Neighbours complaining about my kids running...

PauloB

Long time listener, first time caller. I had a very similar issue some years ago.

Downstairs neighbour in North London house converted to flats complained of noise from my four and 2 year olds as well as "heavy steps" of my wife and I. I can imagine the walls and floors were quite thin but the previous tenants had never complained it is worth noting. We did have wooden floors so I contacted the letting agent and them the landlord, who could not have been less interested if he tried. The downstairs neighbour kept a log of "incidents" where they believed the noise from our feet was too loud which was delivered under the door to my wife and I in note form on a daily basis for about 2 weeks.

After about 2 weeks of the note writing campaign, I bought padded slipper socks for the children. I also bought 4 rugs of assorted sizes for each room where they could reasonably be placed, covering some of the floor. I bought 2 smaller versions of one of those no running signs you see at swimming pools and stuck it on the kids bedroom door and the fridge. I then invited the neighbour up to see the reasonable adjustments we had made. After this no further complaints were made. Whether or not the adjustments really made much difference I am not sure, the kids would occasionally jump and run up and down and I don't feel my wife and I became significantly lighter of foot, but I think if you can show you have made reasonable attempts to mitigate the issue then your neighbours have less grounds to complain.

sgun

AndyTails wrote: »

As the parent of a 1 year old: a 1 year old doesn't have the mental capacity to understand instructions, and doesn't even understand being told off. So I can stop my child moving around the kitchen by either A) strapping him into a high chair or shutting him in a different part of the house. Option A is only suitable for short times, not for the whole day, and Option B isn't going to stop noise for downstairs neighbours (if I had any), it'll just move it.

There's reasonably asking a parent to be considerate, and then there's unreasonably asking a parent to stop their child from being a child. You're doing the latter.

No, I'm not. I haven't said that the child should be forcibly prevented from moving around the house, playing etc. I have said that the parents need to be considerate in when this is actually happening. The OP stated that the kids were in bed 8pm til 6am
and that's when it is quiet. That is unreasonable. There are loads of ways to play quietly with your children, if you can be bothered. I don't believe that the neighbours were complaining about a bit of normal children noise. I also understand that alot of parents don't realise how loud their household can be, they just get used to it.

Whatever the real story is here, the OP needs to find a way to lessen the noise. That could be doing the noisy play activities at certain times each day (routines are good for young children) and making sure that the neighbours know that certain other times times will be quieter. That's not unreasonable.

phill99

Everyone is harping on about noise, feet and how awful some parents clearly are and licences should be introduced before people copulate.

But we need to look at things differently.

This is a converted house, and probably converted before a time when sound deadening was required by Building Regs.

So if this was 'to go legal' and the Environmental Health at the council were contacted (who are responsible for noise pollution complaints), there would have to be a judgement call about 'reasonable noise'.

The reality is that kids running, and people walking around on the floor of a first floor flat, would not be classed as excessive. These are normal noises that you would expect to hear from a family living above you in a converted house. If they were playing the drums, pogoing around to The Clash at silly-o-clock or tap dancing, then this would be classed as unreasonable and the council may take action.

But these noises are normal noises and I suspect that it is the complainer downstairs who needs to adjust her expectations.


I live in a house built in 1902. It has no noise reducing qualities. I can her their TV, discussions and even when they turn the light switch which is located on the party wall. But I don't get arsey about the noise. It is an old house and I have to accept some low level noise pollution. It is the nature of the beast.

Skiddaw1

I'm with Phil.



By all means try rugs/slippers/reminding the kids not to make too much noise, but it's unreasonable IME to expect the family to tiptoe around like little mice. It's an occupational hazard of living in a flat.


Many moons ago, when he was undertaking a post-grad course and living in an upstairs rented flat, Mr S was confronted by a neighbour demanding that Mr S should 'stop playing the bloody drums because you're driving us all mad!' Mr S explained that neither he, or any of his flat-mates, owned or played drums. It wasn't until a few days later that he realised the 'drum playing' was actually him typing.... which just goes to show how sound carries in flats....

MovingForwards

From someone living in a purpose built flat with kids above, I also assume it's laminate based on all the noises, it gets tiring and annoying very quickly!

I wish I could say this lot are quieter than the previous lot, but they are not.

You need to buy rugs/carpet with underlay and if you have a garden the kids should be running around outside, indoors are for quite games eg board games, cards etc.

boliston

Wooden floors should not be a problem if the block has been correctly sound proofed - the block I live in has wooden floors in all flats (they came included as standard "engineered" wood) and I have not been aware of any extra noise due to the flooring - the flat above me has had quite a few tenants in the 10 years I have lived in the block (it was built in 2009)

Nj04

Thank you everyone for commenting on this post.
I wasn't looking for parenting advice!
Those that gave me valuable advice and for understanding my situation, thank you again. I have already ordered rugs and soft slippers for the family. I am going to do my best covering the floor but like many of you said, living in flats especially a converted house, I understand we are going to have to face the noise. As we do from our upstairs neighbour. Generally people are becoming less tolerant and more selfish. And this is one of the cases to show that.

RelievedSheff

People are also becoming more selfish and expecting others to accept their noise.

There has to be give and take.

Bogof_Babe

When you've (parents) sorted out the floors, can you address the kids shrieking on trains for half an hour before eventually half-heartedly asking the child to be quiet? We don't enjoy rail travel these days as there's invariably a badly behaved kid, usually several, in every coach.

diggingdude

so much dislike towards kids on here. To be clear this is the landlords problem. The muppet has rented a flat with wood/laminate floors to a family with kids. It is not unreasonable for a child to be making noise. Its unreasonable to let an inappropriate flat to a family and not set it up to least impact on neighbours