Has anyone had this problem, and what did you do about it?

littlemissbliss

I moved into my new flat in May 2024, and i am already thinking of selling it. 

What i wasn't aware of was that there is social housing in the flats above, coupled with the fact that there is little to no sound proofing. Its not a converted flat, they was built in the 90s and i think they use to be granny flats. But its just plasterboard and timber. 

Above me is a single mum with 2 young boys around 5 or 6 years. She never takes the boys out and will normally be stuck indoors constantly apart from when they go to school. So they never burn off any energy. Instead the utilise the flat as a playground. 

I suffer with anxiety disorder and certain sounds really stress me out, so far i have been confined to the bedroom because the banging is so bad in my living room area which is where their lounge area is. The kids tend to play fight and throw themselves around, they jump off furniture, scream and run around, throw things - which is what kids normally do. But not normally at the expense or someone else's mental health. I nearly had a fire in my flat because a mirror fell off the wall due to the vibrations of the movement and fell onto a live plug socket. So I have had to remove everything from my walls.

I have been in touch with the management company and they have declined sound proofing.
I have been in touch with the council and they are near useless, they have reached out to the landlord and had to joy.
I have send sound evidence also.
I found out who the housing association is and they have ignored all of my complaints, they are also not with an ombudsman scheme so i can't use an ombudsman. 
So i am now at the point where i have had to contact Citizens Advice and get a solicitor to contact me which is where I am at. 

I did try speaking to her upstairs at the start, and she avoided me, I have a feeling the last vendor of my flat had the same issue so she is avoiding it, so i sent her a couple of polite notes just kindly asking her to mind the kids playing and that they are welcome to play on the grassy area near my flat. Ignored. I have tried headphones but they make do difference. Not that i should be wearing headphones in my own flat, but they make no difference to the vibrations. I can have my TV turned up to 100 and still clearly hear the banging.

Weekends are the worse, its horrendous. I have actually felt suicidal with it because it triggers my anxiety. So I am thinking of rehoming my pets, and going up north to stay with my parents until i can either sell my flat or get the issue resolved. 

Has anyone else had this? If so how did you resolve it?

Grizebeck

If you move you may well get the same problem else where. 

littlemissbliss

Grizebeck said:

If you move you may well get the same problem else where. 

Very true, but i would make should it was concrete between the floors and not just a bit of timber, or move to the top floor

Grizebeck

That doesn't stop you having awful neighbours no matter how the place is built.
You may get someone who keeps pigeons doesn't clean them and be inundated with flies all summer....
Frying pan 
Fire.

littlemissbliss

Grizebeck said:

That doesn't stop you having awful neighbours no matter how the place is built.
You may get someone who keeps pigeons doesn't clean them and be inundated with flies all summer....
Frying pan 
Fire.

Of course, but I am trying to resolve what triggers my anxiety disorder. Anything is better then living below a playground. Those above me have nearly caused a fire in my own living room....can't get much worse then that. So ill take my chances

theartfullodger

I've always found those in social housing usually much nicer neighbours than owners/mortgage-holders.  

Best regards to all.  

mebu60

When did you do your viewings, was it only midweek during the day?

You might want to have a different reason to quote for why you are wanting to move so soon, e.g. need to move nearer to parent who has developed issues needing support, in answer to agent / potential buyer asking. 

PennysIntoPounds

I'm so sorry you're experiencing this, noise from neighbours is awful and so debilitating. 
I don't have any expert advice to give, but thoughts that spring to mind are trying to find the email of the CEO of the housing association, and also I'm not sure if you can register an official complaint with a housing association if you're not a tenant but looking into their official complaints process might give a different route to sending emails complaining.
You could also try contacting your ward councillor or MP for advice.
Unfortunately however, it's usually legally held that noise from kids doesn't count as noise, though you're right to keep recording and sending the council your evidence.
You could also ask for quotes and honest advice on the effectiveness of paying for sound proofing.
It's not fair, but I think you might well be better off waiting until you've lived there a year to help with the sale, then moving. Sometimes things don't work out and that's okay.
Stay with your parents in the meantime if you need to, or for regular breaks so you mentally know there's some respite coming.
As others have mentioned, you might get equally dodgy neighbours elsewhere, but this is a good opportunity to assess whether you're able to live in a further afield area where you may be able to afford a home set-up with less neighbour risks, such as the top of a block or a semi-detached.
Best of luck to you, it'll all be okay eventually x

Tommaso46

Suggestion from an architect: you will be suffering from two types of noise. 1. Airborne noise; not so much of a problem. 2. Impact noise (people jumping up and down etc). You need to try to eliminate the impact noise. If you are permitted to do this, install a  suspended (dropped) ceiling a few centimetres below the actual ceiling - using lightweight supports spanning between the walls and not making any contact with the main ceiling above, and fixed to the walls and acoustically damped where they come into contact with the walls at each end. A suspended (dropped) ceiling creates a gap between the existing ceiling and the new one, which can help dampen impact noise - especially if you add insulation in the gap, for extra soundproofing. If this is done correctly  it should make a big difference and need not be very expensive. When completed it will look the same as the "actual" ceiling but the height of the room/s will be slightly lower. If there are mouldings etc at the edges of the rooms, just drop the ceiling to below the mouldings. But before you do this, you would be wise to seek  professional advice from an architect or surveyor.

Emmia

Tommaso46 said:

Suggestion from an architect: you will be suffering from two types of noise. 1. Airborne noise; not so much of a problem. 2. Impact noise (people jumping up and down etc). You need to try to eliminate the impact noise. If you are permitted to do this, install a  suspended (dropped) ceiling a few centimetres below the actual ceiling - using lightweight supports spanning between the walls and not making any contact with the main ceiling above, and fixed to the walls and acoustically damped where they come into contact with the walls at each end. A suspended (dropped) ceiling creates a gap between the existing ceiling and the new one, which can help dampen impact noise - especially if you add insulation in the gap, for extra soundproofing. If this is done correctly  it should make a big difference and need not be very expensive. When completed it will look the same as the "actual" ceiling but the height of the room/s will be slightly lower. If there are mouldings etc at the edges of the rooms, just drop the ceiling to below the mouldings. But before you do this, you would be wise to seek  professional advice from an architect or surveyor.

And, if it's a leasehold flat, you should inform the freeholder, who may charge you legal fees to assess/clear the plans.

HampshireH

OP housing association membership to the Housing Ombudsman Is mandatory not optional so if they are a HA then the ombudsman will cover them.

The HA will have a 2 stage complaints process once exhausted ombudsman is next step.

I would put your complaint in writing titled complaint. Cite your previously ignored correspondence and provide your diary sheets of the excessive noise nuisance etc as part of it.

If they fail to respond go to ombudsman.

Unless they aren't a registered housing association. The fact your neighbours are social housing tenants isn't relevant to the actual issue of noise though.

If you have such high levels if anxiety perhaps communal block living with adjoining flats isn't appropriate for you and s detached house would be more suitable.