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Original poster

Upstairs neighbours child is driving me crazy

21 replies

Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 20:49

I live in a building with neighbours above me who have a 6 month old and a 6 yr old and for the past 2 years that kid has been driving me crazy & the parents of the kid.

For the majority of the day all the child does is bang, jump and run constantly till the early hours of the morning. There’s always screaming and shouting aswell. It’s hell living under them. And all the flats in this building are 1 bedroom flats. I live with a housing association and have reported them last year stating I work 12 hr shifts sometimes nights and days and I can’t cope. I’ve even spoken to the family upstairs on several occasions. They don’t open the door when I ask to speak to them or they just stay quiet and act like they’re not in..

Even on school nights they don’t put their child to bed till the early hours of the morning and u genuinely thought all the kids going back to school was ease the situation.

I honestly don’t know what to do anymore, can anyone help with any suggestions..

OP posts:
Bloodybridget · 02/04/2021 21:34

Sounds awful. What response did you get from the HA?

Bloodybridget · 02/04/2021 21:35

And if all the flats are one bedroom, aren't the family above you overcrowded with two children?

Original poster
Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 21:45

@Bloodybridget They said they would speak to them which I think they did as for about a month all the noise lessened but now it’s back to how it was.

And I was thinking the same thing about their flat being over crowded, I can hear it’s over crowded aswell as the kid just runs back and forth from bedroom to living room constantly

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diwrnachoflleyn · 02/04/2021 21:48

My son has ASD and although we live in a house, I often think if we were in the flat he'd be making the downstairs' neighbours' lives hell and there would be FA we could do about it. This may be the case here.

MumofPsuedoAdult · 02/04/2021 21:48

I know this must be hell for you, but I can't help thinking things can't be great for them either if they have a 6 year old running around all hours of the night while trying to take care of a baby.

I also have upstairs neighbours who have a 5 year old and an 18 month old. There are times of the day when the 5 year old literally runs laps of the flat (I've been WFH for the last year so can't avoid this). I feel for the kid who is as trapped by lockdown as we all are. But I feel for you too....

Original poster
Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 21:55

@MumofPsuedoAdult I’m at my wits end now, just praying they move out soon 😭 how do you deal with all the noise?

OP posts:
MumofPsuedoAdult · 02/04/2021 22:05

[quote Sbnlala]@MumofPsuedoAdult I’m at my wits end now, just praying they move out soon 😭 how do you deal with all the noise?[/quote]
I have developed strategies for zoning out. I use white noise at night so that I can sleep (normally waterfall or rain sounds) and during the day I have the radio on all of the time. Some days are worse than others and I'm literally shouting at the ceiling, but I know them and really like them so there is some empathy there (and I'm sure they sometime hear me shouting at my teenager too) Blush

mackleless · 02/04/2021 22:12

@MumofPsuedoAdult

I know this must be hell for you, but I can't help thinking things can't be great for them either if they have a 6 year old running around all hours of the night while trying to take care of a baby.

I also have upstairs neighbours who have a 5 year old and an 18 month old. There are times of the day when the 5 year old literally runs laps of the flat (I've been WFH for the last year so can't avoid this). I feel for the kid who is as trapped by lockdown as we all are. But I feel for you too....

Well yes it’s probably shit for the parents too but they’re THEIR kids, not OPs. Irritating noise is part of the package if it’s your own kids, OP didn’t invite this!

@Sbnlala that would drive me nuts, even reading your post has stressed me out

Original poster
Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 22:17

@mackleless the parents don’t seem to ever tell the kid off when he’s going nuts. I’m out of options on what to do because I’m not considering going up stairs and giving them a piece of my mind. I can’t stand them.

OP posts:
Original poster
Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 22:19

@MumofPsuedoAdult None of that works for me, the banging is so loud my ceiling vibrates, it sounds like the family is in my flat with me. Do u think I should tell the housing association again?

