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AIBU?

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Original poster

To not expect neighbour to use washing machine overnight

583 replies

BornInTheWrongCentury · 17/01/2021 09:39

Just that really. Over the last couple of months our neighbours started using their washing machine/tumble dryer overnight, it was going on on at about midnight and stays on till around 3am.

My husband asked a them politely a few weeks ago when he saw them outside if they’d mind changing the time they have it on as it really disturbs us. We’re in a mid terraced house and they are the end of the terrace. Their kitchen is below our bedroom. The previous occupants took out a wall in their kitchen that separated the kitchen from their hallway so it’s open planned now so all sound from their house is amplified now anyway and noise seems to travel up the wall into our bedroom.

After my husband mentioned it to them they stopped for a couple of weeks but now the noise has started again as they are putting a wash on at about 10pm and it finishes at 1am.

It’s really upsetting me that I can’t go to bed and read/fall asleep in peace until at least 1am now.

If it’s relevant we own our house and their house is social housing. They are the end of the terrace so if I complain to the council or their housing association they will know it’s me. They are the kind of couple who seem ok as long as you’re on the right side of them but they are rather loud and look very intimidating and to be honest I don’t want to make things worse or get into an argument with them.

They are pretty good neighbours apart from this issue as in the only other noise we hear is their children (they have very screechy, door slamming children but I can cope with that during the day!) They don’t have parties or play thumping music - it’s just the issue with not being able to go to sleep when I want to. I don’t know if I’m just being over sensitive where I so tired.

What would you do?

YABU - just be grateful it’s nothing worse than a washing machine and try to ignore it/go to bed later when you know you’ll fall straight to sleep

YANBU - be brave and speak to them again asking them to not use after 11pm and complain to the council if they refuse?

OP posts:
Original poster
BornInTheWrongCentury · 17/01/2021 12:03

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions xx

My husband wasn’t specific about what time was too late to be a nuisance to us when he spoke to them, he just said it was really loud and vibrating up our wall and therefore disturbing our sleep. They apologised for the noise and it stopped for a couple of weeks before starting up again - just at an earlier time.

I don’t think it’s a good idea to go round to speak to them about it (judging by some of the responses I’ve had on here I’m even more worried about how they might react now!)

I think I will wait until I see one of them outside and thank them for not running it the middle of the night anymore, but mention that it’s still been really hard to for us to fall asleep with it running after 11, so would they mind trying to finish the cycle by 11... hopefully that’s not too unreasonable of me.

If they become as defensive as some of the posters on here, or argumentative, or refuse I’ll guess have to let it go and get on with the lack of sleep as best I can Sad

OP posts:
Robbybobtail · 17/01/2021 12:03

HI OP LANDLADY HERE!
If we received a complaint that one of our tenants was doing this, we would (after enquiring whether you had spoken to them yourself first) send a letter politely asking them to respect their neighbours in accordance with permitted noise laws from 11pm-7pm.

I'm surprised at all the posters who seem to think having your washer/dryer on in the dead of night is acceptable. It is antisocial and also very dangerous. My tumble dryer set fire last year and I dread to think what would've happened had we not been in the house.

MrsR87 · 17/01/2021 12:02

It’s a tough one isn’t it! When we lived in an end of terrace, our neighbours seemed quite loud, but the walls were really thin! They were lovely though so we didn’t want to fall out with them about it and so never mentioned it as we figured they could probably hear us too.

You mention that they have children, perhaps they have a never ending laundry pile that needs tackling multiple times a day. We’ve got a nine week old and I must admit that my washer and dryer go on when I get the chance without having a baby attached to me...be it 3pm or 3am! Granted, I don’t have any neighbours to worry about but if it was a 3am poonami, I’d probably use the washing machine regardless.

I don’t think either of you are unreasonable...you just have different priorities. I guess you need to decide if sleep is worth causing potential tension for.

