Wanting to sell but issues with neighbours

Serena2013

Hi,


I’m after some advice as I brought my flat 5 years ago. I'm in the top flat and Leaseholder sold flat downstairs to a couple and young teenage boy.


There is no sound insulation as it's an old Victorian property (built 1900). You can hear them talking, arguing and slamming doors. At the beginning it was civil but unfortunately I complained about them talking until 1am in the morning on weekdays when I was trying to sleep.


They live in a one bedroom flat and the young teenage boy and mother never go out in the weekends. It got really difficult with the constant noise because there are 3 of them in a one bedroom flat and I got very annoyed and shouted from my flat upstairs (I know I shouldn't have). The following morning after not sleeping properly and still being annoyed I stomped down my split level apartment in the early morning so they could hear.


I spoke to the lady that morning and explained that it's hard when I hear arguing when I come home from work, slamming doors and it must be really hard for a young teenage son to live in a one bedroom flat but there is no sound insulation in this property unfortunately. I also made the mistake of saying I'm selling so I don't want any issues.


Now you can guess what happened next. They have given me issues - they are vibrating the flat whenever I get home and throughout the night. It's been going on for 2 weeks now and I haven't said anything because I want to sell. I feel the vibrations when I sit down and when I go to sleep. It's been really difficult for me to sleep for the past 2 weeks.



I've tried talking to her about being harsh when I complained but she doesn't want to know. She said she's busy and can't talk now. I am being civil and nice whenever I see her but they are still vibrating the flat.


I have not logged an official complaint because that will mean it will be harder for me to sell. I'm not sure what to do as I really want to get out because I feel very vulnerable now. I am looking at getting expensive carpet underlay for my bedrooms and living room (bottom layer of concrete, foam in the middle and then top layer is concrete again) to hopefully stop the vibrations coming through to my flat. I think they have installed ceiling fans in more than one room and even though it's Feb they have them on throughout the night to vibrate my flat.


I am also scared because the kid talks very loudly and when there are viewings I feel they will constantly make noise. Also the kid swears very loudly also.



Basically I'm after some advice on what I can do. I'm trying to just live with it so I can get the flat on the market as soon as possible but I'm also nervous that they will ruin my chances of getting a sale.


Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


I live by myself and there are 3 of them and I feel I'm being targeted because I'm by myself but I don't want to officially log anything because that will make it harder for me to sell.


Apologies for the long e-mail. I'm just after some advice on what people would do if they were in my situation.


Thanks

HampshireH

If you don't want to log anything your options are pretty limited.

You haven't helped yourself by retaliating and giving them a reason to behave this way. You have confirmed it winds you up. They win.

Odd that they would buy a 1 bed flat for 3 people. Are they definitely the owners or do they rent it from the new owners?

I can't imagine they would install fans and leave them on just to annoy you.

You will either need to act on it or it up with it I'm afraid. Nobody can help you if they dont know.

I would suggest trying to build relations.

BorisThomson

Not unusual for small and not so small families to live in one bed flats in high cost areas.

As above I can only suggest trying to build bridges, the tea and cake approach. I'm struggling to believe that they're having fans on throughout the day and night just to annoy you, and your reaction to normal behaviour was excessive. Do you think you've become so fixated on the issue that you're making it worse for yourself?

(I have hyperacusis, so appreciate how unsettling noise can be and how we can overreact to it.)

Serena2013

Yes I didn't help the situation and now I'm stuck it seems HampshireH. I have tried talking to her but sounds like I need to make more of an effort as you say.


Yes they brought the property from the freeholder and I think they are trying to live together as a family after some time apart as they moved in together and then their son moved in.


I'm not sure what else could be making the flat vibrate as it's never happened in the last 5 years I've been here just in the last 2 weeks which seems a coincidence to me after I said I was selling up.


Thanks for the reply I will also see how I can build relations with neighbours after such an incident.

Serena2013

Thanks BorisThomson it sounds like I need to build bridges here.


Yes unfortunately I didn't realise how badly noise affects me when I'm at home. I need a quite property and didn't realise these Victorian flats were soo poorly insulated. That's the main reason along with maintenance why I've moving. But of course having a family move in below just compounded it for me and I reacted badly.

Arklight

They are vibrating your flat? How?

economic

You could complain to your council about noise - they should have a team who deals with these sorts of issues. They could enforce action against the neighbor.

Also the complaints should be confidential so the council wont disclose to the neighbor who complained. Of course it will be obvious to the neighbor but that doesn't matter. You wont have to disclose anything to any potential buyer. No way that it can be found as given its confidential.

Badegg

sorry for slightly off topic but having never lived in a victorian house / split level house - is this always an issue with victorian houses? im wondering whether to just completely ignore them and consider only modern purpose built blocks instead?

OP - wish you all the best in situation, sorry for slight derail.

victoriavictorious

economic wrote: »

You could complain to your council about noise - they should have a team who deals with these sorts of issues. They could enforce action against the neighbor.

Also the complaints should be confidential so the council wont disclose to the neighbor who complained. Of course it will be obvious to the neighbor but that doesn't matter. You wont have to disclose anything to any potential buyer. No way that it can be found as given its confidential.

They might find themselves on shaky ground (however "confidential" it might seem) by not declaring disputes / complaints lodged against neighbours to any potential buyer, once they got the council involved and it became official, as it would. You can bet it would be discovered and there can be very real, and very serious (sometimes ruinous) financial consequences for what amounts to lying on the legal documentation if the buyer decided to sue.
For their own sake, it might be best for OP to bite the bullet and try to get on more amicable terms with their neighbour (however hard it is) just to avoid involving the authorities - and therefore having to declare it - if they are to ever have a hope of selling their property - unless of course the neighbours themselves decided to move out first!

Davesnave

economic wrote: »

You could complain to your council about noise - they should have a team who deals with these sorts of issues. They could enforce action against the neighbor.

Also the complaints should be confidential so the council wont disclose to the neighbor who complained. Of course it will be obvious to the neighbor but that doesn't matter. You wont have to disclose anything to any potential buyer. No way that it can be found as given its confidential.

So, what you are saying is: "When it comes to filling-in the TA6, just lie." ?

Davesnave

Badegg wrote: »

sorry for slightly off topic but having never lived in a victorian house / split level house - is this always an issue with victorian houses? im wondering whether to just completely ignore them and consider only modern purpose built blocks instead?

There's a significant difference between a concrete floor in a modern block and what one is likely to find in a Victorian conversion.

People who convert large, old properties to flats aren't usually concerned with noise transfer, especially as insulation/sound reduction is a very specialised area, the measures won't be seen and they would add to the overall cost.