AIBU to not want loud banging music every weekend?

[TigerseyeMum]

I live in a terrace. I have new neighbours. They are loud: they 'talk' loudly, they bang doors, they run up and down the stairs a lot, they watch to a massive TV very loudly, they play X Box very loudly on it (it is one of those huge ones like a cinema with surround sound).

At weekends they open all their back doors and windows (which open directly to ours) and play music very loudly. I can hear it from anywhere in my house and my garden. It bangs through the wall and across the garden.

They joke that 'they are surprised how quiet the neighbourhood is and how we can probably hear them with their masive TV etc etc ' - erm, yes, yes we can.

We are lucky - so far they tend not to play music late through the night and the latest ever has been 11pm. But every weekend without fail it is either X Box or very loud music - I know I sound like an old gimmer but let's just say it's not my taste, all RnB and dancy stuff. They shout over it as well.

I like loud music - mostly rock or metal - but I listen through headphones.

Am I just being a miserable old cow, or would others not put up with banging music every weekend for a few hours each afternoon? It does not make the walls vibrate - I have lived next to people like that - but it is loud enough for me to have to close all doors etc and turn the TV up loud.

Me = arsey cow???

God I want to move....

Christ almightly, why don't you TELL them??

very inconsiderate

it makes life a misery sometimes

Deep sympathy. The Noise Abatement soc or Campaign for Peace and Quiet might be helpful? Council Environmental Health? Good luck!

Try talking to them and tell them just how loud it is in your house - invite them around to listen if they want to. Sometimes due to the way sound travels it's noisier in yours than in their own.

I would hate it.

One of my neighbours does it quite often - but fortunately not every weekend and not all day. If it was any more often than it is I would have to say something as it really does spoil my enjoyment of the day in my house.

Well, at the moment we get along with them and they have got the point where they say 'hello' over the fence. But TBH they don't seem the type to be bothered much about others - as they have already said 'Oh I bet everyone can hear us' - well, they know we can, their music is booming out - so they don't care presumably.

But there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon - I keep hearing mutterings about 'council flat' so fingers crossed (think she is upduffed).

IME of having lived in a town all my life if you say something it can get much worse....Once lived in a terrace where they played 'garage' right through the night on industrial speakers and all the stuff in our house used to jump about (they were also drug dealers and violent so we kept quiet then too)

I'd definitely try talking to them. As you said they don't tend to play it after 11pm so they're not totally inconsiderate....

True. They seem OK types but used to live in very 'noisy' neighbourhoods from what I can gather.

We don't do things that way round these parts.

See, I worry I am just being uptight middle class catbum-afflicted middle aged whinger.

Nah, I don't think you are. Just make sure you haven't got your catbumface on when you have a word with them

I sometimes think my catbumface is a permanent fixture

I think the music has stopped....

They only do it for a few hours so I do feel a bit mean.

"'they are surprised how quiet the neighbourhood is and how we can probably hear them with their masive TV etc etc "

And why didn't you answer them with a 'Yes, we can actually. Would you mind turning it down a bit lot?

Perfect opportunity!

I'd certainly ask them nicely if they can keep it down. They may well know you can hear them, but think you don't mind otherwise. Presumably if they've come from an area where yelling at each other and playing music full blast all day is normal, they think everyone else has the same attitude.

Be reasonable in what you're requesting - so let's say you would really like to enjoy your garden, ask them if they'd mind closing doors/windows if playing music/TV etc.

Ditto point out how loud it is in your house - blame the construction, rather than them, but try to get them to agree to a volume level which is acceptable to both parties?

If they aren't very reasonable, go have a look at your council's policy on this and also check how they are being housed. If it's a private let, the landlord may be able to help (look this up on the Landlord's registry). If it's the council or they are receiving housing benefit, then they are surprisingly helpful about anti-social neighbours - usually because they already know fine well that these people are loud because it's how they've ended up beside you in the first place having been moved on from somewhere else!!

It would definitely annoy me. If they seem reasonable people, I would try having a polite word.

If they're just generally 'loud' though, they might struggle to understand what the problem is - some people don't know any other way of being that doesn't involve making lots of noise all the time, and they probably think you're the weird ones for being so quiet!

Thanks, I will see how it goes - the music has stopped though I have put mine on a bit now

I did say 'Yes' when they said 'You must be able to hear ours' but they just laughed. I think they do think we are wierd as they don't really seem to have 'indoor voices' as they seem to be known on MN

They have mainly 'outdoor voices' of the kind usually heard on ITV at 9.30am but generally seem nice enough so if I see them I might venture to say something. If I have made some noise I generally apologise for it so maybe that might be a way in.

Tis awkward though.

I would be tempted to treat them to a bit of Sepultura at a groundshaking volume.....I'd leave it on if I went out too. If they mention it I would tell them I only had it that loud to drown out their tv/music

hYep, I agree. Just blast some Norwegian death metal or similar at ear bleed volume and give them some of their own medicine. We did this when our neighbours were cranking Prince and Depeche Mode and it got them to turn it right down. It was a good ice breaker and we're great friends now.

YANBU. Start logging it. It's excessive if it's all the time or all day long.

Put on Motorhead at +11....fucking R&B Jesus....how intolerable

No, no, no. If you want to retaliate start with the Ride of the Valkyries and then crank it up from there.

Ex EHO. start logging the music start and stop time now. Also describe it as in "can clearly hear the words of the song with my windows shut or can hear it over the telly etc" If after a couple of weeks it is still annoying then ask them politely to turn it down and explain why - ie we can hear it over our telly/it stops us wanting to sit outside. if no response then go to the councils Env Health Department. a noise can be a statutory nuisance at any time of the day or night - the fact that they turn it off at 11pm is irrelevant from a noise nuisance legal point of view. (might be in their tenancy though) you do have to keep up the noise log and not wait until you are pulling your hair out. EHO's need evidence. Hopefully though they will settle in to their new neighbourhood and realise that whilst they may have done this in their last home it isnt appropriate now. good luck.

Thanks for the (varying) advice

I used to have some success with a neighbour by blasting my music louder than hers when she cranked the volume up but these days I am tryng to maintain the moral highground as I can't really complain later down the line if I have had Ministry on repeat at full volume

The music did not last too long though there is always low-level thumping of base from the X-Box games - they definitely need to get out more, it's wall to wall CoD [blink]