PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Hello Forumites! In order to help keep the Forum a useful, safe and friendly place for our users, discussions around non-MoneySaving matters are not permitted per the Forum rules. While we understand that mentioning house prices may sometimes be relevant to a user's specific MoneySaving situation, we ask that you please avoid veering into broad, general debates about the market, the economy and politics, as these can unfortunately lead to abusive or hateful behaviour. Threads that are found to have derailed into wider discussions may be removed. Users who repeatedly disregard this may have their Forum account banned. Please also avoid posting personally identifiable information, including links to your own online property listing which may reveal your address. Thank you for your understanding.
We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. See the Community Noticeboard for more info. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Rubbish neighbours on both sides

Options
24567

Comments

  • mrginge
    mrginge Posts: 4,843 Forumite
    Hi all

    Bought and moved into my house in August 2013 and all was wonderful, until about January 2014 when my neighbour got a new boyfriend who moved in. He has a throat clearing issue and constantly does it day and night. It really travels through the wall and makes my blood boil. I politely asked him to stop it and he was really nice about it first time, saying he'll try and do something about it. To be fair, he did go to the doctors and got some medication (which, by the sounds of it, has proved useless). I am pretty sure it is not a medical condition, rather some sort of nervous tick. Things have turned nasty when I asked him to calm it down again. Him and the girl kicked off at me (even though again I asked politely). He did then calm it down (proving that he can consciously stop it). What would you guys do/have you been in a similar position and what did you do?

    On the other side of the wall are 2 flats. The bottom flat has been occupied since I moved in. The top floor was rented out in around May 2014 to DSS tenants, who smoke week day and night, are up and making noise till about 3/4am every day as they clearly do not have jobs. I have written to the landlord and am awaiting a response. My question here is - What actions can I take if he fails to do anything about it? Can the landlord be ordered to not rent out to DSS tenants? By the way, is it legal for the landlord to be registered at the address of these flats? His title deeds list him as living there. I had to do research to find out his home address.


    Hi.
    Normally i see threads like this and immediately assume that they are WUMs. However, on this occasion I get the sense that you are genuinely complaining about someone with an unconfirmed medical condition and some people who have the audacity to smoke in their own house and may or may not have jobs.
    So rather than simply dismissing your frankly ridiculous complaints i feel compelled to offer some practical advice.

    1. The cougher.
    Since this scumbag is only the boyfriend, could you do something to destroy the relationship? Perhaps a PI could dig up some dirt, or you could set up a honey trap with a local prozzie?

    2. The skanky fag smoking dole scroungers.
    Well the obvious is to have them done for benefit fraud, since they must be on the fiddle. Failing this you could threaten to report the LL to hmrc as he is clearly a crook too. The only thing i can think of is having a truck load of skoal bandits delivered to them. It might get rid of the smoke and they may die a bit quicker too!
  • thorsoak
    thorsoak Posts: 7,166 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    I don't. When I bought my house the neighbouring houses on both sides were both owner occupied. They are now owned by private landlords. Over the last few years there have been numerous tenants and without a shadow of a doubt the better neighbours have been those in full time employment. The reasons for this are obvious.

    In that case, I suggest that before you buy another property, that you carry out credit searches on all your neighbours - to ensure that you get the calibre of neighbours that you desire.
  • MaxTheCat
    MaxTheCat Posts: 73 Forumite
    duchy wrote: »
    Throat clearing?
    Sorry who is the problem neighbour here?
    If you had a neighbour with a wooden leg I suppose you'd complain about the tapping noise it made too?

    And people daring to talk and smoke in their own home? How dare they !
    I work a late shift and finish work at 11pm so often by the time I have wound down from work ,talked about the day etc it can be quite late. Maybe I'm your neighbour and your assumptions that I don't work are wrong !!