BestWatcherInTheUnit · 17/01/2021 12:02

I think they are being unreasonable to run their washing machine overnight. We have the top two floors of a big terraced house with neighbours having the ground floor and basement. Our washing machine is in our kitchen which is above the kitchen but when it spins it shakes the whole house. We only run it during the day (between about 9 and 5) and I feel bad enough about that at the weekend!

That being said, it sounds like trying to get them to stop might be more trouble than it’s worth.

Baycob · 17/01/2021 12:02

I had this issue many years ago. It was the only time I could do my washing and I needed my uniform washed. I ended up buying more uniforms and kept all washing until the weekend as I hate confrontation, but the request pissed me off. I explained why I was doing it, but she just nodded. So YABU.

biddybird · 17/01/2021 12:01

I used to do this because it was cheaper at night (Economy 7). I had no idea my washing machine was right above the downstairs neighbour's bedrooms.

I was actually in violation of my lease, as it states that I am not to make noise that will emanate outside the flat after 11pm.

The housing association that owns the neighbouring property may have a similar rule?

Brefugee · 17/01/2021 12:01

if the OP was being affected by a fault in the guttering or roof on the side of their neighbours, don't you think it would make a big difference to deal with the home owner or the local council? Or would you expect the neighbours to deal with it regardless

i would expect OP to talk to her neighbour and her neighbour to escalate it to whoever is responsible - pretty much as if they owned it, I'd expect them to handle it directly.

TBH this is one of those situations where the OP needs to talk to the neighbours again. OP's DH asked and they changed. Now it seems that it's still an irritant, so ask again. How about asking them to put on a wash and invite them round to listen (and yes - you could do this in a COVID compliant way)

Suggestions to the neighbour could include using a mat, moving the appliance away from any walls/cupboards it's next to etc etc.

After they have done that? they have pretty much done all they can and absent an agreement not to wash beyond 10pm (or whenever) then the OP can try some mitigating eforts?

A lot of the noisy neighbour threads boil down to never ever approaching the neighbour (for whatever reason) about it.

Joeblack066 · 17/01/2021 12:01

@Brefugee

If it’s relevant we own our house and their house is social housing.

No it's not relevant. But you had to get the dig in.

Just ask them again not to put on their washing machine before 7am and in the evening so it ends not later than 10pm

My thoughts entirely...
AliceMcK · 17/01/2021 11:59

YABU lots of people run their machines over night. Get some ear plugs or switch bedrooms.

Nanny2many · 17/01/2021 11:59

It might be relevant tho at they are social housing as they may well have agreed to not making noises that will cause a disturbance ,

I’m in a privately Owned block of flats am not to make noise (washing machine/ tv etc) between the hours of something like 10pm -8 am I think

Iknowwhatudidlastsummer · 17/01/2021 11:58

@VinylDetective

We run our washing machine and dishwasher at night because it’s cheaper. You’re massively unreasonable.
if you have attached neighbours, it's likely to be in the lease that YOU are the one unreasonable.

If you are a home owner, you are just a nuisance neighbour. I am not sure that's anything to boast about Confused

IScreamYouScreamWeAllScream · 17/01/2021 11:58

I can't believe all the people saying you are being unreasonable.

It is totally unreasonable to make so much noise so late!

Perhaps all those says you are unreasonable have never experienced this! It's awful when a totally preventable sound is stopping you sleeping. My ex neighbour did this and it sounded like a helicopter was taking off for hours at a time well in to the night

Countdowntonothing · 17/01/2021 11:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

VinylDetective · 17/01/2021 11:56

I don’t live next door to OP @Nanny0gg!

Nanny0gg · 17/01/2021 11:55

@VinylDetective

We run our washing machine and dishwasher at night because it’s cheaper. You’re massively unreasonable.
Saving you money isn't the OP's problem.

You disturbing neighbours is unreasonable

CheetasOnFajitas · 17/01/2021 11:55

And maybe they are having to wash more frequently if one of them is working outside the home in healthcare or something and has to wash work clothes every day due to potential Coronavirus exposure.

