We live in an old house (1890) that has been converted into flats, and the noise from the flat above is quite intrusive at times. We can hear footsteps, voices, items being dropped on the floor etc. We have addressed the problem with our new neighbours by letter and things have improved a little. The issue is that the flat is rented so the problem doesn't feel like it will ever go away. Barring expensive insulation solutions is there anything we can do to lessen the noise?
Start by checking the property's history
If the building above you was converted into flats after you were already living there, it is worth finding out whether planning permission was granted for the work. You can check this through your local council's planning portal, which keeps records of applications and decisions.
When a house is converted into multiple flats, building regulations require certain standards of sound insulation between units under the Building Regulations 2010, Part E. If permission was granted with conditions about soundproofing, the conversion may not have been carried out properly. This could give you grounds to raise the matter with the council's building control department.
Even if the conversion happened long ago or the soundproofing meets minimum standards, you still have options.
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In many noise disputes, the people causing the problem have no idea they are doing so. Footsteps, music or general movement can carry through floors in ways that are not obvious from inside the flat above.
A calm, direct conversation can often help resolve issues quickly. Explain what you can hear and when it happens. Most people will be willing to make adjustments once they understand the impact. They may not realise how sound travels in the building, or they might be unaware of specific habits that cause the most disturbance.
Keep the tone practical rather than confrontational. You are more likely to reach an agreement if the conversation stays friendly.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
Put your concerns in writing
If speaking directly does not work, or if the problem returns, you may need to put your complaint in writing. A letter creates a clear record of when you raised the issue and what you asked for.
Be specific about the type of noise, the times it occurs, and how it affects you. Keep copies of everything you send. If the situation escalates later, this written trail will support any formal complaints.
Should the flat above be rented, it may be helpful to speak to the landlord or letting agent directly. Where a tenancy agreement includes clauses about not causing disturbance, landlords may be held accountable if those terms are breached. Many will intervene to avoid further complaints.
While pursuing other avenues, consider whether soundproofing within your own flat might provide some relief. Carpets, rugs and acoustic panels can reduce the impact of noise from above, even if they do not solve the problem entirely.
When to involve the council
If informal approaches fail, your local council can help. Environmental health teams deal with noise complaints and have legal powers to investigate.
They may ask you to keep a diary of incidents over several weeks. This helps them assess whether the noise amounts to a statutory nuisance. If they determine that it does, they can issue an Abatement Notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, requiring the noise to stop.
Councils can also take action where noise breaches specific bylaws or regulations. The process takes time, but it provides a formal route when other methods have not worked.
For guidance on what councils can do about noise complaints, see the information on GOV.UK or contact your local authority directly. It is worth checking for recent updates, as procedures and enforcement powers can change.
Mediation is another option worth considering. Local community mediation schemes can help neighbours reach agreements without the stress or cost of legal action. This works best when both parties are willing to engage.
Just wanted to clarify - if the Housing Ombudsman has upheld your complaint, then why haven’t Clarion fitted the above flat with soundproofed underlay & thick carpet? If they’ve refused to do anything; return back to the Housing Ombudsman. You can also ask Clarion for a surveyor inspection so they can determine whether the noise is structural or insulation related (or ASB) & then they should come up with a solution which could mean to soundproof your ceiling with panels which would eliminate the noise.
Unfortunately you have to keep fighting & emailing before things actually get done. I hope this is helpful & i feel your pain. We’ve also had a fight on our hands with tenants installing hard floors when living above someone despite tenancy agreements stating this would not be allowed & the landlords are negligent in upholding & enforcing their own policies.
Who’s the head of Housing for Clarion? Don’t keep emailing your Housing Officer exclusively - start copying in their managers also because Housing Officers have a tendency to keep things hush-hush until things really explode
Landlord(Clarion) refuses to address antisocial behaviour from tenant above me for over 18 years. Told they recently fitted carpet paid for by the Housing Association, but I can still hear dragging. I'm disabled living with Chronic Pain after Seven major surgeries for Congenital Scoliosis, amongst other illnesses.
My MP, Shelter and the Police have been involved but nobody is getting anywhere. This is destroying my life and exacerbating my pain. I have countless evidence of his behaviour and noise, Police references, endless Complaints to Clarion and the Ombudsman who upheld my Complaint, etc. He was given an ASB Warning in December 2023 and a Community Protection Warning January 2025. All of this Clarion are aware of and still do nothing. The Police visited me again yesterday (5.7.25) to hear more of the recordings post "carpet installation" and went to visit him to give him one more Warning before issuing him with a CPN. The Neighbourhood Response Officer told the Police they have "invested quite a lot on the carpet". Yet nobody has been to inspect the alleged installation, and I can still hear dragging as I type this. Clarion seem to have made every excuse not to actually deal with the problem, but make me out to be the issue.
The Ombudsman suggested either appropriate carpet with sufficient soundproofing in the flat above be fitted, Soundproofing or Rehouse me. They went for option three in March which I turned down as it was very unsuitable to my needs and did not have outside space which was agreed. Yet they refuse to deal with the actual problem, which is Flat 3 and his family.
It has been established that he broke the Tenancy Agreement by having flooring above ground floor. And he doesn’t start cleaning and dragging heavy furniture until after 10.30pm and that literally goes on all night, on and off. My camera records it all and I have thousands of recordings on my phone and other recording equipment I’ve been forced to buy over the years. This has affected to many aspects of my life, and right now, threatening the one person I have around me to go. My health is very bad, especially my spine. I can’t afford to keep going through all this stress every day for over 18 years now. Please help.
My advise is keep fighting for your rights I'm not going to stop fighting my corner .my teplyed to my housing is when IV had an heart attack or become very ill due to this what then
Some housing because they not living it .so people are just selfish and it will catch up with them in the end
Here’s my advice which won’t be helpful to everyone but it’s the only way i’ve rescued my sanity & given us peace & quiet. Get noisy. Stomp around, bang cabinets & slam doors. Don’t stop even if the neighbours go quiet. Turn up the TV loudly. If you don’t get peace - nor should they. Make it a part of your new lifestyle. You’re the noisy neighbour now also.
Your neighbours will get louder. They’ll retaliate. Keep going. Don’t let their intimidation stop you. Be noisy when you know they’re watching TV & relaxing. And then they’ll go quiet. That’s when you stop.
You now have the upper hand. They now know the consequences. Let them complain because you’re also making “living noises”. I’m so sorry it comes down to this but without the law helping us & social landlords not enforcing flooring rules - this has been the only option for my family. It’s saved our mental health. Claim your space & home. I wish you genuine success & an abundance of peace ??
I have previously asked them to soundproof the floor, as I paid out thousands to soundproof my ceiling after they moved in and the noise was too much but because of the construction of the building, it did very little to cut out their noise. They have done nothing - it's not that hard to put down the thickest underlay and carpets to sort the worst of this problem and I know they can afford it, but they prefer to make my life a misery. Oh and I forgot to say, they are also now running their washing machine after 10.00 pm!!!
I cannot get any help from the local council or environmental health despite requests to them. Any advice would be much appreciated.
It's innevitably a problem that does'nt go away until someone moves out or measures are taken to prevent the impact of noise transferred. Laminated flooring should be banned from the equation as it elevates noises and echoes so you dont just hear it you can feel it. Its a massive problem that effects so many peoples lives in Detremental ways.
Asb goes hand in hand with this problem also as its a knock on effect of dealing with disturbances from inadequate living conditions.
Nobody deserves to have their peace consistently determined by someone elses life & actions.
Its an absolute nightmare!! God give me strength to win the war!??
I’ve moved from one unbelievably noisy property where the neighbour above deliberately used to jump & stomp all hours of the day & night to another where the neighbours above stomp, bang cabinets, slam doors from 5am-1am.. I’ve been recording nonstop to provide evidence to the council & landlord. I don’t understand how some people need such little sleep…
I’ve a disabled elderly parent & an autistic teen who both get awoken every morning & are left to plug their ears during the day… it’s a prison.
My advice is to hound your landlord if you’re in social housing & approach the Housing Ombudsman if things are left unresolved.
Private renters - I’m heartbroken in saying there isn’t anything that can be done apart from approaching your local MP. If a lot of us do it - they might introduce legal requirements retroactively in floor coverings in flats. If we take the example of the XL Bully situation which is extreme - they’ve introduced urgently legislation that will ban the breed…
The amount of people who LOVE hard floors
above someone else’s home is frankly disgusting…
I’m sending positive vibes to everyone & wish everyone peace & harmony in their homes
Try to find a friendly agreement, share costs ….
Amazon has some products. Careful with the NOT fireproof items.
Maybe council can have a look with those living in social
Children over 10 of the opposite shouldn’t be sharing same room, as it’s overcrowding. Talk to your council ! If you
Check the local laws and regulations on and shelter. org
Download decibel better on your phone , also/ record with video, take the cover from your phone so it doesn’t get in the way or the microphone…be very quiet , put the phone on the top of a table , fridge … and record it. Send the videos to your environment health department.
Social media helps too. Be sure not to give informations unnecessary- names , address .. etc
I really don't know what to do I have complained but I still don't get help for this.
My mentally ill neighbour liked to play his music loud all through the night, he doesn't work, but I do. After repeatedly asking him to turn it down, I reported him to the council and that is when my troubles began. He started stamping hard on the floor when I was boiling a kettle, stamping hard on the floor when I used the toilet, and when I put the key in the door when my cat was playing with a paper bag on the floor. Obviously, it shows just how poor the insulation is but this individual is very disturbed. I started banging back. Every time, he stamped hard on his floor, causing a loud thud on my ceiling, I would go to the kitchen and slam the door several times. I started recording him on my mobile and eventually after 44 complaints made to the council who did sweet FA. I lodged a formal complaint against the council cos they were not doing their job. They listened to the recordings and said it was intimidation and they got him to stop doing it. Then he started moving his furniture at 3 am in the morning, who does that? The environmental team put a recording device in my flat but had to tell him it was there.DOH Obviously, he kept quiet for the 3 weeks the device was installed. So the council said, it's daily living noise, but as I said, he can hear everything in my flat, he heard the guy putting the device in place for christ's sake. He then went into the communal garden and hacked my beautiful shrub down and then he put an animal trap in the garden ( I have a cat) When I reported him to the police, the officer said " what do you want us to do about it" "He is mental". I said, so you are saying you won't do anything until he sticks a knife in me. Still, he no longer plays any music in his flat at all. What I have learned about myself through the past 3 years with this swine living above me is that I am tougher than I thought I was. I match him every step of the way. Everyone says I should move, but when the f**k should I move, it is him that needs moving out. A tip for anyone out there if you have a mentally ill individual as your neighbour, beware, as they can make your life a misery and you are on your own with it. Things have greatly improved for me but that is because I have stood my ground and I I have made a complaint every single time, I pester the police, the environmental team and the council. I would advise anyone who is having a neighbour deliberately stamping on the ceiling to disturb them to make sure you have the voice recorder on the play as that is proof if you can get a recording.......These councils are responsible as they did not consider paying out to insulate homes, they were just interested in making more money If I thought I could take the council to court to make them pay for the distress their poor insulation homes have caused I would.
I have lived here since 2009 and I was happy, then a foreign man with 2young girls bought the flat above mine about 3yrs ago… and my life has been a misery since.
He owns his flat and I am a council tenant.
Morning noon and night for 14/18 months I am subjected to THUMPING on his floor - my ceiling!
The rhythmic THUMPING happens at any time (6am 2pm 8pm); and sometimes lasts 1-4hrs, maybe 2 or 3 times a day!
It scares my cat (MY COMPANY), into hiding and stops me sleeping or wakes me up!
I am at my wits end, it is making me (and my cat) sick and very uptight and anxious!
I have mentioned my issue with the owner for nearly 1yr now - yet he ignores my pleas for him to stop!
I live in a 60s maisonette on the first floor. I have a little girl (16month) theeting and unfortunately gets sick quite often. She cries a lot. During the night and during the day. This resulted in a anonymous complain to children social services. No one raised any concerns about noise to us before. But after we received the visit of social services the neighbours come to us saying that they can hear her crying, dropping things and us walking and talking. Basically we are the "hell neighbours". We took more care in walking and talking but prevent a baby to cry and play is impossible.
Would be this considered noise nuisance?
