Neighbour reporting us to environmental health for a noise that only she can hear

[Mufferdoodle]

Soooooo arrived home this evening to a nice little letter from the local council, informing us that they’d like to come and investigate the nuisance noise coming from our house on Monday.

I can only assume this noise is the same noise that our next door neighbour has been mentioning at every opportunity for the last 18 months. She claims to be able to hear it at all times of day and night and it sounds like a heartbeat noise. We have never heard this noise but she put a letter trough our door about a year ago saying that one of the trades people who she had called out to investigate said noise had told her that it was 100% coming from our house (even though he also didn’t actually hear the noise).

As neighbours, I think we are pretty decent. We have 2 small children (who are in bed for 7 ish) we go to bed at 9 ish. We don’t play loud music, or make much noise at all really. We did look out for this lady (she’s in her 70’s) I’ve taken her out for the day, bought her a few bits for her house, check on her in cold weather etc etc.

The house is ours - it’s not rented. It’s in a nice quiet cul de sac and we get on with all of the other people who live nearby.

So question is - aibu to tell the council they can’t come poking around my home unless they have a recording of the noise?? I feel really upset and anxious about the whole thing and to be honest I’m 99% sure that neighbour has tinnitus as she has told me a couple of times that she can still hear the noise with ear plugs in.

What would you do??

[jedenfalls]

Easy, let them come and find nothing.

Job done

No need to stress.

I saw something similar play out locally a few years ago.. environmental health gave him the polite version of ‚‘you are imagining it‘

[ExecutiveDiamondBossBabeHun]

Has she been to the doctor, it could be caused by earwax! That said let them come. It will put her mind at rest (where you're concerned) when they find nothing.

[PoisonousSmurf]

I can't see what you're worried about. All they want to do is to check for themselves as it could be that the lady next door is going a bit 'doolaly' and they want to confirm/deny it?

[soggydigestive]

Not much advice sorry hope others will have, but I'd say let them come and investigate - could it be something like a bathroom extractor fan? You've done nothing wrong theres no need to be worried. You sound like dream neighbours! I want to swap you for my neighbours. Good luck

[MsJaneAusten]

Let them come. If nothing else it might lead to her getting referred for more help.

[itchyknees]

Ooo I’d be delighted to have the council round, and then they can go and tell her it’s not happening.

Tinnitus?

[lardymclardy]

sounds like she has some form of tinnitus - it's not all high pitched screeching. It must be driving her bonkers!

[jedenfalls]

Im struggling to see why you wouldnt want them to come tbh

[Ethylred]

This works in your favour.
Be happy.

[altiara]

Tinnitus - I have it in one ear, I only notice if it’s quiet. So what you actually need to do is make more noise

[lanbury]

Let them come, they'll be five minuites and if there's nothing, they will write to your neighbours saying they've investigated and job done. We had similar with downstairs neighbour moaning about squeaking floorboards and even flushing the loo and boiling a damn kettle!! Council investigated but the chap just laughed as the noise has to be over a certain level to be seen as "nuisance" anyway not just normal lifestyle sounds.

[MissCherryCakeyBun]

Get them to set up noise monitors to prove there is no noise...problem solved

[Chachachac]

I’d definitely let them in and tell them what you told us here. They’ll draw their own conclusions.

[gamerchick]

Has nobody suggested it might be her ears? Tinnitus does drive you mad, she might not realise.

[Dandybelle]

I have tinnitus that sounds like my ear drum moving in and out inside my head. Sounds kind of like a heartbeat. It's very annoying but I've learnt to kind of ignore it 🤷🏽‍♀️

[LeighaJ]

Let them come and find nothing and tell her there's no noise and it's all officially and such. Then slip a pamphlet about hearing tests slyly through her letterbox.

[iklboo]

Let them come, but be prepared for your neighbour to accuse you of turning it off so the council couldn't hear it

[MidLifeCrisis2017]

My neighbour reported us to environmental health after we'd put in a planning application for a single garage. His letter was hysterical, officer was struggling to control his laughter when he read it to me. He turned up on the doorstep and said he'd been led to believe we were building a multi-storey car park.

Part of the letter said "they don't need a garage, they've already got a shed and the rain drips off it onto my bike!" He had an acre of land....and parked his bike against our wall. Council said they wouldn't be holding us responsible for the rain. You'll be fine!

[MMcanny]

Not sure why you’re upset and anxious. What’s your beef with letting the council in? Surely they can sort it one way or another. If the problem is hers there’s no problem. Unless you’ve a cannabis factory in your attic that’s causing the problem then I’d definitely decline the visit but I don’t think you can refuse the plods when they break down your door at 5am. That would definitely be reason for anxiety.

[itchyknees]

There was someone on here whose neighbour complained that the water from their drive ran down the hill towards him. Gravity, innit?

[Mufferdoodle]

Re. The tinnitus thing, I spoke to her about it a few months ago and she promised me that she would see the GP although I’m not convinced that she has.

I guess I just don’t know what to expect from Monday. Will they want to look around the house. Last year neighbour wanted us to call an electrician, a Plummer and a drain company out to check our house. Will they try and make us do that?? I wouldn’t mind doing that if I believed that the noise existed but it’s going to cost us a fortune to get the whole house checked. Will the council try and insist that we start getting things checked??

[Plasebeafleabite]

Tinnitus quite clearly originates in your own ears I think it’s really unlikely she would think it was coming from your house

In the same way as you can tell where a sound is coming from, you can tell tinnitus is from the ears

[woodenstag]

Yanny?

[itchyknees]

No the council will measure the noise and if there is nothing there, she’s starting to walk towards harassment.

Could there be something though? Like a boiler or generator or fridge up against her wall?

[Plasebeafleabite]

I’d call ghostbusters