "I'm not a child and I don't 'need' to do anything for anyone. Now you've been spoilt in the past with no neighbours but someone lives upstairs now and you'll have to deal with it. These aren't well build flats. I can hear you. You can hear me." And so on.
She mutted something about the reporting me to the council - honestly I made no noise!
I told her "You'll live and die by their rules if you do that. If they say I can play music loud until 10pm week nights and 1am weekends I'll do it."
An hour or so later a text saying sorry and agreeing I was a saint. Never another message.

If he won't answer the door I'd send a note outlining that you're a perfect neighbour 'but if you're going to complain I'll give you noise'...

vet8

Thank you GreenSheep, very useful advice.

whitewing

Have sex in your flat, it's your home!