Neighbours complaining about my kids running...

Nj04

Exactly! We accept our upstairs neighbour has kids and there will be noise. Their baby regularly wakes us up at night but we don't complain. As we understand what it is to be parents! We don't need to add extra stress on other parents.
We expected the same but again people are too selfish!

RelievedSheff

Not everybody has a fondness for children. Why should their home environment be disrupted by someone decided they want them?

It isn't the landlords fault. The OP took on the 1st floor flat knowing they have noisy children. Not a great choice really.

Nj04

You assume too much! We lived in 2nd floor prior to this with the same kids and never had a complaint.
The downstairs neighbours also have kids of their own so difficult to believe they don't like kids.
If people don't like to live with noise and can't afford a house, then live outside of London. Flats are not for them!

Runningfast

Wow, shocked at some of the comments and sentiment on this thread.

As an Environmental Health Officer with many many years experience of noise complaints including about 10 years of domestic noise complaints you can imagine how many times I have investigated this exact scenario. I can tell you from professional experience the vast majority of complainants are unreasonable in their expectations in cases like this. Not saying that the noise in some situations can't be a problem just that in most situations it is unreasonable expectation from the complainants.

Thank god I moved away from domestic noise complaints.

AdrianC

Nj04 wrote: »

You assume too much! We lived in 2nd floor prior to this with the same kids and never had a complaint.

Even assuming there were parallels between the construction of the flats and flooring, leading to similar amounts of noise transfer, maybe the downstairs neighbours simply didn't want to risk the confrontation?

If people don't like to live with noise and can't afford a house, then live outside of London. Flats are not for them!

So it's fair game for any amount of noise at any hour, is it?

Why do I suspect an upstairs neighbour who liked listening to loud music or tv through the later evening would probably not sit well with you, and that if they produced a similar platitude, you would not be inclined to agree...?

Runningfast

AdrianC wrote: »

So it's fair game for any amount of noise at any hour, is it?

Why do I suspect an upstairs neighbour who liked listening to loud music or tv through the later evening would probably not sit well with you, and that if they produced a similar platitude, you would not be inclined to agree...?

Not really the same thing, I can tell you from an environmental health perspective ordinary use of a dwelling including children playing is not likely to be found as a Statutory Nuisance. Playing of music loud and excessively to cause an unreasonable interference is likely to be found to be a Statutory Nuisance or possibly a community protection notice etc.. Different context.

Backed up by the sheer number of Section 80 notices and similar I have served over the years for music and TV but never for children playing in their home even though children playing was one of the largest complaint generators.

AdrianC

Runningfast wrote: »

Not really the same thing I can tell you from an environmental health perspective ordinary use of a dwelling including children playing is not likely to be found as a Statutory Nuisance. Playing of music loud and excessively to cause an unreasonable interference is likely to be found to be a Statutory Nuisance. Different context.

...and already the OP's "Noise is to be expected, if you don't like it, don't live in a flat" starts to get qualifications...

bouicca21

There are 2 small children living in the flat above me. I find it far more worrying that I don’t hear them.

Marvel1

It's flat, what do you expect! Don't like noise from above then F off somewhere else (not you OP).

rach_k wrote: »

I do have kids and I know they need to be active, but take them outside (there's no such thing as bad weather, only insufficient clothing!) for an hour in the morning and afternoon and they might not need to run around as much in the flat. Give them plenty of things to do, as well as some physical activities that don't include stomping or banging for inside.

You took them every single day no matter what the weather for an hour for a run around?

Marvel1

RelievedSheff wrote: »

The OP took on the 1st floor flat knowing they have noisy children. Not a great choice really.

And the person complaining took on a flat below another, not a great choice.