This isn't ok/what do I do? Deranged neighbours

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

Amost posted last night, decided I was overreacting. Not sure now. Argh.
new family in flat upstairs - a couple and one child (apparently). Moved in on Thursday.
First night, more than them in the flat - a few adults and at least two children. Woman shouting constantly in a ranty way, barely pausing for breath from about 7pm (I study in the evenings and this is audible in every room in the flat). Sounded like she was shouting at the adults, they were replying in normal tones. Children were tearing round screaming and jumping off things (judging by thumps) until 11pm ish. Then the others left the flat.
Second night (last night) same pattern, except kids were running round until gone 12.30am, then child was whimpering, obviously knackered, and getting screamed at by women who was on phone (I was smoking on back step and windows open hence hearing whimpering, phone must have been on speakerphone. Having said that this is Victorian property where sound carries and at their volume it's really invasive).

Today since around midday there's been crazed sounding ranting/shouting/screaming constantly from this woman. Today they are definitely shouting at the child - man is shouting too, now and then. They keep doing a weird thing where they are talking (well, ranting) and shrieking every few sentences. There's been banging, some is clearly new flat type stuff but some is a bit suspect. There seems to be another woman up there too.

I'm shaking as this is setting off massive anxiety so not sure if overreacting but almost called police just now. Woman keeps going off on one, shrieking, sounds like maybe throwing stuff. They don't seem to talk at all, just yell. I can hear child basically mimicking them. And then they yell more . She sound like she might be mentally ill tbh, I don't say that lightly, there really is something that sounds overly emotional/irrational.

Now I've typed all that it's gone quiet, they are finally talking in normal tones.

Our landlord would kick them out for the noise alone, but I don't want to just run away if I can get some help for the child/mother.

[ImperialBlether]

It sounds as though it's the mother who's causing the trouble, though, OP, doesn't it?

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

Sorry, posted in AIBU for traffic, I'm sure there's an AIBU in there somewhere...

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

Yes imperial it does, but she doesn't sound normal. It sounds deranged rather that simply angry iyswim. Proper shrieking emotionally. It's not English hence I can't understand the actual words.

The other woman had just had a rant too, quieter though. The man does it periodically too. It's weird it's like they are all ranting in the same pattern, a few normal sentences then a ranty shouty bit (really shouty too, not just emphasis). Only the one woman sounds properly shrieking bonkers though.

[SpotTheDuck]

I'd call social services on Monday - doesn't sound like an emergency, but does sound odd. Also contact your landlord, you don't want to live under that kind of noise especially if it's making you anxious.

[whirlwinds]

Contact SS on Monday, not to concerned about the adults but the child may be at risk and this needs to be assessed.

[pipsqueak25]

call ss and land lord definantly, if there are problems they need sorting but you should have to put up with this rubbish in your own home, it's probably worse because it is in a foreign lingo too as you can't understand what's being said.

[Flisspaps]

Why wait until Monday to call Social Services? You should be able to get through on a weekend too.

[WooWooSister]

So you would call social services and say what? A new neighbour who is just moving in has made lots of banging noises and is shouting - but possibly not angrily because you don't actually understand what they're saying.

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

Ok... is there a non emergency number at weekends for SS?

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

Right, googled, will do

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

WooWoo
It is angry - you can tell by the tone and volume. Hysterical shrieking is the way to describe it really.

[Happyhippy45]

Maybe it'll settle down. Moving is stressful.

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

There was a loud family living there before who seemed to prefer yelling rather than talking, and the dad was the worst, constantly going on and on at top volume. This sounds different.

[pregnantat50]

Sometimes different languages sound like they are angry rants when its just the sound of the language. At work, we arent allowed mobile phones so people come into reception (where I work) to use them in their breaks...There are a couple of Polish girls who sounds like they are ranting hysterically down the phone but they arent..not saying thats the case and it sounds awful for you to have to have no peace but it may be one answer

[amysmummy12345]

How old is the kid?

[Smithy1234]

Maybe it just sounds angry? Some languages do. People say German sounds 'angry'. I heard the same about Russian, Polish etc.

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

There's only emergency phone lines at the weekend. Will have to see how it goes and maybe call on Monday.

[YoungGirlGrowingOld]

Was posting to say the same as pregnant and Smithy. Arabic also sounds really angry and ranty at times, even when just exchanging pleasantries. (I do think you should complain about the noise levels though).

[RobinBanksLetsbyAvenue]

Child looks small - maybe 3/4? Although we seem to have some tiny children round here so may be older - sorry, hard to tell, only seen him briefly.
The previous family also spoke an Eastern European language, and were loud, it did not sound like this. (I mean, the language sounded v smilar but not the shrieking hysterically.)

[NotYoda]

I would have called the police. If I believed the shouting was angry,and out of control, there were bangs and thumps and children in the house, I would have called the police. And I would not worry about it coming back to me, because if it was that loud then others will have heard too.

[NotYoda]

I say this because, for all the post-event reasoning about different languages etc, you have described it as hysterical, deranged, directed at the child, and it made you have a visceral reaction of fear.So I think that would be enough to justify the feeling that a child might be in danger

[dailymaillazyjournos]

I agree that some languages can sound more 'ranty' than others but surely hysterical shrieking can't be explained away by linguistic variation. Shrieking is shrieking in any language imo.

I think I'd have called the police.

[RubbishMantra]

I'd knock on their door, introduce yourself as their new neighbour, then ask if everything is OK, because you've heard a lot of noise, and explain it's bothering you and could they tone it down.

Basically ask them to stfu, but sugar coat it a bit.

[Imissmy0ldusername]

Upstairs neighbours can be hard work. It turned out that the owners of the flat above me had put the bare minimum of carpetting down without any underlay, which is why I could hear them farting and coughing above me. Mostly it was just getting on with life noise, which I could sort of cope with, but what made it unbearable was when the upstairs neighbour allowed his son to move in. It turned into party and fight central right above my bedroom. Nice.

If you are worried about the wellbeing of the child/ren in the flat, then report it, don't doubt yourself - I'm terrible for this myself, as I genuinely couldn't tell if I was being a bit princessy about noise, or if the noise was unbearable - every time I complained about something, I had to make sure I had a witness to the noise, I trusted myself that little.

When I met the new owners of the upstairs flat last year, I told them precisely which areas of the flat they shouldn't be spilling secrets in, as I would likely hear every word. They laughed their heads off and told me it was due to the poor carpetting, which was the first thing they sorted out. We hardly hear them these days. And long may it continue :)

Good luck with asserting yourself and your right to quiet enjoyment, OP - and well done for thinking about the welfare of the child/ren - it's more than I did, purely because I was too damned timid.

[MagicChanges]

I was going to ask if you knew the ethnic origin of the family but was afraid of being thought racist. My son and dil live next door to a Nigerian family who all speak English and they are lovely - 5 kids, all very polite and friendly but when the mother starts to shout it's unbelievable - you can't tell what she's shouting as she's obviously using her mother tongue - when my son first heard her he was upstairs and he honestly thought she was downstairs in his house it was that loud. I've heard it many times and it goes on and on and the eldest daughter does it too. Maybe it's a cultural thing. I've chatted to the mother (she's a single parent) and she's very nice.

It's a tricky one - I think just monitor the situation - but yes you could go and introduce yourself...............but IF there is a concern about the child then you should report it to children's services - you can do it anonymously but most people guess who has reported them. Maybe wait a while and see how things progress.