Nanny0gg · 17/01/2021 11:54

@wowfudge

Wear earplugs. There is usually more noise transmitted in terraced houses. You cannot expect them to do their laundry when it suits you - it's normal noise of family life.
Not in the early hours of the morning, it's not!!

It's anti-social.

RizzleDrizzle · 17/01/2021 11:53

@murbblurb

that is antisocial - economy 7 doesn't make that much difference for a washing machine.

so they are selfish pigs, making late night noise in an attached house. But as you see, a large proportion of MN are also selfish pigs. Sorry.

Wow what an tolerant mature response .......

Actually you might not think it’s makes a lot of difference, but even if it’s a five pence saving to some people over time, those five p savings add up, and soon they have a couple of quid they wouldn’t have had if they were running a washing machine at peak time compared to economy 7 time.

But sure ok they’re a selfish pig for priorising putting food on their table oh sorry sure okkkkkkkk

Disclaimer - I absolutely do not know the finiancial situation of OPs neighbour, however much of a difference to some one that can afford to run it off peak may make a world of difference to some one who can’t and it’s absolutely unreasonable to call some one a selfish pig because they can’t afford to run it off peak!

CheetasOnFajitas · 17/01/2021 11:52

Possibly their machine is noisier than it should be because it is on an uneven floor and the feet are not properly adjusted. Could you or your husband raise this possibility in a friendly way perhaps?

BillMasheen · 17/01/2021 11:51

The fire risk would worry me.

MatildaStoker · 17/01/2021 11:51

I’m surprised that so many people think it’s okay to be noisy at night just because it’s a washing machine making the noise.

I thought that it was generally considered unreasonable for people to be causing noise to travel into a neighbours home after 11pm unless the noise is caused by something unavoidable like a baby crying.

A washing machine running during the daytime is normal neighbour noise. It’s not necessarily normal neighbour noise during the night, some washing machines can get very noisy, especially if they’re vibrating a lot.

If you do speak to the neighbours again, it’s probably worthwhile being specific about times, e.g. please can it be finished by 11pm as we’re usually in bed then.
And it might be an idea to see if you can measure how loud it actually is, the council will probably have some sort of noise threshold that will have to be exceeded for noise complaints.

VinylDetective · 17/01/2021 11:50

We run our washing machine and dishwasher at night because it’s cheaper. You’re massively unreasonable.

Persianparadise · 17/01/2021 11:50

Biscoffaddict

Wouldn’t bother me. I find the sound of a washing machine really relaxing. Think it’s the white noise. I agree with other posters this is just terrace living.
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If you are being woken up at 3am every second morning, you’ll find it doses become a problem.

CrazylazyJane · 17/01/2021 11:50

Sorry part and parcel of living in a terrace. It's why you'll pay more for a semi. You chose and bought your house knowing it was a terraced house. Your neighbours on the other hand probably didn't get much choice in having a terraced or unterraced.

We used to put all our appliances on over night as it was much, much cheaper. 2p a unit over night compared to 7p a unit during the day. I think you need to suck it up and buy some earplugs.

CheetasOnFajitas · 17/01/2021 11:49

@BornInTheWrongCentury

I am really sorry at those who thought I’m a making a dig at them because they are social housing tenants - I really wasn’t. It’s just I wondered if I could speak to their housing association for advice on whether I’d be doing the right thing by speaking to them again Blush

I honestly didn’t realise that so many people use their washing machines/tumble dryers at night. It wouldn’t have ever crossed my mind as personally I wouldn’t dream of making a noise that could disturb neighbours at nighttime and I honestly thought that any noise after 11pm would be classed as a nuisance due to everyone deserving a good nights sleep. If I knew I was disturbing either of my neighbours sleep I would feel terrible!

I guess I will need to look at purchasing some earplugs!

Are you saying that you didn’t realise that it was probably cheaper to run the machine at night than during the day? You need to understand that they may not be doing this for their own convenience but because they need to be very careful with money. Perhaps that knowledge would help you tolerate it a little more? I cannot tell if you already knew this when you first posted.