Do we have to tell buyers about nightmare neighbour?

Miiri

Go through the formal process.. jump through the hoops - from the sounds of it - you have nothing to lose at the moment. You can and should get your MP involved if the council are being deliberately awkward. Write letters and don't give up if you don't get the response you want first time.

Your current living conditions sound awful but not declaring could cause you more problems in the long run- I'd also consider what someone else said - can you change your living arrangements somewhat - swap the bedroom for the living room? Thick rugs.. leave low level music on to muffle the worst of it.

Most of all - try to stop this chap getting to you - most people can sleep through some noise at night but I suspect you're now so on edge that any noise is waking you up - maybe try get away for a couple of weeks to get you some good sleep & I'd be tempted to leave your own recording on while you are away!

Good luck

Fi

vet8 wrote: »

Thanks again for your comments. Basically everyone has confirmed what I think I knew already, we cannot in all conscience sell this place to some poor unsuspecting person to get saddled with this maniac. Which leaves us in a right mess.

For personal reasons, we had planned to put the flat on the market later on this year, now it looks as though we cannot sell so all our retirement plans are totally ruined.

I have looked at the official complaint route and it does not look very hopeful. The police are not interested, they say it is the council's job, the council take months or years to deal with it. We have kept a diary of the noise and are recording the thumping ourselves, but the council insist you have to use their recording equipment which they loan out, it might take months to get one on loan.

Every incident I have read about this seems to be bad news, it is almost impossible to make a case against the neighbour and the council will do nothing. Really the b*****ds win once again and the good guys get stuffed.

That's life it seems to me.

Desperado99

Take up tap dancing........ at night.

Seriously, though. If he's annoyed because you're loud you might as well be loud. Play music, watch telly. LIVE NORMALLY! I'm sure I read somewhere of someone in a similar situation telling their neighbour that if they thought they were loud they would show them what loud really was, and the neighbour backed down. I'd be very tempted to put some speakers face down on the floor next time he tried it...... but it wouldnt necessarily solve things

I think the likelihood of this coming back to bite you in the bum once you sell is pretty high, and you're probably going to have to go down the official route. Try contacting the PCSO's in your area and ask for mediation.

lessonlearned

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

There's got to be some sort of lateral thinking way to deal with this situation....
.

There is. Soundproofing.

No problem is so untractable that a solution cannot be found.

When faced with a problem that seems unsolvable and appears to have only two - equally unpalatable - solutions then you have to look for a third way.

In this case the two unpalatable solutions are for the op to lie through their teeth and risk prosecution so they can sell and move, or stay put and learn to live with the neighbour from hell.

Soundproofing is the third, more imaginative, option.

It resolves the issue in the short term because it will give the OP some respite from the noise.

In the longer term it means they can sell their property.

They can truthfully answer all questions regarding neighbour noise and disputes etc without fear of repercussions or law suits.

Getting all heavy, calling in police and environmental health will only serve to make matters worse.

It will lead to a full on documented neighbour dispute.

The flat will become unsellable and the ops' lives will continue to be a misery.

The rights and wrongs are irrelevant, pontificating about the neighbours behaviour is a total waste of time and energy. It won't change. Whether he is mentally unstable or not is also irrelevant - he won't modify his behaviour and suddenly become a considerate neighbour.

What is needed is a workable practical solution.

A few hundred pounds spent on soundproofing is the best way forward on this one.

Addiscomber

I wonder if the person who sold the flat to you left because of the neighbour downstairs? Is it possible that you have any kind of claim against them?

Ivana_Tinkle

I'm not convinced soundproofing would help much. We soundproofed one wall of a terraced house once because our neighbours were noisy, and although it was brilliant at cutting down the loud music and midnight shouting matches, it didn't do much for impact noise.

I think you should seriously look into taking your neighbour to the magistrates court. (Google magistrates court + noise + your local authority)

It's not difficult at all, and is the only way you're actually going to stop him doing this. Then there's no moral dilemma to worry about and you don't have to inflict this mental torture on someone else.