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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to complain to the council about my neighbours' indoor rollerskating?

31 replies

NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:03

Long story long:

We've lived here 4 years (upstairs flat), they live downstairs, 2 kids. They've always played loud music, and a few weeks ago I finally had enough and reported them to the council.

Since then the music has stopped (even though they told the guy from the council that they didn't do it), but they've taken to banging their door 3 times every time they go in/out, and for a while now their kids have been rollerskating indoors. At least that's what it sounds like, could be a skateboard or something. They have a tiled floor in their corridor, and it's really really loud in my flat, lots of crashing and banging also goes along with it. They do it at the same times each day, when the youngest gets home from preschool (my DD's nap time!) and when the older one gets home, and at bed time.

To be fair to them, until my daughter was born 2 years ago I used to play loud music in a passive aggressive way to drown out theirs, and now my daughter is a toddler, she too can make quite a bit of noise.

So, would I be unreasonable to report them again?
(They're slightly scary people, so I don't want to talk to them in person, have in the past about the music though, to no avail.)

OP posts:
belledechocchipcookie · 13/05/2011 13:05

Do you have carpets?

worraliberty · 13/05/2011 13:06

Yes very unreasonable!

Their kids have a right to play in their own home. It's not like it's going on in the early hours and given the fact you think it's ok to play your own loud music I don't thik you have a leg to stand on.

Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:07

Yes. And rugs on top of them. And I don't wear heels. And when DD was starting to crawl, I made sure she did it on blankets/duvets because she liked to drum her feet on the floor. [paranoid emoticon]

OP posts:
Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:08

I last played loud music several years ago. It is possible to do the rollerskating outside where we live. (tiny street, very quiet)

OP posts:
worraliberty · 13/05/2011 13:09

Perhaps they don't want to skate outside?

Really, it's up to them where they play as long as it's not late at night/early hours.

Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:10

Really? Is that how it works? Because I think it's pretty damn weird to go rollerskating in a 2-bed flat.

OP posts:
tyler80 · 13/05/2011 13:11

Yanbu - roller skating inside does not come under normal play imo

worraliberty · 13/05/2011 13:13

But you don't know they're roller skating do you? They could be other wheeled toys.

I just think a bit of live and let live is in order here. Fair enough the loud music...but complaining about kids playing indoors? Confused

Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:15

I do think it's quite likely to be rollerskating because most of the children round here do it a lot at the moment (outside), including those from downstairs.

OP posts:
NerfHerder · 13/05/2011 13:17

They are children playing! I don't see that can be an issue really. I'm sure your child will run their cars up and down, play on wheeled toys such as wheely bug etc.

If it was a 40yo maybe you'd be a bit unreasonable, but children?

Is it for many, many hours a day? What time do they stop?

Sqee · 13/05/2011 13:20

Hrmm I don't know about this one. Music is one thing but playing in their own home is slightly different. I let my son play with his out door toys indoors because we live on a busy road and it's not safe enough for him to be outside on it. When he plays in his little tykes car it can be very loud! Do you live near a busy road/unsafe area?

Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:21

I don't think my DD's duplo cars and toy buggy will make the same sort of noise tbh, we don't have anything like a wheely bug.

In total I'd say it's probably about 3-4 hours a day. The earliest time they do it is about 8.30am, the latest is about 9pm.

I know children play, but it's really bloody noisy and annoying.

OP posts:
Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:22

No busy roads around here, all very quiet, big pavements, playground just around the corner.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 13/05/2011 13:22

Yabu. Children play and make noise, you can't expect complete silence from them.

ForeverNamechanging · 13/05/2011 13:24

You cant complain about playing. Children make noise.

If its going on past 10pm ish i would but not otherwise

worraliberty · 13/05/2011 13:24

Your DD's Duplo cars will probably sound worse because the noise will be coming through their ceiling.

SlightlyScrambled · 13/05/2011 13:27

YABU. Kids play and rollerskate. At least you're upstairs and not below them.

I used to play tennis against the wall in my bedroom. Adjoining wall never came into my mind because I was a kid.

Seriously, there are worst things they could be doing so pick your battles wisely.

Original poster
NomNomNom · 13/05/2011 13:31

Seriously? I take your point, perhaps it would be OTT to complain, but my parents would never have let me rollerskate or play tennis indoors, and that was in a detached house.

OP posts:
TheLadyEvenstar · 13/05/2011 13:31

I live on the 2nd floor my hallway is uncarpeted.

DS2 rides his bike in it, plays on his slide in the living room, rides his scooter from room to room.

I apologise to those above and below me, the general opinion in my block is
"Don't worry we were all kids once and made a noise"

I have the same opinion....a bit of noise never killed anyone!

WhereYouLeftIt · 13/05/2011 13:33

Playing or not, noise is noise. OP, could you contact the council again and ask if they could install noise monitoring equipment to determine just how loud the suspiciously soon after mloud music complaint new noise is? And let them take it from there?

TheLadyEvenstar · 13/05/2011 13:34

I used to make obsticle courses throughout our home, and lots of tasks to complete on the way...we lived on the 5th floor and often all of us were in someones home playing in the same way.

I remember some miserable fucker complaining about us playing on the balcony in the early afternoon.

worraliberty · 13/05/2011 13:41

We grew up with a miserable fucker nextdoor. He expected a family with 5 kids in it to be totally quiet from about 7pm. He even complained we went up the stairs too loudly Hmm

TheLadyEvenstar · 13/05/2011 13:50

Worra, neighbours like that who needs enemies?

I had SS called on me when DS1 was 4 because he made a lot of noise but the neighbours never saw him playing in the garden or me take him to school.

Hmmm it was winter he had very bad asthma then and we left for school at 6,30 in the morning. For the next few months I knocked on the door everytime I left for school and informed them I was leaving. Immature I know!!

But then when they left their then 3m old dd alone in the house while they popped out, I had seen them go out and the baby was screaming for over an hour, I called the police on them sod SS.

anyway I digress.

NerfHerder · 13/05/2011 14:01

nomnom- sorry, but my DS's toy buggy makes an horrific racket- I cant imagine how I'd feel if I were your downstairs neighbour!

I feel for you, as noise problems are very wearing, and stressful, but it does not sound as though your neighbours are people you can reason and negociate with.
Do you have a co-op committee you can raise it with? Who could perhaps set ground rules for the tennants with times?

expatinscotland · 13/05/2011 14:08

As long as the music's off and they don't have loud arguments or parties, I'd live and let live.

Right now we have to live over 'Buckfast B*tch', as I have named her, after her drink of choice, who's had to be complained about until she gets moved out (it's a temporary accommodation flat so she's not on a tenancy agreement) or learns that we don't want to listen to her bass, her loud mates who don't come over till 11PM or later, her drunken screaming at them after midnight or just her chav ass at all after 11PM.

I wish it were just kids playing in there. That I could take. Or DIY, or dogs barking or well, anything but a trashy steamer who keeps trying to turn the place into a doss house.