How would work if he have to do some works in the house? Would we need some planning permission or any other licence? For fire safety reasons we need to charge the electrical connections of the house
Thank you
Tonight, for example, I had my washing machine finishing it's cycle (spin) at 5.45pm - he was banging. What am I supposed to do?
I accidentally dropped a bowl on the kitchen floor the other week - immediate banging. I moved a sofa when I was moving into the flat - more banging.
I believe he's lived there since the flats were built in the 1980s. There's clearly an issue with soundproofing (had I known that earlier I wouldn't have bought the flat!) so I can't understand why he hasn't made attempts to solve the lack of soundproofing sooner - it clearly affects him a lot.
The situation is causing me so much anxiety.
as soon as my contract ends which is soon - thanks good I signed only 3 months - I could not stay longer!!
Soon I am moving out and NEVER EVER Again I will live an old converted Victorian house! It’s draining, waste of money and cause such damage to our mental health!! I can’t believe that such no isolation conversation is allowed in Uk!! It’s totally ridiculous!! I feel sorry for all that is in the same situation! I know how difficult it can be!!
We have added underlay, thicker carpets , rugs you name it we have spent money on it to help our neighbours but still this is not enough , we are not noisy people the kids are in bed by 19:30 and don't have a loud tv or music playing , but we get complaints about our children walking around and god forbid if we were to ever accidentally drop something - its made our life hell - we are just a normal family leading a normal life and are not going out of the way to be noisy. We are constantly telling our children to walk not run don’t play on the sofa , don’t play with toys on the floor etc etc - you can image how difficult and stressful to have to constantly be like this - so please remember I suspect most ‘noisy’ neighbours are just like us , we don’t do it deliberately please consider there is 2 sides.
after video calling our housing officer to witness the noise - we moved out. nothing was done & we ended up having to give up our home after trying every avenue. we’re now the 4th family to leave & whilst we are happy - the fact that this individual got away with it again really irks me. i’m hoping a disco loving madman moves in next so it can be a lesson to this imbecile & it’ll restore my trust in the universe…
keep fighting the good fight but start looking for transfers & swaps. it’s the only solution that works
I'm really desperate for some advice. Have been dealing with very noisy neighbours for over 7 months. Council advised me to make recordings and have done since April of this year. Just wonder if anyone knows how effective noise app recordings are in cases against neighbours. I am so distressed I don't know what to do.
Peace
We tried the friendly approach but were met with swearing & then were told by fellow neighbours that this had been an issue for previous households who moved out after exhausting all avenues from landlords, council & police.
We resorted to banging back & blasting heavy metal all hours of the day & night to get the message across & it's worked to a certain extent.
I would recommend recording noise on your phone, transfer the file to your laptop & listen to it with headphones.. you'll be surprised that it actually does pick up the noise whereas if you just play it using your phones speakers - you won't hear anything which means you'll think you have no evidence but in actuality you do.
Keep reporting stuff to the noise team even if they do nothing as all of this will be useful eventually if you take further legal action & don't worry about annoying the noise team because that's their job. Keep persisting & it'll eventually work.
If you get woken up - wake them up. If they blast music - blast your own. Unfortunately a kind word falls on deaf ears these days & some people only understand retaliation
by law it is on my name the above people are jealous and they tried to harass me in many way but i stood like a mountain when they did not get me in hand they tried to use grinding tool to grind spices on their floor underneath is the ceiling of my house they made cracks and made it dirty at midnight they make tapping sound or simply put the grinding stone and make loud noise some time it distur b our sleep since as we are working and take rest after coming from office and doing house hold work eat and sleep
i discussed with my friend they told that they are jealous and they express in their way
mean while when i told the committe memeber in reverse they say that iam insane and ttry to brainwash every one from our building i understood that their intention is to get me rid from my house now please tell me how to deal with such toxic people though i knew their intention i try to express my self to show that iam not mad but still they switch of their light and hit on the floor are they psy chos sir
My neighbours above have wooden old floorboards, with no insulation underneath.
The council, safer neighbourhoods etc couldn't care less.
The neighbour has mental health and is making the most of causing us stress.
My young children think there is someone in our home. It really disturbs them
Can anyone recommend a good solicitor
Eventually after the ceiling fell through I was informed that I had to be moved to alternate accommodation for insurance which didn't happen for 6 months. During that time they were jumping up and down, banging walls, and making ridiculous noises all night.
Complaints made, no response. I installed locks on the communal bins during the first wave of Covid. The bloke broke the lock and waved at the security camera.
Anyway after being in alternate accommodation for 3 months I returned. In the key safe was a second set of keys belonging to them. Again I tried to return them (no response). I had to place them in their letterbox, and that took about 20 minutes as it would appear that they never use their letterbox(completely stuffed full)
We have small children and they are also disturbed at night as are we.
No idea what else to do as the council won’t take action other than sending letters saying everyone in the building should respect the times for noise. They don’t seem to get those letters though!
I know it’s loud because sound cancellation earplugs are not enough.
I’ve tried to be polite but I am loosing patience, I was happy here until this started around 4 months ago!
No answer other than moving, which makes me extremely angry as I loved it here, overlooking the water.
Any ideas anyone?
Has anyone managed to find a solution to this? We live in Scotland. I've offered to pay for soundproofing underlay mats to be installed, a mat for the washing machine and even carpet but neighbour is not interested. I've contacted the council, local councillor and MSP, the building company but no one cares and no one is willing to do anything. Is it worth seeking legal advice, is there anything in law that would even help us?
With lockdowns forcing us to be inside all the time, I am at my wits end. It should not be allowed, the impact on us is so huge. People like to refer to "acceptable living noise" as an excuse for it, but what we have to deal with is far beyond that.
I asked the leaseholder if we could agree on some rules around the usage of loud appliances and perhaps I could buy a sound proofing mat to go under the washing machine. I was told that washing machine usage was perfectly natural given the working times of her tenant, she accused me of lying about the noise and she refused to fit the sound proofing mat. I offered her the chance to come into my flat to witness the noise but she refused. When her tenant moved out, two new tenants moved into the flat and the floorboards started to creak really loudly, so I got back in contact with the leaseholder and informed her of the new development & I was told I was sensitive to noise and creaking was natural in an old house. She also said that it wasn't her flooring but the building joists. I suggested buying rugs and mats (which I offered to pay for) and she went ahead and bought some but did not share what she bought with me. It didn't work and the loud creaking continued...I then suggested I pay for any work in her flat to correct the situation (as I had contacted sound proofers and all had said it would be more effective to deal with the creaking at source) but she refused and got incredibly aggressive about it. I suggested mediation. She said no. So I contacted the freeholder around the nuisance clause & asked their advice. I don't think the leaseholder is the type to do anything they don't want to do whether it's me or the freeholder. She seems very fixed on the issue is mine not hers and I sense she has spoken to some lawyers. I told the freeholder I was considering soundproofing from my ceiling & they suggested that it may well be the best option knowing the leaseholder and also the law ...So, I am now doing that. It has been the most horrific and emotionally draining experience to deal with someone who has been so unreasonable. There needs to be better laws around this... Fingers crossed the soundproofing works. It is costing £1000s
They have now got the building management company to look at changing our lease to stop us from using our garden as they don’t like the noise .
The flat above them has a roof terrace and are not living there full time. How can we stop the new leaseholder from making me feel intimidated in our own home ?
My husband and I are desperate since when we moved last year in a new flat for working reasons.
It’s a building with sever flats and we are on the first floor.
When we moved in the condition of the flat was very poor but because we needed to move near our working place we decided to pay with our money for a new carpet and for the walls decoration.
We rented the flat with the view to live here for at least 4 years .
When we moved in ,apparently ,the estate agent didn’t know ( he said) that the flat above us is a B&B so he didn’t mention us about it.
The day we moved in (two days before the first national lockdown )we realised that we could hear a lot of footsteps above , vibrations and noises of furniture moving around ...
We thought that probably another family was moving upstairs...but we were so wrong!
Only after several days we realised the noises were going on and on every day...like no one was settling in instead was just living like no one was below!!
It took us about a month to figure out that the flat upstairs is a B&B where they had the great idea to stripped off the carpet and to use instead a very cheap laminate floor even knowing that there is not soundproofing in the building..!!!!
Of course when someone rent the flat upstairs it’s a nightmare for us because every guest has different habits so sometimes you have those who jumps ,runs ( if there are kids), heavy walking and our living room and cabinets kitchen shake like there is a train running up there!!
We write complaints since an year about this terrible situation meanwhile the pandemic and the lockdown are forcing us to stay all day at home with guests upstairs coming and going like they are on holiday instead...!
We wrote to our estate agent, to the landlady of the flat upstairs, to the building manager...
They only buy some time saying this and that but no one is taking action because they simply don’t care!
We tried and tried to make them understand how stressful is our life right now adding to the pandemic also this problem ...
Our financial situation is not easy ,like for many families in this difficult time, so even if we would love to leave this awful place we can’t! It’s too expensive to move again after only an year plus we paid £1500 to change the carpet and to decorate the flat planning to stay at least 4 years...
Some friends suggested us to record the noises and we tried with our mobile but it doesn’t work because it’s a noise the phone doesn’t record properly not giving the real sense of the issue especially about the vibrations.
We went upstairs so many times in the last 12 months asking to some of the guests to be reasonable quite during their stay but some of them turned in an argue because of course they will stay only few nights just to enjoy the sea view doing whatever they like not caring about us living with this problem downstairs every day.
We feel exhausting... and desperate especially because those they supposed to hel
dragging something out of bathroom. Stiff windows being opened in order to vape, hearing them banging shut again, cupbord doors banging, outside door banging then obviously forgot something so the outside door bangs again 04.30 am quiet. 05.00 am water running, 05.30 very heavy plodding footsteps 06.00am singing and all sorts of banging about. Laminate or wooden floors should be banned in conversions or flats because it is a living
nightmare for the person living below.
Has anyone been in a similar situation and take legal action.
I went as far as paying for a carpet for them that cost me £300 and thankfully went quiet for some time and then, it appears to be when the father is in a mood, the banging starts again!
I went to the council and they refused to do anything about it, saying if I want to soundproof the property I have to pay?? £1200 for one room!
I had the ceiling checked as the builder who came said he had spoken to the council and the ceiling should be concrete?? He drilled a hole in the ceiling and from the plasterboard to his floor it is hollow and the above floor timber with odd concrete strips, so that’s why I hear the noise.
Is they anyway that the council should be responsible for soundproofing?
I feel your anguish because we're using recording devices for the nightmare who lives above us who's layed down wooden floors & we hear every little thing especially the stomping of his footsteps..
now shes gone and the new guy is worse. my wife and I cannot believe it. he stomps like hes trying to break the floor. like he has hooves instead of feet! stomping. slamming drawers. slamming doors. dropping things.
during the day i bare it. but past 11pm its just crazy! you start to fall asleep and then BANG! hes dropped something. then you drift off again and THUMP! hes slammed something. then thumpthumpthumpthump as he bashes away on a keyboard at 3am.
I went up to complain and he didn't answer the door. so i knocked again and his housemate comes down and shouts at me for waking her up! I was speechless, sleep deprived, headache, neck so tense i cant move my head and I have a full day of work ahead of me in 5 hours time.
The heavy walking and stamping. This is continuous all day I wonder what could they be doing walking up and down in the flat stomping heavily there it goes as I write this comment.
They have a child up there who has been running back and forth constantly you'd think they would realise someone lives below and try to curb the disturbance.
My boy hasn't said anything he is just trying to tolerate it.. last night up up until 1:30am.
My husband was decorating the flat in August and he said it was like this then my head is hurting the constantly thudding, stamping.
The freeholder should have installed soundproofing but as we know they cut corners to gain maximum profit!!
I am very irritated by the noise and it is spoiling my stay..
They haven't stopped walking up and down from 07:30 ish this morning and this is a daily situation.. I wonder if they have any furniture because they seem to walk all over the flat even the bathroom..
Pounding stomping running ??
For this reason I would never live in a certain flat ever and would advise against it.
I have been in flats before but never heard a peep!
However when I knocked on their door and told them I was surprised that they have carpet on the floor.
They have lived above me over 2 years and I started hearing sounds a month ago. I also have cracks I the ceiling.
