Loud Baby

ManuelG

A friend of mine has a small baby... that is very loud, all hours of the day (and night!). I fully understand, having similar myself...

It's a three bed terrace, and they're one end. However, their neighbour the other end has always been a little passive-aggressive, and has written countless letters to the house in the middle, and complained to their landlord, about things like the washing machine on at 9pm, people talking etc - my friend hears nothing from the middle house! They've now started similar to my friends however, and they now get letters every other day complaining about the noise from baby. I fully understand the noise is intensely annoying, and I do sympathise with the neighbour! However, I also wonder what they expect my friend to do?!?

So far my friend's landlord has laughed it off, but my friend is worried that they'll lose patience at some point and evict them, and / or the complainer will make it official with the council or something. Surely a baby crying is unfortunate, but not much you could do about it? If they did complain to the council, would the landlord have to declare it if they decided to sell, even if nothing came of it?

What can my friend actually do? They don't want to fall out with anybody, but the added stress is not helping them just atm.

Keep_pedalling

A landlord is not going to evict a good tenant because they have a noisy baby. 

user1977

ManuelG said:

However, I also wonder what they expect my friend to do?!?

Has anybody asked them? What are they actually saying, other than they don't like listening to the baby?

ThisIsWeird

The complainant is 2 houses away? Wow.
This is almost certainly a dysfunctional, disturbed, or entitled person. 
I wouldn't let it ramble on, tho'; a letter every couple of days is getting into harassment territory, so your friend would be entitled to take action.
This would include keeping a record of all the letters, and then approaching the complainant in a calm and succinct manner - and in a recordable way. Ie, witnessed, phone set to record, or in writing/email. 
"You need to stop these letters or I will consider it harassment, and may take it further." Don't address the actual issue, don't apologise, keep it simple. Do not get involved in any discussion - such folk tend to have an uncanny knack of twisting the issue in the most devious manner. It's quite incredible - like the worst type of politician. Any apology will be taken as legitimising their complaint, for example.
A simple 'cease and desist' request, in an evidenced form. Walk away.
If another letter arrives, contact your local authority. Your friend has all the evidence. And their previous (ongoing?!) issue with the house in t'middle.

ManuelG

user1977 said:

ManuelG said:

However, I also wonder what they expect my friend to do?!?

Has anybody asked them? What are they actually saying, other than they don't like listening to the baby?

They don't answer the door! So yeah, a note has gone back apologising but...

And it's keeping them up at night when they have to go to work, can they please keep the baby quiet (chance'd be a fine thing!) and it's unreasonable behaviour, they should be entitled to a quiet life. They also text my friend's landlord asking him to ensure that the baby becomes quieter(!) before they take it further, whatever that means.

They are, as mentioned, overly sensitive to noise anyway, so I fully understand how a baby would jar with them(!) but...

Personally I'd argue the neighbour is bordering on harassment themselves.

ManuelG

ThisIsWeird said:

The complainant is 2 houses away? Wow.

Yeah, the house in the middle (next door) has a tenant who's mostly deaf... which is a blessing for eveybody atm

RelievedSheff

Having lived next door to an extremely noisy baby then I do have some sympathy for the neighbours in this instance. They have not brought this situation about themselves. Your friends have made a decision to start a family, it is really their responsibility to ensure that their decisions do not adversely affect those living around them.

Could they move the baby to another room to move the noise further away from the neighbours? Close windows at night to ensure the noise doesn't carry outside? (noise carries a long way at night when it is quiet) Do they let the baby cry for long periods? Can they try to soothe it more quickly? If the baby cries incessantly have they sought any medical advice?  

It is a difficult one because babies are noisy, but I can understand the neighbours annoyance having been on the receiving end of the noise previously.  

RelievedSheff

ThisIsWeird said:

The complainant is 2 houses away? Wow.

Noise can travel a long way at night if they have their windows open. 

We could hear a baby crying from the next street last summer when we had the windows open!!

ManuelG

RelievedSheff said:

ThisIsWeird said:

The complainant is 2 houses away? Wow.

Noise can travel a long way at night if they have their windows open. 

We could hear a baby crying from the next street last summer when we had the windows open!!

Not really been the weather for open windows!

As for the other bit, it's a two bed end terrace and gets fed in the living room at night (so husband has a fighting chance of *some* sleep themselves!) so there isn't really any further away from the neighbours they can get. Currently has to be in same room as parents and the other bedroom is too small for parents + baby, so nowhere else for them to sleep really.

housebuyer143

I understand why they are annoyed, but realistically what do they want you to do 🤷‍♂️ you can't make a baby stop crying and it's incredibly stressful being asked to do so in the middle of the night when you no doubt want nothing more than for them to stop. 

I wouldn't worry and tell the neighbour you can't reasonably do anything else and when the baby grows the crying should cease. Let them report them, the council will not do anything about it. 

propertyrental

Dear Mr X,

Further to your 23 letters, please be aware that if this harassment continues I shall have no option but to report it to the local police.

yours sincerely