OP posts:
nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut · 02/04/2021 22:23

I don't really think you can complain about it in the day but early hours of the morning, I wouldn't be putting up with. I'd wait until they are clearly asleep and then hammer on their door every 30 minutes on the dot. And I'd keep it up. It's their kid. If I can't sleep, neither can they. Funny how quickly people start controlling their children when it's them being impacted by their behaviour.

Keep complaining to the housing association every single time. Ring them every day if you have to, squeaky wheel gets the oil. I'd also call non emergency police number and make a noise complaint. You might have to record the noise.

MNWorldisCrazy · 02/04/2021 22:28

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut

I don't really think you can complain about it in the day but early hours of the morning, I wouldn't be putting up with. I'd wait until they are clearly asleep and then hammer on their door every 30 minutes on the dot. And I'd keep it up. It's their kid. If I can't sleep, neither can they. Funny how quickly people start controlling their children when it's them being impacted by their behaviour.

Keep complaining to the housing association every single time. Ring them every day if you have to, squeaky wheel gets the oil. I'd also call non emergency police number and make a noise complaint. You might have to record the noise.

Police won't deal with noise complaints it has to be environmental health at the council, and they won't act AT ALL on child noise
KarmaViolet · 02/04/2021 22:33

@diwrnachoflleyn

My son has ASD and although we live in a house, I often think if we were in the flat he'd be making the downstairs' neighbours' lives hell and there would be FA we could do about it. This may be the case here.
Same.
KarmaViolet · 02/04/2021 22:35

[quote Sbnlala]@MumofPsuedoAdult None of that works for me, the banging is so loud my ceiling vibrates, it sounds like the family is in my flat with me. Do u think I should tell the housing association again?[/quote]
Yes - if they do have a child with additional needs this is the type of evidence they will need to get rehoused or a disabilities grant for soundproofing.

Original poster
Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 22:36

@nothingcanhurtmewithmyeyesshut Haha that would definitely annoy them.. I would love to blast my music in the early hours of the morning if I could but I have a neighbour to the left of me and one below me and I’d hate to disturb them like that.

I’ll call up the housing association next week and see what they say because it’s absolutely ridiculous.

OP posts:
diwrnachoflleyn · 02/04/2021 22:36

[quote Sbnlala]@MumofPsuedoAdult I’m at my wits end now, just praying they move out soon 😭 how do you deal with all the noise?[/quote]
They may not be able to, especially in a HA flat. And again, if the kid has ASD or ADHD, they may not be able to control him much. We can't. We're lucky in that we have a detached house but if we were in a flat it would be hell on the neighbours and not a lot we can do about it. We are lucky in that we have private health insurance that covers his meds and care for ADHD because believe me, if we were left to CAMHS we'd be fucked with him pinging off the walls. He also has meltdowns that can be very loud and violent and in the middle of the night and he's a teenage now.

Original poster
Sbnlala · 02/04/2021 22:38

@KarmaViolet I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with their child, they just don’t care and can’t control him. I sometimes hear the child spitting, kicking and pulling his mums hair and her yelling to stop but he never does..

OP posts:
diwrnachoflleyn · 02/04/2021 22:58

[quote Sbnlala]@KarmaViolet I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with their child, they just don’t care and can’t control him. I sometimes hear the child spitting, kicking and pulling his mums hair and her yelling to stop but he never does..[/quote]
Mine did this at that age. I can't control him because he's got ASD and ADHD. If her son's anything like mine, their lives are a living hell and they've been trying to get moved for a while or get help. Flats are absolute shit with kids like this.

KarmaViolet · 03/04/2021 08:42

@Sbnlala it sounds like there may well be additional needs if he is 6 and spitting / pulling his mums hair and doesn’t respond to being yelled at to stop.

user1471538283 · 03/04/2021 08:57

Keep reporting it. I can understand how this gets you down and I doubt the parents care. When you have a child, even in lockdown, you take it out to run around.

Mintjulia · 03/04/2021 09:03

If you keep reporting it, you may help them to get rehoused so don't feel guilty.

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