Should I give up my flat in a very affluent area to move to a house in a less desirable area for the sake of peace!!!!!

[Luv2chat2U]

Hi all, please help!

I have previously posted on here with a similar question so please accept my apologies for being slightly repetitive.

Okay here goes , I currently live in a council property in Highgate, North London in a three bed converted flat. The location, transport links and safety elements are great. I feel extremely fortunate that my children and I I live in such a desirable location and would love to have brought my property in the future.

However, the only negative and major is the impact living in a converted flat is having on my health. For several years I have suffered noise disturbance. From the moment my neighbours wake up to the moment they go to sleep I have to live through their daily routine and activity which consists of running jumping and stampeding caused by their children and their dog. Their lifestyle which consist of not working, not taking the children out or the dog is ruining my health and this set pattern doesn't seem to be changing any time soon. I have tried to empathise in that I understand we have a sound proofing issue and that children need to play but at the same time as a mother of three children I manage to talk to my children as I wouldn't want to inflict the same noise disturbance on my tenant who lives below me.

I have made numerous complaints to the local authority, environmental health and my neighbour, and the council have acknowledged their is an issue, but have refused to install sound installation.

They have instead agreed to move me for which i'm so grateful for. The positive is that it is a house meaning their is no one above and no one below however the negative is the location is in east London. Now I'm not saying that east London is all bad but (the surrounding area near to the house) appears to be a very run down and dirty) and the crime statistics higher.

If I was moving on my own I would just go because I'm so stressed all the time but as I have my kids to consider I worry more. I realise it's social housing and I'm not purchasing my own property so I don't want to come across snooty.

But my question to you is:

A. Would you gamble and take the house in East London and try and swap it in the near future. (In the hope that the house would be the bargaining power) I would really want to get back in to North London

B. Hold out and wait to see the next property (yes they agreed because of the structural fault I get another choice) my only concern is the second or third choice could be worse)

Or

C. If all fails stay in my current property and utilise its sought after location to swap. (The only thing I should mention is that I am currently and have been on home swap and so far while my property gains a lot of interest people have expressed their concerns of living beneath someone and therefore do not take the swap any further).

Apologies for the essay

And thanks in advance for your comments.

There's no way on earth that I would move my children to a high crime estate. I would be afraid to leave the house at night or even feel afraid in my house at night.

You can't put a price on piece of mind and to that end I'd rather put up with noise.

I'm not sure I'd give up Highgate. Have you approached the neighbours?

I'd go b and wait and see - assuming if the next choice isn't suitable, you can stay put?

Mind you, I'm ridiculously noise-tolerant. We're having a housing estate built at the back of us and everyone's up in arms about the noise from 7am til 7pm in the summer...I hadn't really noticed!

My brother once tried to soundproof his room by sticking loads of egg boxes to the ceiling. Probably a bit extreme though...

@ the latter comments thank you all for your very constructive advice. The general consensus seems to be then to remain in Highgate, see,what they offer next and continue on Homeswapoer.

Also just to say i'm also very noise tolerant, but this is on another level.e.g even with ear plugs in I know when activity is happening because I feel as though I'm on some sort of stimulator ride.😐

I wouldn't move from Highgate and I certainly wouldn't drive the children back and forth everyday. You'll simply exchange one source of stress (noise) for another (commute)

Yup.

Keep complaining to the council/Env. Health. Keep on, keep on, keep on. Ask for recording devices to be installed to measure noise. Threaten to escalate. Go back to MP. Be a nuisance, basically. And YY to contacting the RSPCA, too.

Drive from Ilford/Barking to North London and back twice every day, including in morning rush hour? That would be an absolute nightmare.

Just out of interest would the house appeal to anyone????

And also when I say crime rates are higher. I've checked crime statistics for the local area and that is what it showed. However, comparing any area that isn't affluent perhaps isn't a fair comparison and will always show Highgate, and other sought after areas as more desirable . As the crime rates always appear lower.

Mmm, I guess having a garden would be a big bonus with kids...but it really would come down to location. I don't know the areas you mentioned at all, but if the area was dodgy that would be something I'd want to avoid.

Having said that, you are quite correct that a lot of places are going to look 'worse' than Highgate - probably about 90% of the areas within uk towns and cities, I should imagine.