After visiting my neighbours I now think there may be something wrong with the pipes between the ceiling. And when my neighbours are home walking around it is triggering the pipes. Not there fault.
I have phoned for repairs and further investigation. Hopefully will get it sorted.
All the best. Cover all options.
On one hand I feel terrible that this person is sick and try to ignore it. Honestly I
Have been going this for 4 years but I feel I’m getting ill my self. Less than four hours sleep then a full day of work, I’m getting exhausted. I honestly don’t know what to do.
I contacted the service manager but he was less than sympathetic made me feel as I was being inconsiderate. Last night I went to sleep at 11pm it is now 7am I think I have only slept 3 hours my head hurts, I feel poorly and I’m so tired. This is everyday.
In case I will replace my 20 years old double glas windows with new ones, is this going to reduce significantly the noise coming from the street?
(Now I think the windows reduce noise only by 10/15db).
We bought our flat in December 2018 after much scrimping and saving and we were so happy and proud of ourselves... Until the first night spent in the flat. It soon became obvious the people above don't sleep during the night, them and their dogs are active all night long and there's no insulation between floors (we even hear their alarms in the morning). We talked with them, we pleaded with them and to be fair they've stopped listening to loud music during the night, but they're still active, talk, drop stuff, watch TV, the dogs run around (no barking though) and it's getting to us. There's literally been no nights since moving in when we haven't been woken up. If we're lucky it's just a bang, them probably dropping /throwing something on the floor, but generally it's something that keeps us up for longer, like them falling asleep at 3-4-5 am and their phone alarm starting at 6am (sometimes 4 am), ringing and vibrating on the floor, for over an hour because they can't hear it after being up all night. We recently found out they're tenants from a housing association. We want to install something to soundproof, but is there any way/do we have any right we can ask the housing association to contribute to this financially? Thank you!
Can I put up a notice stating that the soundproofing of the flats is very poor and remind them that dropping heavy objects, stomping around, slamming doors and cupboards and generally whooping it up is very disturbing to residents as the noise travels directly into their HOMES?
I am looking for advice about playing instrument in the flat. Me and my son play violin , he is getting ready for his GCSE in music. I usually tend to play till 20.00 sometime till 21.00 (when he is not in) in the room which is above my garage instead living room which is above my neighbour. I close windows and doors to minimalist noice. when I checked the level of noice with the my phone it was no more than 30db in my garage and my steps were causing more noice than music. this measurement is just indication and give some point for discussion. I do not know yet what is the level of noice in my neighbour flat. He demands me to play only when he is out of flat it is usually from 8.30 till 17.30 ish. he works irregular shift pattern something like 2-4 days work one day of etc. I work too and very often I finish after 17.00. where I can ask my son do early practise , I need some more flexibility. also I do not want to be limited to the time when he is out, if I have day off playing it is because I do not have time but when I have time I want to play and do not mind if my neighbour is in. living in flats is never perfect , it is take and give. I am happy to make some additional sound proof floor etc but I cannot allow someone to limit me to his working pattern. we both have right to have enjoyment from living in flat but you cannot requite full silence on expense of someone else. council is not helpful , government website and citizen advice have very vague information in this matter. Any advise will be helpful about what are my rights to practice and what time is allowed and limit of noice which is acceptable . thank you . Marta
His tenancy agreement states that he can't have hard or laminate flooring but the landlord is reluctant to enforce this rule as they ultimately cannot force him to put carpets down. We contacted the police when he jumped so forcefully that our ceiling now has cracks alongside the whole length of the living room & our light fittings are hanging on the cord as they became displaced. They said that this was a matter for the landlord & not them even though it's criminal damage. They said that it would be difficult to prove his intent. Our neighbour also wrote a letter to the Noise Team telling them to "eff off" & they said they have "logged" this.
We also live in a converted Victorian building, have a lovely large garden & have spent thousands doing this place up & now we're just looking to move once this whole covid situation is over. Seems like this is the situation across the board. You have inconsiderate & nasty tenants who give everyone in social housing such a bad name & then moan when homebuyers want houses nowhere near council areas. Wonder why?
I have taken to just being as obnoxious back as much as possible. This is completely a world away from the type of person I am. I don't even think my voicebox would even allow my voice to get high as I'm typically a calm person, however I've learnt to raise my voice quite high even though it cracks. So I'm slamming doors, knocking on walls, sometimes I'll play music quite loudly and also have taken to stomping around. This produces results. He goes quite for days at a time where we can sleep. Then he starts his rubbish again from the crack of dawn at 5am right up to 12am. He has no job, no responsibilites nor has he ever worked.
The downside is that it's utterly exhausting. My mum is largely frightened of what's happening & honestly this place just doesn't feel like our home anymore. I find it odd how someone could enjoy aggravating their neighbours knowing that it will mean they have to put up with noise too.
I've also had fake conversations with people from the Police to the Environmental Health loudly so that he can hear what I have to say about his behaviour. This lead to a complete week without a single sound. He actually thought there would be an imminent visit to his address. It shows how
.. But he still remained in residence, never really spoke to him, then all of a sudden out of the blue several months ago he tells us we can no longer use the duel pathway as it passes his door, we take no notice. As its shared and me and my family, friends have been using it for years. Next thing we know he put a baracade up. That was removed by authorities, then covid came along and we get the most horrific heavy beating music for several hours a day... Contacted ASB.
They don't want to talk to him about that just want me to compromise to solve situation by not using path.. So me being a mug went along with it hoping music would at least be turned down.... How silly I was. I have been on to council he has had letter and said it was covid stressing him out ffs.
He doesn't sleep there but arrives miday then plays music until ten then goes wherever... Meanwhile because I'm on the most vunrable list, i have to stay put and put up with it, I use ear plugs as Bob has mentioned a good investment... But it should not be needed.
Thank you
My neighbours above me live in a 1 bedroom flat and have purposely come into the Uk to have many babies to get a council house quicker
There are 4 of them in total and all they do is bang on my ceiling with objects , bang the radiators , stomp , run etc
It’s like a building site . I’m unable to read a book or just relax In my house ever .
I spend most time uneasy , heart beating fast because of anxiety . And crying
I’ve had the police involved, the asb team , mediators etc
And no one is doing anything
I think the only way for me to get anywhere is to take the council to court
I have over 700 video evidence of the noise
And both police and council have listened and done nothing !
Police keep fobbing it off to council
Council aren’t bothered!
Council said they will not be rehoused any time soon . Police said it’s hard to determine harassment so is a civil issue
I’m at wits end
And as pessimistic as this sounds
Unfortunately I don’t think your gonna get anywhere .
If you fight back like I have tried by playing loud music to deafen the noise
You end up getting in trouble
Which is the most backwards unfair thing.
So you have to tolerate being made to feel like a victim in your own home
I’ve bought mine so I can’t just get up and move . However they haven’t so can’t Understand why the council don’t move them !
Even if they don’t give them a house , they should be moved to a ground floor flat!
Whereby they can’t cause nuisance to there neighbour
I feel everyone’s pain going through this and feel like this matter is not made as important as it should . As it has effected me really badly.
Yesterday I asked if she could stop the 5 children from running around as my husband was just discharged from hospital with covid19 & pneumonia & was still recovering. I was met by the tenant sister screaming in my face I was trying to keep calm & keep my distance all I could do was report it again to Knowsley housing trust. The tenant has broke the social distances rules but they just don’t care , we have got another move I’ve had to leave my beautiful ground floor flat for mindless people please pray I can get through the next few weeks till I move to a much more quieter home I’m disabled 57 yr old & the last 3 years have aged me 20 years who cares not the landlords these tenants near short sharp shock treatment because at the moment they are treating the others absolutely shocking .
I've spoken to them about the noise and it stopped for about a week. But started up again... Only worse. I ignored it for as long as I could (about 2 weeks) but go so fed up one no night and reported it to the Council. Long story short, the Council wrote tot hen and it stopped for a week but again started up and worse. I've spoken to the Council and they are not willing to do anything more... Even though they haven't investigated etc.
I've spoken to the building agent and they have also written... But it hasn't stopped and has got worse. I eventually went back up again about 2 weeks ago and asked them to please be mindful. Unfortunately I was told that they are just living their lives and they don't appreciate me knocking on the door. I even got asked if I want them to wear 6 inch slippers? I tried to explain that even though they have carpets I can still hear them stamping up and down... Again I was told not to knock on the door again and in future put my concerns in writing. As far as they are concerned if I don't like it I can talk to the Council or move.
Alll day today its been constant and I'm beginning to loose my cool. I've tried to be neighbourly about the whole thing... But I just can't anymore.
Any suggestions?
They aren't approachable at all and even when saying hello in the past just turn their head and walk on. I got really angry recently and banged back on the walls loudly which they responded by banging back exactly the same and then carrying on (although it was likely the child)
I don't feel i can knock and am not a confrontational person, i also feel leaving a letter would have no effect. They don't make noise in the early hours or when i am trying to sleep so do i have any cause to complain? Other people i have spoke to simply say "Thats the problem with flats isnt it"
I love the area i live in but it's getting to the point where i am thinking of moving just because of them.
I have asked before for them to be considerate. I am going to ask one more time then I have no choice but to complain to my housing association. I don't want to complain but these people are very inconsiderate the noise is very loud above my head I don't know what floors they have but it's so loud it is effecting my mental health I live alone and I consider myself as quiet I play music loud maybe once a month. It is very selfish. I don't understand why her older son his woman and their family don't have a house of their own.
I can relate to your situation and by the way, for what it is worth, you have my complete
sympathy because the situation you described about the man who made your home life a daily misery sounds absolutely awful.
Trust me, I know what it's like, having suffered for decades because of a combination of poor quality housing, anti-social and inconsiderate neighbors, and worse still,
local authorities and housing associations who stand by and do nothing to help people in a similar situation.
They may fine a person for blasting loud music from time to time, but they rarely (if ever) do anything to address the issue with poorly or inadequately insulated flats and houses.
They are fully aware of the problems such homes cause for people who live in them
but they do nothing about it and so the problem drags on and tension builds up between neighbors and it so sad.
I wish you well my friend and one more thing before I go, I agree with you about 'fighting fire with fire' even though two wrongs never make a right
but what are you supposed to do?
Sit back and be a doormat or punchbag for your inconsiderate neighbor?
We now have a man above us who lives alone & has been here for the last 30 years. This imbecile wakes up at 6am, stamps across his entire flat & keeps going till 12am. We get no sleep whatsoever. Blasts his TV nonstop every night. He has wooden flooring & apparently everyone who's lived here has moved out due to the noise this man makes! Recently after asking him politely to be considerate - we called the police & made a formal complaint to the association. This reduced things as he didn't expect this after years of getting away with his selfishness. I then began banging pots & pans loudly, pumped up the bass on my TV & played grime & rap music on full blast until 1am. This absolutely made his behaviour quieter. My advice is fight fire with fire. It actually & shockingly (& disappointingly) works!
So looking to swap into a house - no more flats! I'm literally anxiety ridden. Why are people so noisy?? Why isn't there more soundproofing solutions?? I've been to private purpose built blocks & you could literally stick an elephant on any floor & no-one would be wiser. Britain has poorly built housing stock
So, there's this lady and her son, who lives beneath us, who for some reason is obsessed with my husband and I. Since the very first day we moved here in 2017, this dusty broad and her son, refuse to just live their lives.
On the first day here (wasn't even a full day) She heaved herself upstairs to our door to question me, as soon as my husband left. She came to the door asking if I actually lived here. She said she thought I was just helping my husband in. Now mind you, I'm a black American, obviously not from Scotland.
She then goes on to question me further, like my answer was going to be any different. I said "And you are...?" And she just said, " Me and my son (who was 17 at the time) live downstairs " (pointing beneath us) Then she leans forward, and tries to push her face past the open door to see into our place. I said " Uh uh, no ma'am " and shut the door in her face.
Every day after that, she and her son have tried to intimidate me, by slamming closet doors, banging on walls, ceilings or whatever surface they think would make a difference.
Also, apparently we can't go to the bathroom without them needing to remind us that they exist. Then bang and carry on in there too. Doesn't matter what time of the day or night.
Whenever I cook, they start up in the kitchen too. Banging on the ceiling and slamming their front door, as its nearest the kitchen.
