Neighbours' noise making my life a misery

[WWJWD]

Just wanted to rant really because realistically I don't think there's anything I can do apart from move house.

NDN has two teens.
One of them has her bedroom next to mine (terraced house) and spends every night chatting on her phone into the early hours. Her laugh is really loud and annoying and it carries through the whole house at night.

If I put the radio or soft music on to try and block the sound out while I try to sleep she bangs on the bloody wall. Every night this week I've nodded off to sleep around 11, only to be woken up by her constant screeching laugh at around 12.30/1am. I have to get up early for work and I'm knackered and miserable.

Several times I've tried asking them politely to keep the noise down after 11 - when I do, it stops for a while, only for her to start up again a few days later. I get that it's hard for teenagers, but this is next level selfish isn't it? I have my adult children living at home during lockdown and they like to chat on FaceTime with their mates so it's not like we're living like reclusive monks - normal family noise is fine - but they know to stop after 11 at night.

I'm tired and grumpy and it's making me so miserable that I am starting to feel actual hatred for these people. We've lived here nearly 20 years and had three lots of neighbours before this lot who've all been lovely and considerate. I miss them.

(We can't afford a detached house before anyone helpfully pipes up with that idea.)

Any miracle solutions? Are there any amazingly comfortable earbuds which I can sleep in (side sleeper) and which will block out noise while I listen to lovely soothing sounds? I just want to sleep.

Have you tried a white noise machine? They are brill

You would think it would get on her parents nerves? I lived in terraces all my life and never had noise issues but oh my god my last neighbour woke me twice a week in the early hours with shouting, arguing, being excited.

It is a miserable way to live and its left me with severe anxiety.

Ear plugs and soundproofing may help. I would also complain each and every time to the parents at the time it happens. If she bangs on the wall bang back.

I know it's hard for everyone at the moment but people still have to work.

I'd get earplugs, some people are inherently selfish. Even if she's young as 13 her parents should be on top of her talking late into the night on her phone.

Thanks for all the good suggestions, some I've not considered so that's really helpful. Masses of sympathy for everyone else having to put up with this as well, lockdown makes it so much worse as you can't even book a weekend away to get some peace.

She is about 17 I think. She was doing her late night calls downstairs for a while which isn't too bad as it's not right by my head then. I wouldn't have a problem if that continued. I'll try those sleep headphones, they sound good.

I get that lockdown is awful for young people but they also need to know how to live considerately alongside other people. Sadly the whole family seem a bit entitled and thoughtless, banging doors and scraping furniture, shouting up and down stairs day and night, so I can see why she's grown up to be like that too.

Very tempted to do some urgent and noisy DIY involving hammers and a drill in my room right now

Ok so her whole family are like it! I bet they hate others noise though. My friends neighbours were like that. Music, shouting constantly showing off. But really hated it when she worked in her garden! Make a right racket whilst they are in bed or resting!

Could you rearrange your bedroom so your headboard is not joining her wall? We did this the opposite way in our last house - wardrobes along joining wall and bed on the other. We then redecorated and swapped them over - the noise difference was unreal. It made us realise what a difference the wardrobes had made to muffling noise from next door.

I feel you OP. We have noisy neighbours and it makes life hell. They allow the children to bang on the adjoining wall from around 6am then they scream and cry pretty much all day (far from normal child noise, not playing a high pitched scream) then the dad comes home from work and plays his console until early hours clinking beer bottles. Its absolute hell on earth and no one can do anything as its family noise.

Shrieking down the phone so the neighbours can hear in the night IS unreasonable. This brat doesn't like it when someone makes it clear that she is being a pig.

Phone the parents and make it clear that they need to teach their horrible kid some consideration. Lockdown is no excuse.

And make as much noise as you can during the day. People like your neighbours deserve to sleep on the street.

Get a sound bite of The Joker laughing and play it back when she gets really loud. (I’m only half joking 🙃)

[quote SmidgenofaPigeon]@DumplingsAndStew you don’t think a 13 year old can be selfish?![/quote]
Of course they can, but to call a child a "selfish bloody cow" is not ok.

Start laughing loudly when she does.

Make it creepy.

Of course they can, but to call a child a "selfish bloody cow" is not ok.

Oh there's always one isn't there!

I think everyone is on edge. We have two kids who are in bed 8pm to 7am but if they have a tantrum about school work or are playing super hero’s for 10 mins or so we get hammering on the walls calling them fucking arseholes and shouting at them. They don’t seem to think they are unreasonable when they are up at midnight and shouting. The abuse has been awful and still shaken that adults can direct such venom at a 4 year old.

I expect they would be posting on here complaining about us.

It’s just so hard all round.

It should say that NDN don’t think they are being unreasonable at midnight shouting or playing music - even though it wakes my kids.

I think it’s part of London living

@DumplingsAndStew

I think it’s fine to call a 17 year old a selfish cow, when they are being a selfish cow, screeching and laughing loudly and banging on the wall at a time when most people need to be asleep because they have work the next day. A seventeen year old is old enough to understand that that is entitled and selfish behaviour, whatever her personal circumstances might be currently.

I stand by my earlier comment that you sound quite precious.

I just wonder if some people genuinely don’t understand how noise travels. We
Are doing house up shortly and sound proofing us a non-negotiable

Better yet, listen hard. Glass against the wall type shit. Get all the information you can. When you see her out and about, start giving her comments on what she has been discussing.
"Have you tried xxx for your xxx?"
Or "So did your friend go out with the barman again?l",
"Your mate Sue sounds like a riot! How did you manage to convince the bus driver to let you all on?!"

Her knowing you can hear her laughing and her not giving a shit that she's disturbing you is one thing.
Her knowing that chatting loudly right beside your head while you're in bed with just a thin wall in between means you can't help but hear all her conversations will make her shit up or move.

"If I put the radio or soft music on to try and block the sound out while I try to sleep she bangs on the bloody wall"

Bloody hell id be banging back and telling her to keep it down

**shut up or move not shit up.

I wear wax earplugs every night and they are brilliant. You can get them from boots for a couple of quid. Those plus some white noise will sort that out I’m sure.

Youtube has some great ASMR storm & rain sounds. Some go on for 10 hours.

How about a sleep headband with built in earphones? They sell them on amazon for about £20. It won't help with the neighbours being inconsiderate but at least you should be able to get some sleep! A more expensive but long term option would be to get some soundproofing in your room.

Apologies if I’m repeating something that’s already been suggested, but instead of headphones You could try a Bluetooth headband - much more comfortable to sleep in. I’ve lived with noisy neighbours - you have my sympathy