    You laugh at the idea of stopping someone smoking in their own home but in New South Wales people have been made to stop smoking in their own apartments because the smoke drifts into other peoples apartments causing health issues and annoyance. So if it can happen there then it can happen here and with luck will do.
  • duchy
    duchy Posts: 19,511 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Xmas Saver!
    thorsoak wrote: »
    In that case, I suggest that before you buy another property, that you carry out credit searches on all your neighbours - to ensure that you get the calibre of neighbours that you desire.

    Perhaps the OP did - unfortunately they both moved away...... Maybe they didn't like their neighbour ?
    I Would Rather Climb A Mountain Than Crawl Into A Hole

    MSE Florida wedding .....no problem
  • NICHOLAS_2
    NICHOLAS_2 Posts: 613 Forumite
    edited 3 August 2014 at 10:27PM
    I've got a neighbour that coughs like a right so and so. It seems to happen of a winter when the weather gets cold. I presume it is medical. But irrespective, i'd never have the bare faced cheek to approach him and tell him to stop coughing. It's the epitome of ignorance.

    It's like asking someone if they can flush their toilet more quietly :D

    I have great neighbours at the moment to be fair. I used to live in a nice big detached house but now live in a flat. When i first moved in there was a couple next door who used to love loud sex, so you don't know how lucky you are. Thankfully they left.

    When i end up in my final property, which will be about 40 years away most probably, it'll be detached.

    There is no way of soundproofing out bangs, coughs and all the other stuff.

    I'm not perfect though, while i make note not to talk loudly of a night because i know it travels, i do love to belch loudly and i often shout when one of my bets comes in ;) and when it doesn't!
  • oystercatcher
    oystercatcher Posts: 2,358 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I expect the people who smoke a lot will start coughing a lot soon as well ;)

    It IS annoying but there's nothing you can do about it. I think you were really cheeky to mention the cough to the neighbours. Poor guy must feel awful. My adult son has tourettes syndrome and makes all sorts of noises like coughing and tapping. He would be mortified if the neighbours complained. Yes, he can control it to a certain extant but it really stresses him and makes him feel terrible to do this long term.

    I think you need to start saving to move somewhere quiet and detached if you are this intolerant of people. Can't afford it ? Join the club, most of us can't so we have to live with it.

    As mentioned, you're lucky you don't have real troublemakers there.
    Decluttering, 20 mins / day Jan 2024 2/2 
  • marleyboy wrote: »
    You sound like the neighbour from hell. Fortunately there are no laws that can force a landlord into renting out only to those who don't have health or employment issues.

    Have you considered building yourself a log cabin deep in the middle of a forest, allowing the rest of the population to get on with their lives?

    Too many noises from trees/birds/foxes/badgers/woodlice.
    (AKA HRH_MUngo)
    Member #10 of £2 savers club
    Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton
  • kelpie35
    kelpie35 Posts: 1,789 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    All I can say is thank God I am not your neighbour.

    If living in your home makes you unhappy I think it would be advisable for you to sell up and find a detached property in the wilds.
  • EmmyLou30
    EmmyLou30 Posts: 599 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts
    Well I'll be one of the few to sympathise with the OP. We've had neighbours who cough all the time, usually whilst having a fag and you just think well maybe if you quit the fags the cough might stop!? You have kids, quit trying to shorten their lives as well as your own and your neighbours. The smoke does drift into open windows in summer and over fences when you're trying to enjoy your garden and for asthmatics and people who just hate filthy fag smell it's horrible to have to put up with in your own home. Smokers seem to think being outside makes it magically float vertically from their faces to the atmosphere, it doesn't.
  • trollopscarletwoman
    trollopscarletwoman Posts: 8,732 Forumite
    edited 4 August 2014 at 12:38AM
    Had it all in this thread-coughing, clearing the throat, loud sex, banging doors, toilet flushing (mine sounds ike a foghorn), arguing!

    No mention of animal noises and fluffing so consider ourselves blessed.

    No, I'm wrong-there was, birds, yes, they do make a noise.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.9K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.5K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.9K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.8K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.9K Life & Family
  • 257.2K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.