And there's more. Lol
She sends her son up to knock on our door every so often, usually at 3 or 4 in the morning ( after one of us has gone to the bathroom) saying there's a leak, coming from our flat. The first time this happened, we took it seriously, although still sceptical, just in case on the off chance, there was a leak, we didn't want that for them. So we got a hold of our landlords and they were already to suss it out. They checked our bathroom. Nothing. Then she tried to contact those clowns beneath us, but they wouldn't answer their door, or call our landlords back, after they left contact info in their lettre slot. They are always home.
Also, her son on occasion likes to creep up to our door and flip the letter flap thing on our door. My bedroom is right across from the door, and I think sometimes he was trying to see into my bedroom, those times. When we hung a bunch of coats and sweaters , as to obscure his view, all that stopped ASAP.
Anyway, here it is Feb 2cnd 2020 and these clowns are still going. I'm sitting in my livingroom, typing this in my phone, and they are banging on the ceiling. They know I'm home just now because the livingroom light is on. And whenever they see that, they kick off.
One more thing: I tried approaching my landlord, and all they did was put a lettere through their door saying if there's anything they can do, etc to please contact them. They are too freakin nice. So I went to the council last year, and opened a case. Everytime the officer came around,
I used homes direct website for immediately available housing association flats/houses, and another one offering immediately available is sanctuary. Good luck to you all.
The neighbour below me I live in a four in a block and the neighbour below has his washing machine on from say 10am till 2am the next day and it is constantly on and my kitchen floor vibrates every 2 hours between the above time and it’s so annoying I know it’s stupid complaining about a washing machine but I’m having to listen to it constantly all day everyday and I’m getting really annoyed with it! Also everytime I have my washing machine on he bangs on my kitchen floor but I only have mine on say twice a week. His is on everyday I just want some advice in what to do cos I’m so sick of hearing it I just want to go to his flat and smash it to bits. What is the hours you can have a washing machine on in a flat? Is it between 11pm and 7am cos if it is I’m going to email council about it?
I've spoken to her son about it and he turns it down when he visits, but once he's gone, its up again. I did ask him if there are settings on the remote control to limit the volume and he said no. It is a new TV, so I thought there might be. I think he's fed up of me bringing it up. Anyway, its really annoying, I've only lived here for five months and it's becoming a real issue. I'm a home owner and so is she.
It was a crumby flat in Manchester where you just knew the sound insulation was going to be pretty poor, and where any sound made could create a reaction from the flat below. I was gasping and treading on eggshells to be quiet, but when I eventually made a sound of any kind, which is kind of inevitable, there would be an echo. After four months I'd had enough of that. I thought about what I could do and bought a remote controlled fart machine.
And then, for a while, it was like, noise of me putting washed up plate back in dishrack, echo, (parp). Noise of my flushing the toilet, echo, (phorarrh), noise of me stubbing my toe, echo, (phoraroargh) and so on.
After about 3 days I didn't have to use it any more.
Turned out it was a mental patient doing that who went out a couple of times a week to visit her equally fat mother across town.
Don't suffer in silence.
If someone modifies an old building/flat etc, it has to conform with current building regulations.
If a lessee modifies their space without permission from the freeholder, they could be evicted and forfeit the property to the freeholder
For the first few months everything was fine then the family that lives above us at the time it was 2 adults a 5 year old and a 3 year old,
We then started to experience lots of noise issues up to 1.30 in the morning I.e damaged floor boards banging and crashing unsupervised children just pretty much running back and forth constantly tv on at max volume, and this is every day.
Now to add to the mix in this one bedroom flat above the grandparents have been there for 3 months and she’s had another baby, so as you can imagine the noise has increased 5 fold,
We had an incident last week of the now 3 year old boy poking his head out of the window and spitting at us,
The father throwing cigarettes out of the bathroom window(that hit my partner).
We have actually come to the point that for my partner to get even a few hours sleep she’s having to put cotton wool in her ears and put on noise cancelling headphones, we’ve got the local council liaison involved as well as noise complaints and local. Councillors but it just seems like we’re hitting a brick wall, we’re coming close to just totally losing the plot it’s like Chinese water torture every day
It can subtly - or not so subtly - increase the level of background noise, and just makes my flat a more relaxed and comfortable place to be. I think it calms my neighbours down also.
The above flat moved in last year and she's had problems with noise ever since. She's rang the police several times, and the usual happens, music turned down for a bit, then back up.
Council have turned up to check the noise, in the middle of the afternoon of course, while they're partying til 3am on weekends.... Should say she's in her late 60s, he's in his early 20s,
Any way to check noise levels and keep note of them, that the council will treat seriously?
My upstairs neighbor starts moving things around and stomping after 11pm every night. I've already sent an email to my building Management months ago and they told me they spoke to him and he said that he was just moving in and it wouldn't happen again. But it's still happening. And I happens different hours in the night. I've been woken up from 1:30 am to 4:30 am. I don't want to get a lawyer because they ran expensive and I cant afford it. And I also don't want to constantly complain to the management. What do I do?
I'm wondering if you could help me. I've got quite an unusual problem. I live in a flat above the shop which isn't the problem as such. However theyve been having problems with one of the fridges which is literally underneath my bed. Before you say anything I cannot move the bed anywhere else.
The fans been broken for at least two months now and I can hear a very loud humming all night long. I reported that numerous times but they seem to either wait for the technician to come then for the parts to come and they don't give me any regular updates unless I message them. Is there any way I can report this? I have enough of sleepless nights, it got to this stage now that it effects my health and wellbeing. Please help
While this was going on I was recording/writing times and dates went to police council phoned the landlord and went to my local MSP hardly anything was done at all and I felt I was in the wrong for banging up and shouting anyhoo they moved out about 4 months ago which I felt such relief I got a 2 week break then a man moved in with who I thought was his older son and it was quiet for another week and I was so happy! then a day or 2 after that BAM! I was woke up by a screaming baby and another toddler and it has made my life hell AGAIN! so I contacted the council and they will do nothing and have strongly advised me not to go to the door or shout up to tell them to be quiet this brat of theirs never goes to bed at a proper time and it bounces off the walls constantly ppl have said to me watch what you say as they are black and hardly speak English they may play the racist card but I don't care I know im not racist but if you live in this country you have to live by the laws I have anxiety/depression and a social phobia and the only time I leave my home is to take my dogs out apart from that I cannot get away from it so will someone please tell me why I don't have the right to tell them to stop that brat from constantly banging above my head I have a right to peace and quiet just like they have a right to live their life but not at the expense of my health and sanity it is ridiculous! and by the way I think the landlord is being spiteful because it was ppl he knew the first time round that moved out and all he has done this time is put a rug down in the hallway which has made no difference at all.
Im from the uk and at the moment I hate my home and moving is not an option for me as I have no one friends or family to help and I cannot leave everything thats familiar to me as my anxiety would go through the roof not to mention the terror of being in a new place I don't like interacting with strangers at the best of times.
so tell me why I am in the wrong for banging up when the noise gets eo much and they know why im doing it!
I and my mother live in a very old flat and the noise there is above and below us. Above us, there is a family with two small children and I can hear every footstep when they're constantly running around the flat. I heard the noise first thing in the morning to the last thing at night. I have talked to the parents about it they have been rude or refused to do anything it. Below me is a severely autistic man who would scream when he's angry, bang the floor and shout randomly at night. I spoke to his care worker and he told me he will try to help calm him down but, I feel I can do much in that case.
All this noise is getting to both me and my mother and we are trying to move out of here currently flat. We have the spoken to local council won't do anything about, as the noise is not that severe. Have sent a letter to my local MP who just send me back to the local council. I have spoken to the noise team who told me to kept the diary of all the noise but, it pointless and they're not doing anything with my diary entries. I feel like I am in between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do.
Our downstairs neighbours have hard floors throughout and every night they play with their dog with a hard ball. Every time they play with that ball they hit the wall with it, waking my little 3years old Toddler. The heavy footsteps and loud talking are existent too but not as disturbing. We could live with that.
Every single night we have the same issue. We tried talking to them but no results. They don’t care.
We can’t afford moving atm but as soon as we can we will move out. It’s affecting my sanity. I get anxious at the thought of coming home.
I don’t know what to do. I’m so angry because of it.
What Can I DO?
I too suffer from noise from the flat above mine and being an old building - the poor sound insulation makes it even worse. I can also hear the people in the flat below mine - people shutting doors hard, heavy footsteps, objects being dropped, TV/Radio, loud voices etc. It's horrendous and a serious health issue.
Unfortunately we have had to deal with this situation as ground floor tenants several times and it does seem that you feel stuck and alone facing this issue which can clearly drive anyone crazy. It is mentaly unhealthy.
Based on my experience, The best way is to get the landlords involved (if renting) but if they refuse to soundproof the flat, the next option is to contact the council then if that fails too the final option is to move.
It is honestly unfair and very frustrating but in the end we feel that we have to save our sanity. We have done it in the past and we might have to do it again based on the new neibours who just moved upstairs.
It is really hard not feeling at home in your own flat and being forced to live with somebody else's noise as if they were inside your own flat.
If anyone has a miracle solution, I'm all ears but I do agree that there should be a law to protect tenants from noise nuisance or forcing landlords to soundproof a flat.
I first moved there back in early 2006, and, as nice and quiet as this area usually is; I started to notice an increase in anti-social behaviour and crime - it's a very long story, so fast forwarding to July 2017, the neighbours who lived above me were private tenants, who were generally very quiet and bearable to live below, that is until they moved out and then a young, professional couple moved in, and as the property upstairs is private, that clearly meant that they probably had different privileges and are able to make any changes to any of the rooms.
On the day they moved in, I couldn't help but become aware of a lot of laughter and loud speech and much heavy thumping across the floor, then to get a knock on my door from the female tenant, introducing herself and asking if I could possibly swap external sheds, so her boyfriend could store his motorbike; this I had no problem with and was happy to oblige, although she came back, saying the shed wasn't big enough, so ever since then, the motorbike sits outside.
I am not used to anyone living above me, so all the subsequent days, all the thumping about was a massive culture shock to me, and as they'd just moved in, I made those allowances for them to get settled in, rearrange their furniture etc. As each week approached, I noticed an increase in the noise, when they got home from work, they would come up the stairs, fairly loud voices, then their front door, and as they entered, sounded like the feet of two elephants, they would constantly stomp around their flat (no soundproofing unfortunately), and for some strange reason, he would stomp on the floor, so it would directly affect me and make me feel very uncomfortable; I would then hear their TV, which, I could only distinguish as a heavy, rumbling, almost computer-game sounding noise, which may be amplified with a Sound Bar. I would sometimes hear him shout and swear. This was a real worry for me now, as I dreaded that a nightmare was coming true, leaving me thinking about finding some way to move out.
Almost a year ago now, it was a pleasantly quiet evening, as they seemed to be very quiet and I could only hear their TV at a low volume, so I felt more relaxed and at ease with this, until I went to bed, I heard it move quickly into his bedroom and started stomping up and down repetitively, and shouting, thus making me feel very angry and vulnerable, and as much as I was tempted to shout at him, I needed to consider my personal safety and "bite my lip," although I had emailed my local Council, where they had sent someone round the following day, and since then, this behaviour has never been repeated.
It still carries on occasionally! I have had to raise a few complaints, to be told that they don't have Housing Wardens anymore, and that Police have no authority to make any arrests, so I was advised to download a 'No
The next lot were unpleasant and rude right from the start and acted as thought they had moved into a detached property with absolutely no regard for me .when I tried to ask them if it would be possible to enter and exit quietly in the early morning they ignored me. They slammed the front door and allowed their kids to thunder around upstairs and shout in the communal hall which of course woke me up. It was impossible to speak to them and so I wrote a letter which they didn’t respond to.
They were very arrogant and no one was going to tell them what to do! There is laminate flooring laid directly on the ceiling above my kitchen...it became impossible to use the kitchen at meal times , or to sleep in my bedroom... in fact I stopped using most of my house because of the constant all day, 7days noise above. It became like a torture. I became more and more stressed out and unwell, unable to sleep , became depressed and anxious. They man who was an ex army man intimidated and threatened me one day. I had to go to Victim support . The police said they couldn’t arrest him as there was no witness. I have used my back entrance to avoid them and haven’t been on my street since the incident. The agent and owner couldn’t care less...they just want their money. I became too unwell to contemplate moving and felt very trapped and I was very concerned for my mental wellbeing. Even a letter from my doctor got no results from the agent or owner. The people behave like hooligans and have damaged the cornice in my living room with jumping off furniture on to the floor. This house was not designed for such rough treatment. I will have to pay for most of the repair. They are moving out soon , thank God, and I am going to install sound proofing in my kitchen, at vast expense. I already had to pay for half of a carpet to be laid in the lounge upstairs , as the owner would not have done it otherwise .
