Trials of living in a block of flats

jackomdj

AliceBanned wrote: »

I'm not feeling balanced at all. Am just going to play loud music to drown out their stupid machine. I've been so considerate and it just isn't appreciated so I'll show them what a bad neighbour is like.

I wouldn't do that. If they don't realise that you can hear them then they will just think you are a rubbish neighbour and be less considerate than they are.

We have all gone out and had a few too many to drink and been loud. You never know they could have come in and one of them gone to put the music on and the other said think of the neighbours.

Do you have a friend that could help put things into perspective?

eastofeden

Totally agree with the previous poster. I have a lot of sympathy, but at present you are ascribing blame and motive to people who may be blissfully unaware that they are adding to your distress. I say adding to because as you have identified, they are not the cause of it.

You appear to be suffering from some mental health difficulties, as so many of us do at times. Please tell your doctor just how low you are feeling and how this may be causing you to get things out of perspective. That is not to say that sleep deprivation is not a very real and very difficult problem to deal with. Others have made good suggestions for this.

I would definitely speak with your neighbours, at least then you know what you are dealing with.

carefullycautious

Nooo don't play loud music you will only get into a tit for tat situation and escalate the whole problem between you.

Try ambient noise first ( you can buy machines) but I used to play a cd with sounds of the sea/waves. Or the sounds of the rain forest, there are lots of relaxing ones out there. You will focus on these and stop hearing the noise.

This should allow you to fall into a deep sleep before it turns itself off.

Don't underestimate sleep deprivation as it can make you really ill as I found out after suffering from appalling anti social behaviour from an upstairs flat owner. I moved in the end and so did everyone who lived there after me.

You neighbours are only doing what everyone does, coming and going and using their washing machine probably late at night due to the cheaper tariff. Try to solve things your self first.

piggles1

I agree with what others have said, that the neighbours may be unaware of their noise and it would be better to contact them. If you don't feel up to talking to them you could drop a note in to ask if they could put their washing machine on a bit earlier in the day because the sound travels and wakes you up because you're underneath them. Maybe on your way out this evening. Then they'll be aware when they turn it on you can hear it.

I've been in your situation as well and it can really boil your head and take over your life, especially if you're not very well. I had four neighbours all waking me at different ends of the day and I was miserable and angry.

Now I've moved I'm the person above, so I dropped notes in to my neighbours to warn them of any noise. I feel a bit oppressed in the other direction, creeping about in socks, but that's just my nature.

So I think do just one thing, drop a friendly note in and go out for the evening knowing you've done something about it

benjus

I have similar problems with the people above us - I don't know what type of flooring they have - may well be carpet - but the floorboards are very creaky which means that I can always hear them moving about upstairs. I use earplugs most nights now.

I can't blame them for it though - they are just walking around their flat. If I owned my place I might talk to them about getting the floor fixed, but I'm hoping to move out soon so I just live with it.

ChumpusRex

The first thing you need to do is tell your neighbours that the noise is bothering you. If they don't realise, they won't do anything about it.

The other issue, is that even if you do tell them, there may not be anything they can do.

I lived in a post-war converted townhouse in London. There was zero sound insulation between flats. Even though I had thick pile carpet, never wore shoes in the flat, and had put down extra rugs, just walking across the living room would cause so much noise in the flat below that I used to get at least one complaint e-mail a week. After the first e-mail, I started creeping about the flat in thick fluffy slippers, only to get an e-mail later in the week talking about herds of elephants.

Similarly, I had to take towels/pairs of jeans/etc. to the laundrette because if I put a towel in the washing machine, I'd get a solicitor's letter (even though the washing machine was brand new, and installed on a thick rubber "washing machine silencing" pad).

Shortly before I moved out, things got really acrimonious and a specialist surveyor was brought in. They basically said that there was nothing that could be done short of completely stripping and rebuilding the floors and ceilings.

Of course, that was an old conversion. I've recently moved to a brand new conversion, and have a very similar problem (not quite as bad) where I am on the bottom. Technically, my current flat must be an illegal conversion, as the noise insulation requirements for conversions since 2000 are very strict.

Mobeer

Putting a washing machine on at night time actually makes sense if you have Economy 7 electricity; that's one reason why the machines have delayed start timers.

Angelicdevil

Mobeer wrote: »

Putting a washing machine on at night time actually makes sense if you have Economy 7 electricity; that's one reason why the machines have delayed start timers.

That may be but many leases state that washing machines/hoovering etc must not be done between particular hours eg 11pm-8am.

Alicebanned, have you checked your lease re the above and even if it mentions flooring. As if they have laminate/wooden flooring down and the lease prohibits this, you will be in a better position to get this resolved.

Edinburgh65

Until last summer, I had the neighbour from hell living below me (I am an owner occupier, he was a tenant and was for about three and a half years, with his landlord on his side). I know exactly where you are coming from, although it was probably "easier" for me because I lived above him.

He was the noisiest and most twisted neighbour that I have ever had, and like you, I was completely at the end of my tether. Despite having lived here for many years, I was at the point where I was considering trying to sell up, because I couldn't face the thought of him making my life so unhappy for years to come. It had become time to move on. It felt like a battle that I would never "win".

At one point, a friend said that life always changes and that nothing stays the same forever. At the time I could not imagine how life woudl change (dumped his invalid wife and ran off with someone he met on the internet, like the "charmer" that I always knew he was), but without any warning, the nightmare tenant moved out. I now have the quietest tenant living below me that I have ever had, and I have my life back, although I still feel panicky when I think back to how I use to dread arriving home when I was living above such a selfish man.

I hope that you get some luck like this. I know what it's like to have someone do their utmost best to destroy your life when your home should be a haven to return to, to rest and just be yourself.

burnoutbabe

Could you not drop a note through their door asking politely to try and avoid washing machine noise between say 10pm and 7am as it carries?

Who is the managing agents? we have a residents association for our block of flats, with 3 owners as directors, who meet regualrly with the managing agents and we'd send a polite letter to the flat if someone complained to us (though we'd point out the washing machine during the day was fine, but maybe the owner could check it was installed okay?)