Neighbours claim noise from my boiler is disturbing them

abankerbutnotafatcat

Hi, I have a two storey flat that is rented out. The conventional boiler is 2 years old and has been serviced and last had its gas safety cert six months ago.

My tenants have been approached by their neighbours to say there is a loud 'ticking' noise which apparently the neighbours' gas engineers say is coming from my property.

This noise is heard after 11 in the evening and has kept the neighbours awake (their flat is single storey and their bedroom is next to my kitchen. The party walls are brick and provide pretty good sound-proofing (I've lived in the flat); I've never had any noise complaint from a neighbour before.

The tenants say that the boiler is timed to switch off at 9pm and they are not using hot water after 11 either. They say they have heard a noise but it hasn't disturbed them - they sleep upstairs.

My LA asks if I authorise a gas engineer to inspect my boiler.

What are people's thoughts on this? My first thought is to ask if the neighbours would be willing to pay if no fault is found with the boiler as there appears to be nothing in it for me. However, I don't want to be unreasonable so perhaps I should just pay to placate neighbours and ensure boiler is working at optimum levels?

moneyistooshorttomention

Send in an engineer. Your property and therefore your responsibility not to inflict noise on the neighbours.

jjlandlord

I suppose that this ticking noise does not last, right?

I'm guessing that the noise might come from the boiler or surrounding pipes contracting as they cool down with friction on something.

martinthebandit

......ask your tenants (assuming both you and them are reasonable people and have a reasonable relationship) if you can pop round one evening after 11 and have a listen to the boiler perhaps ?

.......and do the same with the neighbors?

abankerbutnotafatcat

jjlandlord wrote: »

I suppose that this ticking noise does not last, right?

I'm guessing that the noise might come from the boiler or surrounding pipes contracting as they cool down with friction on something.

If this were the case, is there anything that can be done? I'm trying to be armed with all the facts.

abankerbutnotafatcat

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Send in an engineer. Your property and therefore your responsibility not to inflict noise on the neighbours.

Not that helpful. In my house I can hear my neighbours going up and down the stairs and opening and closing their doors. I presume they can hear the same from us. There are some noises that unfortunately have to be reasonably tolerated.

We also don't actually even know if the noise is coming from my property.

vuvuzela

At least it isn't a washing machine http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2900077/Pensioner-82-wrote-suicide-note-knifing-neighbour-dispute-noise-thought-heard-coming-washing-machine.html

Old_Git

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

Hi, I have a two storey flat that is rented out. The conventional boiler is 2 years old and has been serviced and last had its gas safety cert six months ago.

My tenants have been approached by their neighbours to say there is a loud 'ticking' noise which apparently the neighbours' gas engineers say is coming from my property.

This noise is heard after 11 in the evening and has kept the neighbours awake (their flat is single storey and their bedroom is next to my kitchen. The party walls are brick and provide pretty good sound-proofing (I've lived in the flat); I've never had any noise complaint from a neighbour before.

The tenants say that the boiler is timed to switch off at 9pm and they are not using hot water after 11 either. They say they have heard a noise but it hasn't disturbed them - they sleep upstairs.

My LA asks if I authorise a gas engineer to inspect my boiler.

What are people's thoughts on this? My first thought is to ask if the neighbours would be willing to pay if no fault is found with the boiler as there appears to be nothing in it for me. However, I don't want to be unreasonable so perhaps I should just pay to placate neighbours and ensure boiler is working at optimum levels?

maybe its your tenants sex toys vibrating :rotfl:

freezspirit

I know this might sound a bit stupid but the ticking sound could be from a clock. I only say this as a couple of months back I stayed at my brothers and could sleep, I traced the noise to the kitchen clock, took the battery out and slept peacefully afterwards.

G_M

What makes the neighbours so sure it is the boiler.

Given you have had the boiler inspected (and serviced?) 6 months ago, & is otherwise working fine, I would not send in an engineer unless the neighbours are willing to pay for the check. Obviously, if a fault is found that would be down to you to pay/fix.

As jj says, pipes often tick/creak as they expand/contract during temperature change. Re-seating them firmly, and/or muffling them with insulation may help, but is a major job (lifting floorboards to access th pipes).

Or it could be something totally different.

If you live locally, AND if your tenants agree, I too would go round one evening and see if you can pin down the source of the noise.

franklee

Ask the neighbour what time the noise starts and stops. Does it go on all night? If it's for ten or twenty minutes past the boiler switch off time then it could be pipes cooling. If it goes on for hours afterwards then it's likley unrelated to the boiler, unless the boiler comes on again without the tenant realising. Once you know the offending times can the tenant switch the boiler completely off say an hour earlier, see if the noise moves with the change in boiler time. I agree it could be a clock which will sound louder at night. Ask if the noise is regular like ticking or intermittent. What time does the neighbour's boiler go off and where is it in relation to the noise? Is there anything against the adjoining wall I'd suspect a fridge/freezer pushed back against the wall they can sound loud at night. Is there anything like that? or is there a bathroom extractor fan?