The school situation would be the biggie for me, I think. I know primary you said you'd drive, but is that really sustainable? How long would it take?
What about play dates, extra curricular etc? What if youngest DC doesn't get in? And then what are the secondary schools like? I know catchments in London can be ridiculous.

Of course, these things are going to be an issue where ever you move, but at least on homeswapper there is an element of choice.

I'm surprised a 3 bed flat in Highgate hasn't had more attention on homeswapper though.

If you are in the main part of Highgate I would have thought you would have had more interest in a swap, so am assuming you are on the border which is not as desirable (Archway side rather than East Finchley). Also people might be holding out for a house rather than a flat.

Hi Previously1474907171.

Just to confirm, I'm in the main part of Highgate, I do get a lot of interest, but people are very sceptical about living below someone. Also given I live in a nice area, I also contact people with with the equivalent, so it makes the swap more difficult, since people aren't particularly desperate to move. As you say there are also people who are looking for houses in addition to time wasters....

Oh yes, I forgot about the time wasters. Hope you find a solution soon.

Thank you. Me too😀

Ultimately I really need to weigh up the impact this is having on my health.

What about swapping the the upstairs neighbour?

No way would I swop Highgate for Ilford, you would be better off considering swopping out of London entirely! You would get a much better deal and probably be quicker to get a train to town rather than doing that drive!

And nope the house wouldn't appeal to me now, I like w London, but my previous house (south coast) I would have bitten their hands off so its all relative. Exchange locater and facebook seem to throw up people more interested in swapping ime, homeswapper is full of timewasters!

I would look into ways that you can sound-proof your existing flat. I realise that this costs money, but if it's impacting your health and if you do have some spare cash, perhaps it is worth considering? You can buy acoustic soundproofing panels that stick onto the adjoining walls, which may help to muffle the sound. Obviously, check with the council that it's OK to do this work.

Highgate is lovely, I rented a flat there years ago, but it's not the centre of the universe. Nothing wrong with Ilford and Barking, there is civilised life beyond Highgate and Hampstead you know! Your DC will quickly settle into a new school and make friends. Unfortunately lifelong Londoners think it's a third world existence outside the North Circular. I grew up in a leafy suburb of west London and moved away in my twenties. I love that my DC were brought up outside London.

@ Julia if I exchange places with my neighbour I'd be not better off as there are tenants above, and given its a structural problem I'd be in the same position 😩

@gowgirl yes Homeswapper is defo full of timewasters.....but I also feel guilty about trying to get someone to move into this nightmare!!!

@shovetheholly, thanks for the advice, I've actually explored all avenues re:soundproofing and I'm afraid professionals haven't given me any hope and have advised that there isn't any guarantee that it will work and as it is social housing I don't really fancy spending thousands on something that has been proven to have very little affect. My ceilings are too low to begin with. And it would be more effective it they could go into her home.....

@llanennith thank you for your advise, I really appreciate your comment. It is so good to hear from someone who has lived and shared the familiarity of the area, moved away, And survived lol. In fact your whole comment was quite humorous and positive at the same time....

Thank you to everyone else for your comments

You are so lucky with the option to move. I am priced out of London and would take the house. I grew up in East London but not ilford. My area is so desirable now but it's so crowded. If I was offered a house in ilford over my home area I'd take it as it isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things.

I agree that I would wait for the next option. However, i don't think your location is worth all that to be honest. When you close your door you're miserable and this is seriously affecting your life. You could live hour whole life like this. It's not worth it to be in a nice location. We moved from a highly desirable part of London to similar when we had a family and I don't regret it for a second. As I say, when you close your door you could be anywhere. And it sounds as if you're anywhere is a mini beruit which is awful.

You shouldn't be forced out your home THEY SHOULD. I'd stay put, they won't be there forever.

As an aside, I only have one adjoining wall in the house I'm in. The soundproofing is horrendous - I can very clearly hear them plugging things in for example and can hear conversations word for word if I don't have music/the telly on.

I'm quite tolerant of noise and it never bothered me with my previous neighbour but my current one is awful and I'm finding it very hard to live here since she moved in. There's no guarantee you'll find it any easier living in a house with an adjoining wall if your neighbour ends up being an arse. Just something I thought worth bearing in mind when you're looking at swaps!

Highgate to Barking? No fucking way! You'll end up stuck in Barking.

Your location is an excellent bargaining point. Other people will want it, surely?

How long have you had it up to swap?

Have you looked at options for doing soundproofing yourself?