To ask for revenge ideas on the sodding students next door

[HomeIsWhereTheGinisNow]

At the end of my tether. Group of students have just moved into the terraced house next door, and had a 21st birthday last night. It was ludicrous, music pounding until 3am when the police finally shut them down. Desperate requests for the music to be turned down (not off...) at 8pm and midnight were met with serious attitudes and an expectation that as it was a birthday party we should just deal with it ("it's not Sen midnight...!"). The London council in charge of the borough has helpfully closed down their noise officer service, and as we're London we're bottom of the list for the police. So basically we're stuck. Begging them to turn it down so our two year old could get some sleep didn't work as they literally told me that they couldn't imagine what it'd be like to be a parent, it must be hard etc.

So here's the rub. Their landlord is gong to have a word but I'm not sure what he can do. The authorities won't help. So I suspect we're in for an academic year of misery, what would you do?

Were you never young?? Have you never hosted a party on a Saturday night? If this happened on a weeknight at 3am or if it were a weekly occurrence, I'd sympathise. But it was a one-off for a special occasion. You live in a terrace house in London.... Complaining at 8pm or even 12pm is unreasonable. You mention politeness and consideration and you are right. But I think this works both ways and you might be more tolerant of your neighbours. The world does not revolve around your needs.

Get some soundproofing installed. If not and it carries on my dh has found a brilliant thing on you tube.... Search badger song 10 hours and you get the little jingle for a whole 10 hrs. Pretty good to put on before you leave for work 😜

However I think yabu for complaining at 8pm, maybe get a little pissed off at 12 but tbh my kids don't get disturbed by loud music they sleep though it, mainly the adults of the hide.

Em, just remember, this will be your little darlings a few years hence... give them a chance!

Alanna think I know the Uni, if so it's the one by me! The PCSOs are very good and work hard with students to get issues under control before they become huge problems. If noise etc is persistent OP then do complain to the University and be as specific as possible in an email or letter so they can sort out the issues. Most students aren't maliciously being loud and horrid, they are caught up in what's happening in their little bubbles and forget to be aware of other people sometimes!

Some years ago we had students move in below us, and what started off as 'it's just party on a Saturday night, be reasonable' turned into many many months of complete yobbo behaviour, regularly. One night, we even heard a resounding crash, and felt the building shake. Turned out they did not like the way the football was going, and hurled the TV across the room. And being years ago, it was not a flat-screen.

I would not leave it too long, before you expect considerate and thoughtful behaviour. I don't think loud noise at 8 or even 12 is reasonable, but clearly I am in the minority. I lived below a DJ for some years, and he would try out his routine, extremely loudly, before heading off for a night of DJing. I'd hear him calling mates, and playing them the set over the phone. Loudly. Then he'd come home at 4am, off his head, and loud slamming of doors and more music. I became quite sensitised to noise and since then find it hard to tolerate.

If you have the contact info for the landlord, especially a phone number, phone them next time this happens and let them hear the noise. As someone else said, whatever time of night you finally find you can't bear it, just call the landlord and let them experience what you are experiencing.

Hopefully this is just freshers week fun, but if not, then good luck ...

Wait until they have exams then enjoy you're music as loud as you want.

Is it an HMO or whole house rented to a group ? If the former keep reporting to Housing at the local council as they are the ones who manage the licensees.

You have my sympathies OP. We have an illegal HMO next door who are constantly BBQing and always outside. I fantasise about soaking them with my hose....

Call the police as soon as the noise starts to annoy, saying that your husband/partner is so angry he's going to go round there and beat someone up. The police will then turn up asap,as they have to respond to any threat of violence, and will understand when you explain you have kids and need the noise to stop.

Yeah, we don't do that. We're not stupid and have heard every trick in the book to get attendance. If you told me (999 calltaker) the above tale I would tell you to (a) call the council (b) this is not a police matter (c) these calls are recorded and the only person getting into trouble would be your DH so don't be so stupid. We have emergencies to resource and barely enough officers to resource those. Sorry but your noisy student neighbours, however many children you have, won't be getting resourced unless it's a Monday night in the wilds of North Wales that might possibly have a unit free.

What you wouldn't be getting is a police attendance for a noisy party. WE HAVE NO POWERS TO DEAL WITH NOISE.

Glitterbomb

Anti nail bite solution on their front door handle.

You must know someone who knows someone who knows a motorcycle gang. Would recommend Saturday at 9.30 as prime time to shit them up.

We had students like this next door, who at the end of term had a party every night once the pubs had shut until about 5am. It woke the entire street. One night I lost it, got up in my dressing gown walked out of my front door, in through theirs (open) into their living room, turned the music off myself and demanded to speak to the people living there. There was just stunned silence from the room that there was a mad pyjama clad woman there telling them all off. They did pack it in and we had a lot less trouble afterwards. I think they were slightly scared what the mad woman next door might do next

Cut their broadband cable. They're probably playing through Spotify.