There is no law whatsoever to protect people in these situations and I feel it’s about time this is taken seriously by local governem and a law made that insists on people putting down laminate flooring also putting in soundproofing. I don’t know if I will ever be happy in this house again as it has been so traumatic.
Metal gates on stairwells banging night and day. Trying to move because of a heart problem. Banging gates are ruining my life. Depressed
"We are not willing to purchase rugs at this time. When we converted the house into flats we used all the required sound proofing equipment and the council tested it. I do not recall ever receiving a complaint from any of the previous occupants of the GFF."
We have been using our kids' foam letter & number squares which Cece origianally said did improve things slightly.
Things have been made even more unpleasant in recent months with the garden share, obviously we use the garden where we have a trampoline (bought three years ago) right at the back, as far away from her patio doors as possible. We try to keep the kids away from the decked area outside her doors (which Cece had put down, again without the consent of the landlady/freeholder and then expected her to pay for it!) but that isn't enough for her. She has spoken to the landlady to have the garden divided and she is currently collecting estimates to have the work done (have no idea who will be paying for it or how they will execute it), we are hoping it goes ahead and is completed whilst we are away on holidays! Today though was the final straw, when my son got home from school at about 5pm I took the kids down to the garden to play on the trampoline for a bit before dinner and s
If this affects you, someone you know or you sympathise with those of us affected please sign it and share it to get this moving.
Click this link to sign the petition:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/221417/sponsors/new?token=1HpKRDZxkS59TSRLnvF
On the answer above, if we have found in the planning permission that soundproofing was a condition for it to be granted. What is the next course of action?
Thanks,
R
My wife has been gravely ill and does not venture from our back room as she is traumatised. Anyone who believes there is a procedure in place to deal with trashy tenants, ignorant landlords or 'helpful' local councils are simply dreaming. The reality is that nobody gives a monkeys and the scum and filth get away with it. In my experience thanet council are as uncaring and callous an authority as you could wish for. There is no respect for ordinary people and we can expect no help from anybody.
Why there is no authorities in UK, which can deal with those problems.
I live in a housing association flat. Lovely when a single man living above who I got on well with. New neighbours moved in a few months ago. First week...domestic violence. Just loads of noise in general. Three people. No carpet,just a lino throughout. They stomp,bang drawers,shout,try to rap til 4am. I spent some time with the lady and sorted everything out. Then there was another incident a few weeks later when again people turned up there was a lot of abusive shouting,threats going on...to myself as well. Even the police said that they didn't think it was suitable these people live in this block of flats as they were undesirable characters & known to them already. Obviously the housing association were involved...& have done nothing despite saying they would visit with police. That is now 2 months down the line and now seems pointless. Anyway...I believe the upstairs tenants received a letter and since then my life has been hell. Not sure if they blame me...but my floor now vibrates with them all stomping on this bare lino. They never seem to sit down. Music,loud bellowing voices...treated to 90 minutes of drawer slamming above my bed which stopped at 11pm dead on which was a beat suspicious. One works odd hours so I get woken all the time.
I feel sick going home....my nerves are a mess. It now seems as if I almost listen out for them & I dont want to. I cant talk to them again as the abuse I received was terrifying. I am even scared of bumping into them on the stairwell.
I have asked the housing association about the situation of people having no carpets or insulation above...and they say that they don't need to. I guess this is living noise...yet there is living noise and living noise.It wasn't like this when I spoke to her,so it's all unnecessary and selfish.
Any solutions other than moving. I have tried the headphones etc but I just can't relax.It helped to just read other peoples experiences on here and not feel so 'alone and mental'
since his move he is complying that he hears us and tv is loud and we talk loudly and telephone rings is high we have tried to reduce the noise to the level that please him he sill is not happy and make our life miserable considering that we never complained about the noise he make. And one of his protest is banging on our ceiling however I never experienced noise travelling from downstairs to flat upstairs. He is not prepare take the matters to town council. Please advise me.
in continuous session. I informed them as I have high blood pressure but they ignore me. I informed the council they did nothing. I informed their land lord he did nothing. I wrote to noise control but they have not contacted me since last thursday.
They have a child that keeps running to and fro. From 8.30am to 11.30pm. It's constant noise throughout the day non stop. I am retired and my BP is just rising and I have headaches all the time. Please advice. It's a council property I live in ground floor and above is private lease. Thanks.
I think it the way people are brought up. My mum would sweep the floor instead of using hoover if gone past 8pm..I think i carry on to be like that. Others dont care about their neighbour and make noise all the time.
So i advise you this.
Try and live top floor flat its easier to put down think carpert underlay and soundproof foam. What best you can create a temp bedroom in loft and that quiet.
If you cannot move go on ebay and get some in-earplugs used on building sites. Very comfortable and block out nr 100% sound. I never sleep without them and during day i use them and its time out.
Watch tv get a pair of wireless bluetooth headphones you enjoy it better.
Never talk to neighbours about noise belive me over 20 years of it they know they are making noise and just get off on it.
NICE PEOPLE DONT MAKE OTHERS UNHAPPY.
THOSE THAT DO MAKE NOISE WILL NEVER STOP, THEY LOVE YOU KNOCK ON DOOR ITS WHY THEY DO IT
My issue now is I have a new neighbor who said any noise let me know if its late at night vice versa ill let you know. I said fair enough I will do.
well here is where it has gotten nasty. He has started slamming things and loud tv in his bedroom while im asleep I have accepted this as moving in noise. He said he isnt a 13 year old boy will live how he lives without any adult saying what he can do. he suddenly went from an australian accenent to real street rhyming slang swaying about and yelling at me while hanging onto his bicycle this manchild is in his 40's possibly 50.well he went nuts yelling at me instead of a conversation to which I was shaking like a leaf inside while he just screamed in my face. I stood stunned while he ranted at me about his right to do DIY at 12am and so what if I am ill at all.
seems every donwstairs tenant is like this talk to them they cant communicate without yelling screaming and acting as if they are crazy and boy are they crazy. always call the cops or council if you dont like it, the whole stuff you attitude.
I explained I wear headphones all the time with tv so you get no noise from me at all as you asked for no noise he said upto you I live how I live wont change it for you or nobody. I said well you have done a total; 360 in saying you will be quiet and if im unwell or anything you wont be slamming doors, now you says you will do everything plus more well I said I didnt realise jeckly and hyde was moving in.
as I walked away and he slammed the door I muttered under my breath hes fing nuts mental crazy.
in all honesty this man is nuts he isn australian so how and why is he talking in an aussie accent then street accent. yes hes nuts thats right crazy!
so im going to keep away from him as he said id knocked his door 4 times, ive never knocked his door apart from once to say im ill got flu do you mind not doing diy and blaring tv out at 12am under my bedroom. I said it nicely too but he took it the wrong way and said what do I mean he cant do diy all day long.
yes he started inventing things id said that I hadnt.
so of course I walked backwards away from his door watching my back and went upstairs.
he has just smashed something to pieces.
God knows why.
I've just logged on again after spending about 2 hours wearing headphones in my bedroom just to drown out the noise from my neighbor below.
To help you understand the situation and why it is persistent I'll briefly describe the estate and block I live in.
I live in a two-story block which is occupied by three other tenants.
I don't know for certain but judging by how easy it is to hear household sounds
I think that it is reasonable to assume that this block and undoubtedly the entire estate(which by the way isn't big) was built without any noise insulation material.
I assume again that that was done to keep costs down?
If that was the actual reason then I am able to understand given the tight squeeze on funding by central government.
However, this estate was completed in mid-2001 and so whatever money was used to build it may have come from the then Labour government
who coincidentally introduced the so-called "decent homes" programme early in its 13-year tenure.
The estate which used to occupy the new so-called "regenerated" estate was owned by the local council "Brent" and it was called "Chalk Hill".
I moved onto that estate in the late 1980s and I could not believe that the council was keeping residents in such poorly maintained and extremely run down conditions.
I lived there for 13 years and believe me, Jeff, it was an absolute nightmare.
The noise issue was far worse than it is the new one.
There was also a persistent problem with insect infestation which made my home life even more tormenting.
Anyway, the council decided to knock it down and rebuild it.
Now I am here I can honestly say that it is a carbon copy of the former estate
in the sense that once again it was built without noise insulation despite the council knowing that former tenants complained regularly about it
but as was expected that was overlooked.
This estate is much smaller in size and as a result, tenants can't move as freely as they would like.
Once again the estate lacks noise insulation and lo and behold tenants complain about it again.
But once again the complaints fall upon deaf ears and the new landlord basically does nothing when problems arise.
I have of course spoken to my neighbor many times and explained how her activity affects me even though I live at the top of the block.
But it makes little difference and she continues to disturb my day and night
even though at times to be fair it is unintentional and due to the lack of noise insulation.
I have tried so hard to be long-suffering, patient, tolerate and such like but I'm only human and so I have now gone beyond breaking point and now I am feeling seriously depressed.
I'm constantly in a bad mood which affects my relationship with my dear loving mother
and I snap at her because I am so wound up and frustrated after 16 years of living in this nightmare flat and before that 13 years on the former neglected far worse estate known as Chalk Hill.
I feel let down, betra
I have been living in a flat owned by Metropolitan housing association for the last 16 years and basically, my home life is a never-ending nightmare for various reasons.
The persistent problem is noise...because this flat does not seem to have any noise insulation
that means the slightest sound from a kitchen draw closing to bathroom or kitchen taps being turned on and off to chairs being pulled across uncarpeted floors and children running back and forwards for hours on end is driving me beyond despair.
I am also dealing with other issues such as a moth infestation which was so bad that I ended up having to throw out my sofas and chairs because they became infested and the material was being eaten by the moths.
Now my bathroom has become infested with tiny black flies...I don't have any idea where they are coming from?
But they are there every single day and it is driving me to despair again.
The landlord is unhelpful and basically tells me to deal with the problems myself.
I want to know if there are any grounds to open a small claims case against MHT for actually exposing me to stress and frustration from living in their property?
Living here is never ending nightmare and it is making so depressed that I fear for my sanity.
I can't bear the thought of living here till the day I die.
I live in hope that the present poor conditions will change but I am also realistic and so I know that is unlikely to happen in my lifetime.
I can't believe that housing standards could be so low in London.
I have logged every days upstairs activities for 2 months. We have a mediator visiting us tomorrow. I very much doubt things will get sorted. Upstairs have a 3 and 10 year old and i swear they do laps up there. I live below a family of elephants. We have tried talking to them and banging on the ceiling. They bang back ??
I'm currently going through chemotherapy and they're making my life unbearable through the day. I can't wait to get back to work to escape my flat.
2 years ago we had a disagreement because after many times requesting her politely not to use our private drive, she allowed strangers to park there for over a month!
Since then we had radio playing music all night for 8 months!!!
We where unable to sleep... she left the radio over my 1 year old room and sounded was playing inside of our flat as we have no insulation and she has wood floors on room above!
We contacted the council as many request directly to her was useless!
They came in a couple of times but spoke to her and us but they don't work at night time so they refuse our evidence of the noise ( recordings) because they want to listen for themselves, but they don't work when the noises are going on late at night!
So I'm very frustrated at this point as they don't seeing much interest in the case!
Afterward she stopped with the music but started "domestic" noises until late... 3-4am sometimes!
Washing machine spinning at midnight sound like a helicopter taking off inside our flat, my child it's terrified as he is fast sleep and get woken up by it!
Now He refused sleeping in the bedroom or enter it because of the noises above!
Loud creecking floor boards, heavy stamping wile "walking " loud talking, washing machine going 7 am up to midnight...,
We are extremely tired and irritated after unable to have proper sleep for 2 years!!!
And we know she is doing it on purpose as for the first year she lived in was always very quiet!
