Would I be a cheeky fucker to ask this?

[KipperTea]

The HA I rent from are building two 4 story blocks of flats on the opposite side of our road. From my front door to the barriers round the site is less than 10 steps. It’s a really narrow road.

It’s going to take about 2 years to finish the work. In the meantime the noise is ridiculous. I can’t hear myself think when I’m in the living room and kitchen. I’m missing phone calls and can’t hear the conversation properly when I do take or make calls, can’t here the radio, the tv, the doorbell ringing.

I can’t use the balcony to sit our or dry washing and when the windows are open the dust coming in is ridiculous. I can’t keep the windows clean. The noise is from 7.30 - 4.30. Our flats are old and have virtually no insulation to damp the noise down. It’s exhausting. I’m self employed and work from home and have to work in the bedroom at the back.

If you were in this situation would you ask for a rent reduction ? I appreciate they have to do this work but I can’t use half the flat comfortably ?

Two years! How can it take two years to build two four story flats?

Savoy. Lord alone knows but that’s what the information letter we got at the start of it said.

I'm sure that it won't be this noisy/messy for the full two years.

I can't see the harm in asking for a rent reduction - don't ask, don't get, etc. etc.

I would ask to be decanted into another flat.

You could ask, and add in that the noise and dust is making you ill and may need to end your tenancy much sooner than it expires
Or ask them to come out to asses your situation with regards to having insulation fitted by them
No harm in asking anyway

I’ve seen a fair few new build flats go up near me from when I was living in London and 2 years is nuts. Hopefully that’s the worse case scenario but regardless, the messy and noisy exterior work is done first then they move on to stuff like fitting kitchens and bathrooms that you won’t even hear. So it won’t be that long of annoying noise and dust everywhere. Who knows if you’ll get a rent reduction (you wouldn’t in private rented) but I don’t see the harm in asking- if you don’t ask you don’t get!

Tableclothing I hope it will be quieter once they’ve built the blocks and are working on the interiors. Though there’s carparks and garages to build also. I am trying to work out if it’s reasonable to ask for a rent reduction as if I lived in a private rental or my own home and my neighbours were gutting their home and rebuilding it, I’d not be entitled to anything.

Sorry you won’t get it. It’s part of life I’m afraid.

rosie that’s my suspicion too which is why I asked the question.

In England and Scotland you have some rights to expect reasonable privacy and noise levels, you may not be entitled to a reduction but you should be able to fight any rent increase.

I think you should talk to Shelter.

www.landlordlawblog.co.uk/2019/01/10/tenants-rights-told-planned-construction-work/

TheInebriati thank you so much for the link. Will check it out.

Ask, what's to lose. If I was the landlord I would politely refuse and call your bluff. It might also prove very useful down the road that you put this into writing already.

Talk to your local council about the noise levels, see if they will come and do an assessment. If they supported your complaint, it would make your request for a rent reduction more likely to succeed.

Contact your local councillor, see if other residents have complained, a joint application for rent reduction would have more chance of success.

See your GP if the work is affecting your health, headaches or breathing difficulties for example, a supporting letter from the GP might help your claim.

Ive always though it very wrong that homeowners can remodel their home, cause all kinds of mayhem in the general area, and pay no compensation. Its the neighbours who have to suffer and yet they gain no advantage whatsoever from the results of the disruption. All you can do is try to whip up enough local support for an objection on planning grounds so they have to abandon or scale back their plans.

The owner of a house opposite wanted to extend it and turn it into an HMO. I canvassed all the neighbours in the street and persuaded about a dozen to register objections. Many of them did not realise what an HMO was and the effect it could have on a nice middle class family area or the problems it could cause with car parking. Objections have to be on "planning" grounds and I have to admit to coaching my neighbours what points to raise, so they would have got a batch of very similar objections at the town hall. The owner has now tried and failed three times to get planning permission so he has put it up for sale.

Thanks for the advice. I will contact the council and see if they can carry out an assessment. It’s relentlessly noisy. I know you can’t demolish and bulls something without creating a racket but living so close is exhausting. It’s doing my head in.

biglouis. It’s too late to object on planning grounds. They have planning and started work.