Local Authority Dictating Home Decor

[geegee888]

The local authority for the city where I own a rental property has just introduced a new rule that the entire property has to be carpetted, for noise reasons. Not just mine, all flats and houses with 3 or more unrelated occupants.

I was wondering whether anyone considers this a good idea or whether the prevailing view is that its a breach of privacy? My tenants love their sanded wooden floors, they are easy to keep clean and hard wearing and practical, and suit the style and age of the property.

(this is on top of mains smoke alarms, co monitors, intumscent door seals, 30 minute fire resistant self closing doors, cookers chained to walls in case of toppling, annual inspections, fire safety action plans, fire extinguishers and fire blankets, special locks that cannot be locked from the inside in case of fire, only allowed to use a lease approved by the local authority, etc..

Really good idea ( lived in flats for years!)

I think it is a good idea tbh.

Flat with wooden floors are incredibly noisy on the neighbours.

YABU. Noise has to be one of the biggest causes of complaints to a council so carpeted flooring sounds like a massive time and cost-saver.

I think that's fair enough, actually. Having lived below a HMO, the noise was hell. If you don't like it, could you rent to a family rather than individuals?

I think it's very sensible and considerate of them.
I also love wooden floors but I hate the noise that I can hear from the flat above me because of them having wooden floors.

Breach of privacy? eh no! I think that's a bit OTT. If you don't want the rules that come with a local authority property then maybe you should think about selling up and buying a private property.

In Canada here and the general rule is no wood floors unless you live on the ground floor. Very sensible.

Good lord. Didn't know they could do that for private rented property! What if it was 'listed' in some way and had restrictions on interior alterations? Badly Fitted carpet could damage original flooring/skirting etc.

I think this is a standard ruling in America now too, at least for anything 1st floor up. Having lived in flats for ages, it's definitely a good idea. Should hopefully free up some of the councils time too to deal with other bad neighbour complaints

what floor is the flat?

if its anything other than ground floor, of course it should have carpet. Wooden floors are horrific to live under, I do and want to kill my neighbours! They have ramped the noise factor up recently by screaming at their children on top of stomping, The council should also supply gags or possibly parently classes.

Yeah, it's a really bad idea that LL's should be considerate to their tenants and tenants' neighbours. Oh and that the home should be safe and well maintained.

Here's an idea, if you don't like the rules sell the place.

Hmmn, its above a pub and a takeaway, never had any noise complaints from them! I'm worried about the hygiene issue. I rent to students - they have on occasion been sick/flooded baths, etc. and caused mice. It sounds like a recipe for disaster in practice, but a recipe I'll have the headache dealing with every two years when I have to replace the carpets to keep the flat in respectable condition.

I'll also have to put the rent up by around £300-400 per month as theres no way I can afford to carpet 8 rooms including living room and kitchen. Or sell it.

It won't rent to a family - its next to a very busy road junction and has no garden plus steep internal access stairs.

Our LA has introduced this rule for council tenancies. Mine already has wood flooring so fortunately I'm exempt, you just have to ask before you put flooring in but they won't make you rip it up. I've never had any complaints about noise. I find that you just get used to noise in flats. My neighbours do some sort of jumping workout every morning and I sleep right through it, I only hear it if I'm actually awake at that time and I just accept it as part of the deal with the cheaper cost of living compared to houses.

It's not something I imagine could be enforced in private rentals around here. My DD rents in the local area and almost all the flats have wood/laminate floors. Far easier to keep clean and more hygienic. It's quite an urban area though, so less likely to have homely types who want a quiet life and life is pretty hectic and noisy around here anyway!

For private rents surely it's a breach of privacy? There are ways to soundproof wooden floors, carpets not the only solution. And house geek in me thinks carpet is a hideous thing to do in period buildings.

Hope kitchens and bathrooms are excluded from that otherwise ewwww!

I also find the nice attractive wooden floors attract a better type of tenant who is more interested in keeping the place in good condition. The floors do contain ash deadening underneath the floorboards, the removal of which is often the case of noise transmitted below, and which is easy to check for.

This is has been a rule in my local authority for some years now (even written into tenancy agreements for LA housing) and I remember being really pleased as I had previously lived under someone whohad laminate and it was the bane of my life. Thing is, they never enforced it and when they got complaints, they just told the tenant to put down rugs on the wooden flooring!

Great in princple but I would like it to actually be enforced!

The kitchen won't be excluded as it has a dining area. Which is going to be pretty disgusting - after replacing the carpet 3 times in 6 years and serious mouse infestation due to dropped food being trod into it, we removed it and sanded and varnished the floorboards. Its not workable.

Could you not put down a couple of in-expensive rugs?

I'm guessing you own flat the leasehold? All you can do is ask if there's an exemption/consideration given for properties that are above commercial premises.

They won't accept rugs. It must be carpets, with underlay. There are already those large Persian style rugs in every room, they won't do apparantly. Has to be fitted carpets.

(I'm actually dreading them in two years time either saying they've changed their minds or ordering the carpets to be ripped out, saying they have to be a certain type - every year, they make up something that costs thousands and thousands of pounds to implement. Last year, all the door locks had to be changed. That was my budget for redecorating and secondary glazing).

No exemptions Raspberry.

YANBU . I think this is very intrusive. I live abroad, in a country where a lot of people live in flats in period buildings, and nobody would dream of enforcing carpets. The lovely wooden floors are part of what draws people to live in the flats. I've lived in a similar building myself and agree that people get used to what noise there is, and most people are used to being considerate.

you can put noise reducing underlay under laminate or wood flooring.
I think noise consideration is generally a good idea, not so sure it makes sense above a pub though...