We have a share of free hold, and we want to know if we can take her to court and request her to put insulation under her floor!
She own the flat above and the I the flat bellow.
They seem to grow this kid like a rat in a cage - now we had a beautiful sunny weekend and I hoped maybe tbose parents will take the kid out at last. Never happened - they got a friend with another kid into the flat and they ran and banged the door and dropped heavy objects on the floor, rolled something heavy that sounded like a steel cylinder. On top of that parents are talking loud, playing noisy tv and something sounding like Muslim prayers, sometimes screaming at kid/s slamming the door.....
Even when they clean flat the banging and smashing makes it sounds like they're refurbishing the flat.
I work night shifts and It's been over a month when I get some sleep if on only on my nights off. I feel like a zombie most of the time.
I am just about to confront them on this problem but my worry is it will only get worse.
Did anyone actually succeeded with the whole procedure? Or it's all for naught?
We are very close to some pissing war - they banging the whole day on my head a me banging on the ceiling in the night
Speficically, the woman above walks as though she is rushing about in lead lined hobnail boots. The apartments are extremely small and I can't even begin to imagine why she needs to be dashing around using the full force of her feet on the (carpeted) floor. We never, ever, hear her partner moving around.
Some four years ago I had had enough and complained to the landlords of the block. I kept a noise diary as requested, although it contained little except 'heavy foot steps which make my apartment vibrate). Eventually we received a letter saying it was 'her lifestyle choice' to thump and bang around. Apparently, simply because she lives above me, she gets to disturb me, whilst I have no power to retaliate. They did write to her informing her of my complaint and she did come downstairs to confront me, and I just told it like it was. For a while all was calm and much quieter. After a year or two she resumed her old habit, and, with no-where to go with this, she thumps and I knock back with a broom handle. This obviously infuriates her, but no more, clearly, than she infuriates me!
The building regs in the UK mean that apartments are not properly insulated between floors and therein lies the real heart of the problem. Yes we SHOULD be able to walk as we wish within our own homes, but we should NOT have to tolerate the sloppy habits of others, when it is a simple matter to be considerate and to appreciate that your noise is affecting someone else.
I'd be mortified if someone came to me and told me I was making too much noise. I'd try everything in my power to moderate whatever it was causing the nuisance. But in this world of dog eat dog, I'm afraid sufferers of this problem are just allowed to have their mental health jeopardized with no recourse to a solution.
We don't want to wast Police time and resources and Environmental health - will only do something when enough complaints are reported to the housing!!!
What do we do!?
So... That was fine. Our downstairs neighbour owns his home and we get on brilliantly with him. He is always checking to see if we can hear his tv etc. (Which we don't).
An, however!! Our Upstairs Neighbours are a far different story!!!
They are big people (I don't mean to come across as sizeist!) They have lamanite flooring and for 6 months it sounded like they were having party every day for 6 months!!
Well my other half likes quiet and doesn't want to offend anyone but, I'd had enough - one day in November, as the noise thumping stomping shouting (In French, I believe)and hoovering at 4am!! from 6am until after midnight... I went to the door - I knocked once, no answer then I had to rattle the door!! She answered then! I told her the noise was rediculous and had to stop!! Her (broken english) was - we have friends staying. I said not for 6 months you don't they live there!!! So we had quiet for a few days.
On the 30th November we finally went into the Housing to complain (hard decision as you don't want to be seen as a trouble maker) and they promised to have a word with them once they arranged a translator. Fine!!! So we left it - the noise not so bad but getting worse as weeks went on - over christmas period too - so we let it go!! I collapsed (suspected heart attack - aged 29!) Doctor said it was stress!!! So... we knew it was down to the noise!!! Went to the housing end of January told them again - said can they do anything about the lamanite? 'No, we don't enforce removal of lamanite.' What/ Why not?
So they say again they'll speak to the neighbours - Only, it hasnt gotten better - It's far worse!!! 4am the noise starts thumping, banging, their kid runs around constantly (not normal) all day every day!!! They thump in and out of every room!!! They come into bedrooms and drop something heavy!! (We had to swap to our smaller bedroom just so we can get some sleep - My other half works night shift and has to sleep during the day!)
Then once some of them leave after 7am it goes quiet - for a short time... There are only meant to be 2 adults and a 2/3 yr old living up there!!!
The noise continues then from 4pm until 10pm,11pm,12am.. then quiet enough again until 4am!!!
We don't think that our Housing Association are bothered and refuse to do anything.
They said they'd visit them at one point and, no one answered the buzzer system or door to the housing officer!!!
Then the housing officer tells us they agreed to be quieter (horse-s*it!!!)
So, what can I do? I have put our names back on the home swapper site! I have applied to other associations!!! We pay full rent here but can't afford a private let.... The other option is to move in with my parents but, they live in a Rural & remote area (Not many jobs around).
We don't see the point of tellin
Complaints of noise from ordinary domestic activity such as banging, heavy walking, closing of doors, vacuuming, washing machines, use of showers/toilets, children playing, loud talking, shouting etc (this list is not exhaustive) are outside of the law..
Does that mean I am stuck with the sound of my neighbours walking around and stomping their feet at 3am every day?
They complained that we slammed doors - this would imply we done it deliberately? Which is ridiculous, and the doors were clearly just too heavy their hinges soon as the law states they have to be fire safety doors and shut without assistance.
They also complained about loud music (tv and stereo was never above volume 20/100 and were placed tilted against the wall in a cushion to absorb the noise)
...along with a bunch of crazy other accusations. We allied Environmental Health and they checked the acoustics of the property and found that we were not at fault. At theist they knew what to do moving forward. They had to resolve the matter with their landlord and ours in regards to the set up if the property.
I think it's important to be tolerant and have patience with the tenants above as you can't always expect them to conduct their free time in their own home in silence just to keep you happy. (Not meaning to be cheeky) Speak to them first, then call environmental health, and don't waste any time in doing so.
My wife and I moved into a flat in Blackpool but from day one our neighbors above us have their loud telly blaring every night till between 11.30 pm and 2 am seven days a week. I have spoken to him on three occasions now with now luck. I've monitored the noise from Dec 4th till now and see we have only had four quiet nights so far. We can hear every word from their telly upstairs. What to do please ?
thanks
This is for Jen,
We have noise insulation issues with upstairs house ( we live in a flat underneath),we can hear them walk and talk. How did you manage to sell with noisy neighbours. Did you declare?
Thanks.
Simply confirm with your local council that it is not permitted to lay laminate flooring then ask them to take action on it and inform you of the result - make sure they do inform you. Unless there's a complaint, they don't check and will often 'overlook' it if they happen to be granted access by the occupant for any unrelated reason, like a gas safety check or filling out a form.
The council will visit the property and enforce removal of the laminate flooring; although they may set a long-ish timescale for it to account for the replacement expense.
Then she wakes me up by closing the door loudly enough to wake me up. This happen about 3 or 4 times a night.
I follow medical advice to get out of bed if I can not sleep, do not read, sit in an easy chair & listen to quiet music.
The Local Authority sound equipment does not pick up this short sound.
Is there any sound recording equipment I can use to hire or purchase to use in court as evidence???
Is there any Legal action I can take???
Please help me, I am desperate !!!
Then she wakes me up by closing the door loudly enough to wake me up. This happen about 3 or 4 times a night.
I follow medical advice to get out of bed if I can not sleep, do not read, sit in an easy chair & listen to quiet music.
The Local Authority sound equipment does not pick up this short sound.
Is there any sound recording equipment I can use to hire or purchase to use in court as evidence???
Is there any Legal action I can take???
Please help me, I am desperate !!!
One neighbour deliberately wakes me up several times a night by closing a downstairs door. When I go to bed she can hear the floorboards squeak, & 20 mins latter her front door quietly opens & if my bedroom light is off she closes the door firmly to wake me up.
The local Council have been in with recording equipment. However the equipment only starts when I push a plunger, & there is only 30seconds of prerecorded memory on the sustem, so the tapes are always blank!
As I can not sleep I follow medical advice: -do not stay in bed, do not read, but instead go in a easy chair & listen to quiet music on the radio. Sometimes I then fall asleep.
Is there any recording equipment out there I can hire or purchase to get evidence???
Properties built after 1990 or converted after 1992 should meet the current Building Regulations - Approved Document E. This is the minimum standard and does not mean properties will be completely sound proof.
Although lots of people on here are complaining...and some mentioned that they would join and supporting any causes to try and make things better, only one of you I've noticed that has bothered to join my Facebook Group after sharing the link (above, again) on here. I was inspired to do so after reading your messages on here as I'm in the same boat also. I've gone further than Facebook and have recently set up a Petition (link above). So, please "still complain; but also do something about it and make the effort for change" by liking, joining, signing and sharing both of them.
I live in a converted house which i believe was converted in 1996 so it has NO soundproofing HOWEVER my housing assoxiation purchased this building around 2004 when the current regs where in place.
Does this mean they must live up to the current regs since they purchased it after or since it was converted already do they not have to?
I have been to council bc and nobody can answer this question please help i beg
I too would be interested in any action group - sadly, this is a worldwide problem - and will be looking at ANGRY FRUSTRATED UNHAPPY PROPERTY OWNERS & TENANTS on facebook (good idea, Norbs).
I also can hear the tenant using the toilet; all the visitors walk noisily - the child is the worst; I couldn't possibly be sick over a weekend because my bedroom is under their lounge! When it has got too bad, I have spent hundreds of pounds just going to local hotel rooms for a night's break every so often - once I had to do this at sort notice on Christmas Eve because the upstairs tenants (mother and young child) seemed to be getting ready for a party. I was threatened by that tenant's ex-husband, and the landlord told me to stop harassing her tenant!! That landlord suggested that I put sound insulation up under my ceiling (ridiculous - a huge amount of cost when it should go under her floorboards up there - but it's never been done). She promised to do something about insulating under the washing machine and other bare floors - but hasn't.
I have also approached my local council - they have refused 3 times to get the Environmental department involved and come and record the noise. The reasons I have been given (even though at my council I cannot speak directly to anyone in the department for not being able to get the noise officially monitored were that a) it wasn't loud music or non-usual daily sounds and b) it wasn't at 'unsocial' hours. That's why I thought I'd add to this post: if you live in a flat that is in a building for which your local council gave permission for conversion into f
If only people who worked in the council had common sense unfortunaly they dont, All we can hope is the upstairs neighbors die. I m hopefully the fat scum upstairs to me will one day
I have read all your comments in bid to fine a solution to my upstairs neighbour. This woman seem to know each and every step I make in my flat.
I am not crazy but the woman follows me every where I go in my flat and drops something heavy like a bawling ball right on top of where I am. When ever I go toilet, I hear her come right on top and drop that heavy ball/massive stone. While in the kitchen making dinner or even cup of tea, I can hear her rush towards that area and constantly drop(smashing my roof till I leave the kitchen.
When it comes to bed time, things go even worse. Her bedroom us directly on top of mine, she lives alone no children but, after like 20 minutes me and my daughter (9yrs) go to bed. This time she will start banging and running to and fro through out the night, she stops around 1:am and again starts at 4:am till 6:am and she goes to bed. I am able to hear her snoring after such a hard work. This wakes up my child too. We are very miserable in this council middle street converted property.
This woman is able to hear if any visitor comes in my flat, if she has been hitting on my roof and I open my door, then she will go dead quite and not even move.
I have tried to let in the ASB team but soon as I let them in, the banging stops.
One surprising thing however, is that When I move on my bed I hear her straight away bang right on my floor, even when I am sleeping probably I breath a bit more- I don't snore at all. This time she will hit my roof very heavy, I mean heavy. I don't want her to know that I am awake so I continue to breath as though I am in very deep sleep and don't move or turn, the banging wakes my child though and starts calling me to get her some water.
I have complained everywhere, council says they have done all they can, they told me that the woman is not feeling well.
I don't know what to do now, for a few months she has started hitting my roof, wake me up and she has what I believe is a recording of some people walking in heels and start funny laughing, or start shouting at each other really loud and go quite, I believe she is doing this that if I tell the council or police they will think that I have mental issues.
This woman does not work and sleeps during the day. I am studying nursing so those wake nights she is always on top of my launge tapping and smashing my roof I go to bed. Even when I stay up doing my work up to 3am, she will be right on top of my roof tapping and never get tired. I am living a nightmare.
