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

vet8

HouseMoo wrote: »

Maybe your downstairs neighbour is actually hearing noises in the night but from their own flat and not yours.

I did wonder that, but when I lie awake at night I can hear no noise from anywhere, it is very quiet.

vet8

BigAunty wrote: »

I'm with the previous poster who wonders if your neighbour has mental health issues, as well as having the rare luxury of having no-one adjacent to them for a long time. You may just find that they have little going on in their life, they are so lonely and have so much time to themselves, so that tiny insignificant things become an obsession and their total life's focus.

I agree with this 100%.

He did have a 9 - 5 job, but seemed to lose that and was unemployed for months, now he works in the late afternoon, early evenings, but outside work he seems to do nothing. He never goes out, he never has any visitors, he is always in the flat, never away overnight, he seems to have no life at all.

vet8

BigAunty wrote: »

Any scope for putting up hidden CCTV (such as one concealed in a PIR or smoke detector or door spy hole, a pinhole one) that could capture incidents in the future as surely he will continue to punish you, particularly if you go to the council or police?

The guy sounds sneaky so I think you've got to get sneaky back.

We are seriously considering doing that.

mrsbmartin

BigAunty wrote: »

Or say through the letter box 'Are you okay, would you like us to call an ambulance? You seem to be in distress?'. QUOTE]

I know BigAunty doesn't really mean for an ambulance to be called in this kind of situation but just in case a total div is reading this...please don't call an ambulance for ANYTHING unless it is an emergency...they are not there to provide company, diffuse arguments, be a taxi service or put a plaster on your toe because you stubbed it - if you aren't in need of emergency medical attention then don't call - you are taking them away from those who DO need them. (Sorry - wife of paramedic!!!).

ANYWAY...OP I really feel for you - this guy sounds ridiculous. If you are concerned that he has MH problems then you could give a call to social but to be honest I would just live life as if you had someone 'normal' living below you - eat, watch things without headphones, dance in the livingroom and have sex whenever and wherever the mood takes you. We are in a terraced house and our bedroom is next to our neighbours' on both sides...we have heard 'action on occassion and the reasonable thing to do is 1.Go downstairs and have a quick drink (they don't seem to have any stamina - it's usually over v.quickly hehe!!) 2. put on some headphones/turn up the tv or 3. make fun of them

The worst your neighbour can do is report you to EH, who may monitor your noise-making. They will see how reasonable you are and tell him there is nothing that he can do and to maybe buy some ear plugs. On your side - keep a diary of all his harrassing behaviour so that you can demonstrate his banging/notes etc should you need to involve the authorities to help get him to stop.

Mozzanov

vet8 wrote: »

I am sure he does have mental health problems, he is fine for months and then suddenly starts to send odd notes or bangs on the ceiling, we are not making any more noise then we have for the past 2 years - why start thumping now?

I agree that downstairs flats hear noises from upstairs, but I think the insulation is pretty good, when we are inside we never hear any one else's TV or any other noise apart from oddball banging.

We have lived here for over 2 years.

Oops, I just re-read your original post regarding the two years.

Lost his marbles, lonely and attention seeking. I still wonder if there is noise from another neighbour (or as someone else mentioned noise from his flat and he doesn't realise it - I once left my dehumidifier on and was convinced the sound was coming from a neighbour's flat).

Does anyone ever visit him? Maybe there is a family member who visits on a regular day/time that you can try to catch and talk to?

Viberduo

I have had similar, lived in a flat for 3 months a few years ago and every night the downstairs neighbour would verbally abuse me and kick my door(and eventually after a few weeks punched and choked me one day)

I have lived away from home 14 years and only had noise complaints twice, this was first person yet every other flat in the block said they never heard me(same as pretty much everywhere I live) and like yourselves I walked around in slippers and creeped about, in my case it was because I had wooden floor and the downstairs neighbour moved his bedroom and living room around! to me that was his own fault so why should I suffer for it, even after he attacked me he said I was the one with the problem!

The 2nd one is my current(for another 2 weeks) property, in the 3 years of being here and had about 7 downstairs neighbours he is the only one to complain to the point he also does dangerous things like he has the only working stair light and when he heard me go downstairs one day he swore and said abusive things(he saw me come down stairs from the glass next to door) then turned lights off and I fell. Again every other neighbour says they never even know I am in to the point I dont see them for 2 weeks and they think I have been away on holiday.

Point is people fail to see things through other peoples eyes, and like said tolerances are different, the slightest creak to someone would draw them to anger and to another would not even notice.

newsgroup_monkey

Can I ask, why didn't you call the police straight away and have him charged with assault?

People seem to think that other people punching them (and choking them) is "All within the rules of life".

Viberduo

newsgroup_monkey wrote: »

Can I ask, why didn't you call the police straight away and have him charged with assault?

People seem to think that other people punching them (and choking them) is "All within the rules of life".

As it never hurt me as he thought he was a big tough guy and his punch didnt even hurt and his choking wasnt that tight, he was a coward though as the time he attacked me I had a hiking backpack on and about 6 carrier bags of stuff as was taking things to parents so couldnt punch him back.

That and I found out he lived there for 3 years and complained about every tenant who ever lived above him.

Ulfar

newsgroup_monkey wrote: »

People seem to think that other people punching them (and choking them) is "All within the rules of life".

They do until someone bites back.

this guy sounds like a nutter and a control freak.

If I was you I would not be tip toeing around, live your life like normal.

I say this as someone who lived below a problem neighbour and I would have loved to have had you as a neighbour.

PasturesNew

Is it possible he has some mental issues where he hears things that don't exist? Maybe he hallucintes the sounds.... must be a word for that