Noisy Neighbour - Not sure of next steps 11 February 2018 at 12:21PM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in Marriage, Relationships & Families 78 replies 24.7K views

Tabbytabitha

Jimmy_Boy wrote: »

Their on benefits. Tenants with Cornwal Council. Same as myself.

How can you be a tenat when you've bought your property?
Personally, I'd have put in sound insulation (at least in the bedroom) years ago.

Madmel

To get hold of your local councillor, go to the County Council website and search for your postcode. I'm not a million miles away from you (Devon) and our local councillor is brilliant at putting a rocket under Devon/East Devon District to try to resolve issues. I normally email her and she generally replies the same day, or within 36 hours.

If your councillor proves to be useless, then approach your MP.

Have you been in touch with your local paper? I had an issue years ago with a council-funded group that closed ranks and whose director refused to accept responsibility for something which could have left my primary-aged child and a coach-load of others in jeopardy. I rang the local paper's news desk, asked a rhetorical question, which obviously got them interested and within 2 hours, said director had called back with a fulsome and grovelling apology. It irked me that the paper had got him to act when I hadn't managed by myself, but in the end, I didn't want other kids to have the same experience, and I had my apology.

Good luck

Jimmy_Boy

KronarSZ wrote: »

Earplugs work wonders and cost practically nothing. Try them and you will be amazed at how little you can hear of anything.

I have previously done that and gone through various types but ultimately it doesn't completely block out the sound, and I also started to get very sore ears and it did appear to be affecting my hearing somewhat so I stopped using them.

LadyDee wrote: »

Are you the neighbour?
Why on earth should somebody have to wear earplugs to cut out the racket caused by inconsiderate neighbours?

+1

Jimmy_Boy

Tabbytabitha wrote: »

How can you be a tenat when you've bought your property?
Personally, I'd have put in sound insulation (at least in the bedroom) years ago.

My bad.

Consider I have lived here 20 years now and never had an issue with previous neighbours, it is not something that occurred to me before.

Jimmy_Boy

Madmel wrote: »

To get hold of your local councillor, go to the County Council website and search for your postcode. I'm not a million miles away from you (Devon) and our local councillor is brilliant at putting a rocket under Devon/East Devon District to try to resolve issues. I normally email her and she generally replies the same day, or within 36 hours.

If your councillor proves to be useless, then approach your MP.

Have you been in touch with your local paper? I had an issue years ago with a council-funded group that closed ranks and whose director refused to accept responsibility for something which could have left my primary-aged child and a coach-load of others in jeopardy. I rang the local paper's news desk, asked a rhetorical question, which obviously got them interested and within 2 hours, said director had called back with a fulsome and grovelling apology. It irked me that the paper had got him to act when I hadn't managed by myself, but in the end, I didn't want other kids to have the same experience, and I had my apology.

Good luck

Thats somewhat encouraging. Thank you.

I did contact the council again saying that the issue is still ongoing, and again stated that I feel carpet fitted upstairs would mostly resolve the issue. They basically told me that they are not willing to do any more, which I found to be very disappointing and unsupportive. Nobody at the council appears to recognise the stress, anxiety and deep depression this is causing me.

Since I last posted here, there has been a development, that is the male partner has now moved out and taken the dogs with him, so I at least don't have to listen to the dogs barking now. However, I have always suspected that it was the woman who made most of the noise, and my suspicions are confirmed by the fact that the noises still happen with him no longer living their.

I had enough a couple weeks ago and gone and spoke to my neighbour again. The reason my initial offer of buying them carpet was refused was because they said the carpets would get dirty by the dogs (hmmmm, ok). As the dogs are no longer there, and as the council have said they are not willing to help any further, I pleaded with her to have some carpet fitted at my expense, as I felt my options are running out (I don't really want to move - I like it here apart from the noise).

She agreed, but I can't help but think I go through the process of buying carpet (hopefully underlay too), getting a carpet fitter organised and paid for, and then she refuses to have it fitted, then I would be completely disheartened and also out of pocket.

Your reply has inspired me to try contacting my councillor and trying to get the council to take some accountability / responsibility for this situation.

Since I last posted here in February is about the time when I had the reply from the council, and that reply really got me down. I have been deliberately stretching my days work out (I get paid by the day not the hour, so not trying to scam my employer), just so I spend less time at home. I basically have tried burying my head in the sand, but I need to take a deep breath and try and get the motivation (from somewhere) to try and tackle this again.

Thanks for your words of encouragement, it really helps.

Kimbmy1989

As a new user I’m not allowed to submit links. But if you go onto the UK government petition website search ‘make it law for all property to be soundproofed if above another’ and you should find the petition.


This is a petition calling for it to be law for all flats above another property to have sufficient soundproofing for the well being of people living below others. Noisy floorboards bothering you? Footsteps keeping you awake at night? Sound of voices from above? Sign and share this petition. Let’s make our well being law.

fibonarchie

Here's the petition mentioned in the post above. Only 32 sigs so far, might be worth spreading the message.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/221417

Madbags

My grandmother has noisy people living above her. Sounds very similar to whats been going on here. Noisy antisocial woman, has dogs and boyfriends and god knows what going on in the flat. Constant noise and thumping and banging around all day.



She managed to get the council to do soundproofing for her and it hasn't made any difference whatsoeever. You can still hear it all clear as day. How much of a difference is it supposed to really make? In my grandmother's case it's made none at all.

ilovepeoplesoverymuch

OP, I relate to you so well. I have longterm mental health issues now since a landlord above my old flat, bought the flat and rented it out to one noisy neighbour after another. I even had a day of tinnitus after one woman upstairs kept stomping around. She was a horrible woman, who shouted at me after I asked a couple of times politely if she could keep it down.

Then I moved to another flat via the council and the woman below me would slam her door so hard the whole flat rattled. The council asked her to install soft closing things on her cupboards and doors and she refused and like your neighbour, said she didn’t need them. She also said that she wasn’t slamming doors and it was just her “microwave peeping”. She asked my parents, “What’s she got?” as in mental health problems because I’m autistic.

There are evil people out there, who purposely want to hurt others. I don’t understand it. I was starting to go so far beyond there I felt like setting the flat on fire. I wanted to hurt those people after how suicidal I felt because they deliberately hurt me. I’m never like that, and I’m not anymore, thank goodness.

Bear in mind this all happened after years of living completely peacefully with my old neighbours. The place I’m in now is fine as well.

I signed the petition. I would get legal help if you can, or like the others say, move out. I had to move twice.

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

Loz01

People are so inconsiderate, it's unreal. We have a neighbour who owns a rusty white van (2002 plate) and he goes to work in the morning. Fine, but he leaves at 7:30 and he will rev the van up and leave it running anywhere from 15-45 minutes before he actually leaves. He goes back in the house and just leaves it chugging away loudly. And I dont just mean in the winter to clear ice or snow, all year round. Eventually he comes back and gets in, sits in there for a while longer with music playing and windows down before revving off. Its almost as if HE'S up at 7:30am so everyone else should be.