I had the same issues a couple of years ago when my son was just born.
I had some real success complaining directly to the university. They took it really seriously. I also got in touch with the agents who let the landlord know.
I used to go round to their house and hammer on the door at 8.30am every morning after a party! I didn't go away until they answered!
Oh and look out for parents picking them up at the end of term! When I had 'a word' with one of their mums, the most arrogant of the group suddenly changed his attitude!!
Good luck!

@careeristbitchnigel It's exactly what we did; the police were amazing and totally shut down the party, and no, my husband did not get into trouble, so actually you don't know the lot, and yes, the police are there for the good of the general public, and that includes smoothing over petty issues before they turn nasty.

8pm? Really?

I wouldn't be best pleased to live next door to this, nor to hear if DS2 was behaving like this in his student house. I don't give a flying fuck if it's 8pm or 1am, if someone can't hear the TV in their house the music is too loud. It being a Saturday night makes no difference either, loads of people have to be at work on a Sunday morning.

I don't hate students, I hate inconsiderate bastards. DS2 has to be up at 5:30am for ward placements, DH leaves the house at 6:20am to drive an hour to work. That would be great after being kept up half the night.

We had some really noisy neighbours once, they played the electric guitar, complete with amplifier most nights in their semi. We couldn't hear our children cry when they were ill or upset in bed. .They'd argue it was before 11pm so it was ok, unfortunately for them Environmental Health put equipment in our house and recorded them. They got a noise abatement order put on them. It pissed them off so much they moved!

lotbyname

I lived next door to a family that would have music on so loud that it not only drowned out the tv but made living in my home impossible.

I don't care whether its 10am, midday, 14:00hrs, if I can't live in my property because my next door neighbour has there music on too loud, I will say something.

Winds me up when people say its ok to have a party once in a while and that you shouldn't go complaining at 8pm.

People should be more considerate and not disturb others with unnecessary noise. Listening to a loud party through your walls at 8pm would be really irritating. I have had more than my share of noisy neighbours over the years (australian backpackers and girls sharing houses with their friends over etc). I have been really lucky over the past year or so with a quiet neighbour but someone/some other people seem to have moved in next door and once or twice a week now they keep me awake my shrieking, constant laughing/squealing/random outbursts and one of them with a really annoying attention seeking style laugh. I'm getting fed up now as it means I don't sleep til around 2am on those nights but still have to wake up at 7 for work. I'm seeing how they are this week then will be thinking about knocking on their door/banging on the wall.

Hi OP,
i'm in London and have 6 students living in the house in front of me.
So their back garden backs onto my front garden, if that makes sense.
So as you can imagine they are always out in their garden with the music and all the mates around haveing BBQ'S , house warming , birthday partys etc, but only at weekends .
But the thing is, i have always made it my business to get to know them and get on with them so they have been great.
My advice to you would be to try and get on with them if thats still possible, otherwise it could become very stressful .
Best of luck .

I may be in the minority too, but vv loud music at anytime of day/night is extremely rude and completely unacceptable, whether or not you have children. I was a student once and liked to party, but we went out to clubs or partied in university-only accommodation, it's just the polite and socially aware thing to do. I would have been livid after 3hours of such loud noise; it must have been driving you crazy. I feel for you, OP, and hope it really was just a one off.

I agree with warning the students about complaining to the university, but would also put a marker down (to pre-empt anything by the students) at the university if you can (perhaps call the estate agent managing the property to find out which one) saying that you were unhappy but don't want to take it further this time if it was a one off, but will be making a formal complaint and will be complaining to the council and police if it happens again.

On a hopeful note, as it was a 21st party, they are likely to be 3rd year students and will probably be in their final year, so may need to buckle down and study hard this year and party less. Fingers crossed for you...

Just had another thought... their tenancy agreement may have a clause in it that requires them to be socially responsible and not make lots of noise, leave rubbish out, take care if the garden, etc. It may be worth checking with (as well as complaining to) the agent managing the property/Landlord. As a landlord myself, this would concern me. Also, if it does happen often, I would call the agent/LL every time and again (and again) for follow up info on what they are doing about it - they will soon want to put a stop to any nonsense, just to stop you calling them! Sometimes persistence is the only way!

Rachybu,
Are you being Serious about a Clause in their tenancy Agreement that they have to be "Responsible and not leave rubbish out and not make lots of noise and do the garden .?hahaha
They are Students paying rent with a tenancy agreement not a gang of squatters.

A 21 st birthday is a big deal and a one off.One day yourlittle snowflake will be celebrating his and some po-faced harridan will be knocking on his door demanding it stop at 8pm!