Boiler room issues in council block

Michael163

Hi there!

I just bought a flat in a brick council block, the flat is directly above the boiler room which supplies the block. Unfortunately there is a continuous whirring noise from beneath which is intolerable. I have contacted the council for help, they have come round and told me the noise in my flat is too loud (don't have this in writing) but unfortunately they don't have the budget to sort the issue out. The boiler itself is mounted from the ceiling (my floor). I've had a soundproofing specialist view, he has said that the boiler needed to have been fitted with dampeners on all fittings and mountings to limit the noise. Essentially they've just chucked a massive boiler in a room with little regard for those living immediately next to it. I've no idea what to do next, I am the leaseholder of the flat but the responsibility for this issue is surely the freeholder. It's impacting my quality of life, I can't use the lounge! I hear it all night and day. It will also impact the resale value. It seems negligent to install such a noisy piece of equipment with little thought for residents next door. What are my rights here? What can I do?

Thanks all in advance!

P.S. I heard the noise during viewing but was silly enough not to question, thinking it was just a local boiler. I'd never have purchased if i'd known! Nothing came up in the valuation etc.

Slithery

If it was that noisy then surely you would have heard it every time you viewed before purchasing yet you decided to go ahead anyway?

Michael163

Just edited my original thread. I missed it, thinking it was a local boiler. Silly of me but i'm here now. Need solutions!

jonnygee2

I am the leaseholder of the flat but the responsibility for this issue is surely the freeholder.

Firstly, hopefully you understand that any work done will be billed back to the flats in your block - including yours?

In terms of getting this fixed, I don't know of any way that leaseholders can force a council to do repairs. But, you should probably report this as a noise complaint. The complaint will have to be to the council, but it does sound like it would be considered a statutory nuisance.

Can a council take action against themselves? Unsure but I suspect they probably have to apply the same rules as they would to anyone else.

https://www.gov.uk/report-noise-pollution-to-council

xylophone

A noise/vibration nuisance?

I wonder is it worth trying Environmental Health?

AlexMac

I suggest you may have to be more persistent; you say

Michael163 wrote: »

... I have contacted the council for help, they have come round and told me the noise in my flat is too loud (don't have this in writing)...

by which, I assume you have spoken to relatively junior staff in the Housing Deparment?

Go in again; in writing, not just email (or do both) and ask them to confirm what they have said, in writing (e.g that they have acknowledged your complaint, that they agree it's too loud, that they accept it ought to be fixed, but that they don't have it in the programme or budget YET). Even if they don't reply at first, you'll have your letter as evidence.

Then write again, to the Director of Housing; the most senior official in that Department, and even if they reply, don't accept a first refusal. Ask about a technical solution, providing evidence or a summary thet

Michael163 wrote: »

... I've had a soundproofing specialist view, he has said that the boiler needed to have been fitted with dampeners on all fittings and mountings to limit the noise.

and ask them to get their own Engineers or the original Contarctors who fitted the boiler to confirm your diagnosis. Ask when they plan to put the repairs into their budget and repairs programme

Ask about their complaints procedure, and use that (decide whether to complain about the noise issue itself, or their failure to take you seriouslly or provide timely written replies)

Contact the Council Environmental Health office too for advice.

Then contact one of your Ward Councillors; find them on your Council's website and either write to them, or better, attend one of their surgeries or seek a meeting with them. The elected Councillors effectively act as "Non-executive" directors and outrank the paid staff, and are sometimes very effective champions of their electors (sometimes not). You could use https://www.writetothem.com/ but a personal approach is better than a website automated email

Keep on like this; don't be put off by one refusal- certainly not by a relatively junior official. Keepp a log and all paper copies of letters in case you can consider legal action later. But stay courteous and businesslike as well as being persistent.

Good luck

EDIT- Oh, and although, as somone says above, the Freeholder could add repair costs to the Service Charge, that's not just your problem. The work should be added to the overall block cost and apportioned, not just to the privately owned leasehold flats, but to all the flats- with the Council sharing for the cost of their own lettings properties as as well as individaul leaseholders paying a share for the private ones. That's how it's done in my two ex-Council BTL flats; after all, it's not just the top floor flats who pay for the roof!

Norman_Castle

Michael163 wrote: »

I have contacted the council for help, they have come round and told me the noise in my flat is too loud (don't have this in writing) but unfortunately they don't have the budget to sort the issue out. The boiler itself is mounted from the ceiling (my floor). I've had a soundproofing specialist view, he has said that the boiler needed to have been fitted with dampeners on all fittings and mountings to limit the noise.

I would contact environmental health. Their lack of funding is their problem. You should not be expected to live with this until they find some money.

How much will it cost to fit dampers to the boiler and how many flats will be paying for the work?

pickledonionspaceraider

When I brought my house, next door was a council house, and their boiler was in the room next to our bedroom.


It was unbelievably noisy and we contacted the noise abatement team who installed noise surveillance kit. Then they had to approach the council housing dept to get a new boiler fitted for the neighbor - so it was really one council dept against the other


It got sorted eventually, but was a very long process and quite stressful - as the neighbors did not appreciate that we had reported their boiler as being too noisy, even though the ignorant fools got a brand new boiler out of it - and god knows how they ever got a nights sleep in their house