Please help, any suggestion out there?
This is what a friend is experiencing too:
I have been living happily at my property since April 1994 (mid terrace). I purchased this off the council and became a private house owner. 3 years ago my neighbour was put into a home and in her place came a single mother of 4 boys...... that has since changed the way I feel about living at my abode.
I have complained on many occasions for the noise the children jumping in and out of my garden, they would throw their rubbish as well. They would start banging at stupid time of the night. I can't even tell you how many times I've had to knock on the door to get them to stop only to get abuse from her kids and her kids friends.
The house was always full of kids smoking swearing and playing football in their garden and kicking it on the door and windows of their property. They would even walk onto my drive to cut across to their property and the parent wouldn't give a stuff unless she saw me then she would pretend to tell them off. When I told the eldest off he just looked at me a laughed.
When telling the council about this I would get a response of they will send me a log to fill in, but no sooner did I get this they would inform the neighbour of the same and the noise would stop. When the log got closed, they would start up again.
I even contacted Social Services to inform them that her 2nd youngest (6 yes old) was on their trampoline in the back garden jumping up and down on it with the biggest knife I've ever seen.... The response I got from SS was "oh, we know that family"...... Says it all really and nothing was done about it. It seems to me that they look after the likes of that tenant and do not give oke iota about private homeowners.
I've had EH round because I was getting cigarette smoke seeping into my bedroom. As well as being asthmatic I also hate the smell. Every time I would come home from work I would walk into my bedroom with the stench of stale smoke.
In the end I said that I was fed up of completing logs when their dog kept jumping into my garden, fouling and making a mess if my grass. I called and spoke to Alice Taylor on numerous occasions and emailed evidence of the dog in my gardening digging holes. She stated she had contacted the tenant to remind her of the terms and conditions of her tenancy agreement. Well that didn't work because the dog STILL entered my garden. 10 emails later before something was done about it, think they've got rid of the dog.
I have had enough and hate living at my property because of the neighbour the council saw fit to provide her even after getting evicted from her previous property.
The stress thus has caused me has made me stay most of my time at my mo
This is a "BIG SHOUT OUT" for unhappy property owners and tenants that are angry, frustrated and fed up with Nuisance Noisy Neighbours and Landlords that are making our lives hell!!! And, the failure of our local Environmental Health department to put things right is not happening for us the victims; but instead, the system and regulations seems to be favouring the Nuisance Noisy Neighbours and the Landlords. If you have experienced, or experiencing the same or similar problems with your Neighbours, Landlords and Housing Associations, and you feel you're not getting any help from your local Environmental Health department, you can post your stories on here; and let's see if we can get changes to the system and regulations!
How can the authority let the people do what they do and let them get away with it!? How could they condone the fitting of heavy hydraulic-sprung loaded fire doors in a domestic property that wasn’t designed and built for that!? How could they allow laying of laminated flooring, (whether council or private property) without sound proofing, when they themselves knows laminated flooring causes noise!? Also, why should the rules be different for council tenants and private owners!? Why insulation of sound proofing are not stipulated in the rules or even forced upon the owners that are causing noise nuisance with their fire doors!? Why should the victims have to bear the expense of doing so, or having to move!? Why the Council/Environmental Health don’t care about the victims!? Well, look at it this way. They can’t/won’t evict the perpetrators because they’d have to rehouse them again; and because they’re not building any properties, so they haven't got anywhere to put them. Therefore, here is where the landlords/investors come to their rescue…! So, they’ll support and allow the landlords and their tenants to get away with causing grief and heartache to the victim!!! It’s all about money and making a profit and not about people wellbeing!
Furthermore, I think if fire doors and or laminated flooring should be fitted, the regulation/law should be; sound proofing should also be installed by the owners! Or better yet; they should only be allowed to purchase detached properties to convert and fit fire doors!!!
There definitely have to be some changes!!! I also would be willing to support any fight for the change to this unfair and unjust system/regulation.
I'm a 69 years old male, retired and live by myself. I'm living between 2 noisy neighbours. One, a flat where the owner had laminated flooring laid after having carpets. Since flooring was laid, I can hear a pin drop in the flat (so to speak), and now I have to sleep with ear plugs in. The council informed me; as it’s a private flat they can’t do nothing about it, but if it was a council flat the tenant won’t be allowed to lay laminated flooring. The other is a house the other side of me that has recently been purchased where the owner has installed heavy fire doors.
It's been more like hell, and a nightmare since the new tenants moved in!!! The new owner/landlord converted and fitted 4 hydraulic-sprung loaded heavy fire doors to each room, and an extra main external entry door to the property adjoining the wall that separates us, and then rented each room to 4 young men. I don't think that those sort of fire doors should be fitted to domestic properties built in 1960 (ex-council) because they are not designed/built to withstand those heavy pounding of fire doors! I understand the doors can't be closed quietly because of the hydraulic springs fitted to them. The fire doors make very loud hammering/banging/booming noise that is intensive, loud and heavy, sporadic, intermittent and sometimes continuous (depends on how many tenants are in/out at same time). The force of the closing of these doors vibrates the wall that separates us, rattles my bedroom doors, so makes me jump when I’m not expecting it, and it’s stressing me out!!! I complained to my local Environment Health department and all they did was visit the property and told them to make sure that the doors are closed quietly when windows are open, as with windows open doors seemed to close harder. It was a bit less noisy for a couple of days, but the noise continues, so I reported them again. Since then, Environmental Health issued me with a diary and instructed me to record the noise in it. It seems they have to go through all these protocols..., then it could go to court where it could take months; meanwhile, I'm left to suffer from these horrific noise!!!
To the Council/Environmental Health; it doesn't matter to them about my health (a heart condition that I’d informed them about, too) and the fact that I've been living here for 30 years. And, they have also witnessed the noise and seen the situation by visiting next-door, and also, I've taken and submitted the diary of recording I’ve done for over 1 months, and done 8 days of sound noise recording with recording equipment the left here, but all of that, am informed; is not enough to serve an abatement notice on landlord/tenants. It seems to me that the Council/Environmental Health is favouring the landlord, who is there just to make a profit!
It's getting to a point where I can't take any more of this awful hammering/booming/banging noise that's been
The flat owner upstairs is making so much noise and especially on holidays its unacceptable. They are having a kid of 6-7 years who always jump and run back and forth but they told us on complaint that he just walk down .
Now its unacceptable as we are having a one months old baby. I have spoken to my other neighbor and they are also having problem with their immediate upstairs neighbors.
I feel its a construction fault from builder and housing association. Builder company has been liquidated and paradigm housing association people don't reply for our this complaint. Please let me know where we should complaint as we strongly feel we have cheated ?
I just read your post and I want to say I do sympathize with you
even though the noise that torments me is as I mentioned in my previous post about my neighbor who lives below.
she allows her grandchildren to run around in her flat and even though I live above her
I can her the sound of the children running back and forth and though I wish I was more long suffering
I'm just fed up of putting up with this situation.
and it is made worse by her unreasonable self righteous attitude in which she reminds me that she has put up with my drumming over the past 15 years and has never complained
so therefore she should is within her rights to either alone her grand kids to run wild for as long as they chose
and she can drag her chairs and bang and knock at night regardless of the fact that it disturbs me when I'm trying to sleep.
I have complained numerous times to the property owner but it hasn't made any difference whatsoever.
don't get me wrong Rosie,
I do appreciate the fact that she has allowed me to bang away on my drum-kit for many years without making a single complaint to the property owner,
but should she use that as justification to make my home life a misery by refusing to teach her gran kids how not to behave when they visit here?
won't that careless attitude rub off on them as they grow up?
I think it will.
I have given up knocking on her door and asking her to keep the noise down.
because I don't think I should have to keep repeating myself time after time.
if she was reasonable she would only need to be told once
but no she just ignores me.
and so the frustration and torment persists.
I would never advise anyone to live in the London Borough of Brent
cause they will be hard pressed not just to find a place to live,
but they would also more than likely suffer the torment I endure day and night.
I have given up approaching the property owner
cause they don't seem to take my complaints seriously
and that encourages the troublemakers to become even more of a nuisance.
its a very stressful situation Rosie.
your Idea of setting up a group to tackle this negative situation sounds good
but I can't help thinking that it will be overlooked by the local authorities?
they tend to only be interested in collecting rent etc
and anything is shoved aside.
but I'd still be willing to join if you decide to set it up.
let me know what you think and I'll get back to you.
I'm sorry to know about the situation you are in.
it must drive you potty!
especially when you just want to go to sleep!!!
and you have no doubt noticed how unreasonable and unwilling people can be when you approach them for the sake of peace?
how disheartening that can be!!!
but nevertheless Rosie
try not to let it get you down even though that is often easier said than done.
I hope you'll have a good weekend.
take care
from Trevor
The letting agency are as defensive as anything, they know they shouldn't have let the property to a young couple it's not suitable. When I first moved in I was told it was really for older people but they were making an exception for me as I specifically stated I desperately needed somewhere quiet.
Does anyone here want to join with me to set up a campaign to push for better noise insulation of properties and upgrading of existing ones? Is that realistic? Who would join me in looking into it? We could set up a closed facebook group or something to get something started...
Just had a brief look at the posts on here and sadly many people are still enduring tormenting situations.,
my situation remains the same.
my neighbor continues to be inconsiderate towards my feelings when her grandchildren run back and forwards in her flat
which I can hear even though I live above her.
I just wish that house builders were forced by government to build with adequate sound proofing insulation.
the government and councils are fully aware of the torment many people suffer as a result of poorly insulated houses and flats and inconsiderate anti social residents
but they just allow the situation to stay unchanged.
The managers at the HA are saying they cannot do anything because the guy has the old tenancy which doesnt say anything about not laying laminate.
It isnt fair i cannot have it (not that i will ever get it, im not selfish) and he can, he walks around in shoes and runs up the stairs, no consideration for me what so ever and he keeps saying how he has been here ten years and no complaints, even though he also told me nobody has even lived in the flat since the deaf old lady died, so who is going to complain?
can anyone help?
is this true?
It clearly states in the tenacy agreement no laminate or wood flooring or we will take legal action against you.
I have complained to my housing association who are being slow and reluctant to do anything but tell him to remove it but they need to insept his flat first to confirm and he is "always out"
When he is actually always in just hides when they knock.
I want him OUT!
Because he has started to blare his tv even if I have mine on low volume. It's obvious what he is doing im not paranoid
He can probably hear my tv but that's because he selfishly laid laminate and listen to my tv on low 7/100 volume.
He has broken the tenancy I want him out!!!
How do I get the HA to follow through with their contract?
it took me 100 of emails and calls to council, council complaint department, Environmental officers, the local MP to get their soundproof changed Which took nearly a year. Now the soundproof is placed I have the same problem but this time the noise is dull and echos throughout my flat. Cheap sound proofing I guess and neighbour's have improved a little specially 9 pm -7am.
My flat is very big and in desirable postcode. Do you think I am crazy to consider to buy this flat? Will this affect renting or selling in the future??
My property was converted from a listed building into Flats in 1990. The floors had to be insulated with corrugated underlay to dampen sound. Though, as people have gone to hard wood floors they have either removed the carpets and underlay to sand the floor or put down hard wood flooring. In all cases no consideration was given to the floor as a party structure.
We are in the process of ensuring that Flat owners have to correct the problem as in our case the conversation was granted planning on the basis of proper sound proofing between the floors. However, there is also a need under the Part Wall Act 1996 for a party structure to provide proper separation including sound smell water etc.
I would suggest that people like Jane stop to think before they accuse someone of being a cheapskate. Consider who is causing the problem in the party structure and who is responsible for the remedy.
HELLO someone lives below you so DONT wear your god dam shoes in your flat! whats so hard with wearing slippers? worse thing is the guy has laid thin carpet on BARE floorboards, whats the point in even having carpet it sound EXACTLY the same as if he had just floor boards
There should be rules that all tenants must lay thick underlay and not wear shoes, you would think this is COMMON SENSE to anyone with a brain!!
I just had to say something after seeing your posts.
I totally sympathize with you and agree with what you wrote.
like you I also feel "trapped in this flat"
I also refer to it as a "haven of torment" for similar reasons as you stated in your posts.
to say I feel depressed is an understatement.
and Like you I Feel so fed up and frustrated
I feel like giving up.
a few times I have got out of bed when the noise was too much and went out in the rain at night just to get away from this nightmare flat.
even now while I sit here typing I can hear my neighbor dragging her chair (which irritates me no end M)
and despite approaching her numerous times she just carries on regardless.
this is why I feel like all hope is gone
cause if my neighbors are hard hear-ted and stiff necked and the council and housing association keep allowing this awful estates to be built,
I can't see any reason for hope?
I never thought life in London could be like this
but It Is really horrible M.
but keep your chin up and try your utmost to keep going no matter what.
don't let the horrible situation grind you down and beat you.
I'd rather you beat it than it beat you.
Anyway take care
from Trevor
I just want you to know that you are not alone in what you are putting up with in your flat.
I have been enduring similar for years on end.
I also put up with the sound of children running back and forwards at night and like you it drives me up the wall with frustration and torment.
and what makes it worse is that the adults are unwilling to do anything to deal with it.
their attitude is like "who am I to tell them what they can't do in their flat?"
and when the estate owners intervened that also came to nothing.
I increasingly feel a sense of hopelessness
that things will never improve because the will to make things improve isn't there.
the council aren't interested
neither are the estate owners
let alone the people living here.
I conclude that "this is the lot of the poor and the working class"
the high earners and the wealthy would never put up with this sort of thing.
they would consider it as an affront and an insult to their dignity.
rich people naturally expect the best in life...and they get it.
but for us as working class people
we aren't allowed to experience what the rich are accustomed to
simply cause of our class.
so it is reasonable to say that money
and in our case cause we don't have lots of money
we get the bog standard flats and all the torments that go with it.
this is why I wrote in my initial post that I cannot see things improving for us.
because unless we have lots of money
no one wants to know.
that's the cold harsh reality of Life in 21st century London ; 0 (
so much for the optimism of the Labour government back in may 1997.
Things can only get better?
yeah right.
what they forgot to say was...things would only get better for the rich.
I mean its not as if house builders are not aware of the torment people go through on a daily and nightly basis
due to a combination of inadequately sound proofed flats and houses,
and neighbors who to be fair are often viewed as anti social
but I think that to a certain extent they end up getting on their neighbors nerves not intentionally
but because of the inadequate sound proofing in the flats and houses and also the way we tend to be packed in like sardines
and so it becomes impossible to move around in our homes without getting on our neighbors nerves.
the councils and governments and ultimately the developers and builders all play a part in creating "havens of torment"
and as usual it comes down also to the fact that most of us are not rich and so we are expected to make do with bog standard accommodation
which of course always comes with inadequate sound proofing.
and again the councils and co can't claim to be ignorant
because there are no end of reports and websites online which deal with the problems associated with poor quality housing and mental and the impact it has on our mental and physical health.
but rather than use those reports and websites as a sort of template in order to build better quality housing,
they seem to ignore them and just carry on building endless havens of torment
which makes the lives of those who suffer (not live) in them a never ending misery.
this is why I say the situation is hopeless
but hopeless only cause the people doing the planning and building don't seem to listen to the endless cries of those of us who have suffered endlessly in these flats and houses.
and the strange thing is while we continue suffering and enduring and hoping in vain for a much needed change,
the Councillors and members of Parliament tend to "live" in the kind of well built properties we can only dream of.
and we put our complaints to them and they listen but never do anything.
whereas if they had "learned from the much repeated mistakes of the past" things would probably be better.
but instead it gets worse
because we find that if we want to buy our own home
we have to be earning loads to be able to get a mortgage.
and so we turn to private renting
only to find that we are charged excessive amounts just to live in what is often a small box.
can anyone blame me for feeling disillusioned and deeply depressed with a ever growing feeling of hopelessness?
I am on anxiety tablets since moving here, I have let the noise go for nearly two years, but I'm sick to death of it now and I'm not going to let my son be sleep deprived because of there selfish, irresponsible and damn right rudeness.
I have now contacted the council making an official complaint, I am a council tenant, as are they but you don't hear me letting my son run round, disturbing others. Council tenant or home owner..... it makes no difference, rudeness is rudeness and if i was allowed to name and shame them i would.
I really don't think he realising the noise he makes as he lived with an old woman who was deaf for years and then a woman who used the flat to store furniture so nobody has really lived here to complain about his noise so I'm scared too I also like him.
However I also have a really nasty old neighbour downstairs, first day I moved in he complained. I sympathised with him a lot and promised to put underlay thick down because I understand about the annoying footstep noise but that wasn't good enough for him. He wanted me to tiptoe around, do no DIY even though I just moved in and this is an obvious sound for a new tenant. he tried to bully me by constantly ringing my door.
I wore slippers and even banned guest until I got carpet down even after he complained. He stalked me watching me from his windows and stating up at my windows even confronting my guest telling them how I don't answer the door to him.
URGH duh because I don't like you.
I told the HA to get recorders in his house, they did and it came back normal living noise.
I was told by the guy upstairs how this old man bullied the last lady who lived here to because she wouldn't tiptoe around the house.
So I'm being honest I do purposely wear shoes in the flat and do as I please now. I couldn't care less if I stress him out because he is a nasty bitter old man who bully's females,
We have drunks living aross the road who constantly make noise every Friday and builders every morning at 8am but never will he complain to them,
Take from my story what you wish
In the tenancy it is my responsibility to carpet the place. However he explained that he's been asking the landlord for a year now and he did nothing. Two hours later he buzzed again with the same issue. He said the flat isn't suitable for a toddler and that his wife is pregnant with twins and how will they sleep.
I am the one experiencing stress and anxiety also. I hate the idea that I and my son are a nuisance. He owns his home. I don't. I don't have the funds to carpet the place now. I have ordered some rugs and a gate so that my son is kept in one room. I will do whatever I can but my son has just discovered he can run. He told me to use a toy to distract him but my son loves cars and playing on the floor. I don't let him bang and am trying to get him to only walk. I don't use TV and dvd s to keep him quiet. He sleeps from 7-6 everyday. Us council tenants don't all want to cause trouble for homeowners.
I know there has been an issue with the squeaky flooring for a year or so as the flats are pretty old (built in the 50s) and have never been maintained on the councils end. Then I realised how bad the insulation was. In all the years I've lived here I had never heard my old neighbour speak or anything ( just floor board squeaks)or the one before that but this one began driving me mental. she stomped through the house and was always fightingwith the boyfriend n chucking him out or singing to her kid "if your happy and you know it clap your hands" at stupid o'clock like 5am in the bedroom above me. I've had the ASBO team involved because they were contestantly jumping on the floor (to be spiteful, even moreso when I knocked up) and their other family member was coming over blasting music between 7am-4pm everyday.
they left last winter just before being evicted.
I was then told that action would be taken with the flooring and putting insulation in before anyone else moved in. then I see her family member move in with her kid and a dog. constant thudding and banging. So much so that my lights were flickering on n off. She's on the dole n smokes weed n blasts music so much so that the bass makes me throw up, then she has her tv on really loud in the bedroom after midnight. I've went up to speak to her but she ignores the door. ASBO team are doing nothing and they said we are back to square one because it's a new case even though the family member was also causing bother there before, but because she's switched with her sister it's a new case and the council allowed them to switch. all week blasting music for hours on end and the ASBO worker I have, said to me that "she can do what she wants because it's during the day and they can't do anything about her smoking weed in the house with a kid" and even had the nerve to say I'm being over sensitive. I've had the out of hours and the police called to whitnessed it every day this week and last but she sees them coming and goes quiet before they come in the flat.
i can't record/video the problems on my phone and use it as proof for them to see so they say. What more can I do? I asked them to put the recording equipment in but they said "there has to be evidence before we can get the sound equipment in" Please help I work nightshift, I suffer from anxiety, I'm seriously depressed now and I'm on beta blockers for migraines and sleeping tabs and no one is helping me:( I'm seriously getting to the stage where I feel my life is not worth living. I can't even sleep at anytime because of the noise.
Its time the Government took action, if everyone wrote to their member of parliament and or Mayor then we might get results. Noise is intrusive and cause stress and illness.
There are rules regarding the laying of wooden floors without adequate sound proofing as wooden floors cause the worst transition of noise and echo’s, Most block of flats have leases where it clearly states that flats must be carpeted from the ground floor up so why are these breeches allowed.
I have contacted my Housing Association & they have sent him two letters of complaint & also visited him, but his behavior still continues.
Every night i am woken up & kept awake.
It is affecting my health in many ways.
What can i do to get him to stop.
I have rung the COUNCIL 4 weeks on the run and spoke to the Estate Manager informing her that I spoke to the neighbour about the NOISE from their flat.
The neabour opened the door to me,as she done so I NOTICED THERE WOODEN LAMINATED FLOORING THROUGHOUT THE FLAT.
SHE said she had NO UNDERLYING UNDER THE WOODEN FLOOR and she PAID £600 and WOULD Not Take it Up to PUT UNDERLYING DOWN.
Her Daughter runs around with friends until 1am what should I do
Who live upstairs.
They play there music so load we cannot hear our tv and only turn it down when we go upstairs and tell them too.
They constantly wake us up at 5 or 6 in the morning when they have come home from a night out.
I have contacted there landlord 3 times about the problem but nothing seems to happen.
I am diagnosed with extreme paranoia and manic depression as well as having weekly meetings with phycoligists and phyciatrists. I can hear everything my upstairs neighbors say and do. There is constant noise 24.7 its 1.30am now and I can hear them in every room. Because of my paranoia I constantly think they are talking about me and it drives me insane to the point I if im in the house I have to stay dead quiet because I think they hear me , I have ti go outside to take phone calls because I think they are listening. I constantly have to leave the house and walk away because it messes with my head. I am currently. Waiting a diagnosis on whatever eles I have. I have violent outbirsts to the point I was dermed a danger to others and sectioned a few years back I can fell its only a matter of time nefore I snap.
I am unimployed at the moment and bidding on counsel 1 bed flats. does any one know a way I can get out and into somewhere where I can get better or into a new flat quicker would a letter from a phyc help
In this day and age, neighbours will have powerful sound systems, play musical instruments and want wooden floors the same as if they were living in a house. You can't stop people living their lives so, if you can't cope with it, do what I did and move into a bungalow.
I simply can't understand why anybody wants to live in a flat in the first place!
They accuses my previous tenant of making noises ie watching tv etc after midnight running up and downstairs to let visitors in. These landlords wanted me to serve an eviction order, I spoke to my tenant who was a lovely young girl and kept the flat immaculate she couldn't unrest and my concerns and eventually left.
My current tenant is a father and son the father being disabled, this is history repeating itself the other landlords getting together and keeping a record of noise disturbances. I have spoken to the tenant and so has my agent who is managing the property. Now because I have not served an eviction order I am being threatened with legal action and they are telling me I will have to forfeit the flat. The tenants have told me they hear noise from upstairs and downstairs but it is just normal day to day living. They have made me pay for carpet cleaning blaming my tenants I have kept a record of their their threatening e mails.
Can you advise me please?
Thank you
Harassed landlord
The Baby (now toddling) wakes up anything between 4.30am & 5am most days. chucks things around & thumps around the flat. you would thing that a toddler coud make such loud noises!. work full time so getting woken up most days at this time of the morning is very upsetting & effecting my work. When I am at home at the weekends again there is no peace when they are home.
I have been upstairs to visit my neighbour & inform her that the noise levels are getting to me but as far as I can tell nothing has been done, in fact it is worse!
I am at my wits end now & its effecting my work & private life.
Help!
One is a couple of men who buy secondhand or even brokendown white goods, mainly washing machines and small fridges, who then repair them, with lots of banging and dragging, and sell on to shops in the high street as used goods. They buy and sell these items at all times of the day with vans arriving and leaving from 7 a.m. to very late at night sometimes, always backing into the private road.
The other unit processes raw chicken pieces into different curries for restaurants. They also receive and despatch at different times of the day.
There is also a very large gym at the bottom of this private road whose clients use the road to park in and so therefore block the road for the other vans from the other units being forced to load and unload in the main public road!
My nights are disturbed and the weekends are not very restful either.
Do I have any rights in stopping all the activities at all times of the day and night?
I don't want to close the businesses just have some peace and quiet some times.
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