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AIBU?

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Original poster

To be irritated at the neighbours and their kids

37 replies

tiredandirritated · 22/10/2016 22:11

Neighbours are an utter nightmare. We've had environmental out who wrote them a letter but nothing's changed.

I have no idea if I'm being unreasonable or not but it's 10 past 10 and I'm ready to sleep and all I can hear is their kids (4/5 and 7/8) running from end of the house to the other screaming and banging.

Surely to god kids of that age should be in bed by now? I have a 3 yr old and she's in bed by 7pm every night sometimes 7.30/8pm on a Saturday.

For background - we've written a polite letter and got no response, DP had to go round and ask them to stop hammering as DD couldn't sleep, we've had environmental write a letter about the noise and it's gone ignored.

Actually totally lost at what to do I feel like it's totally killing the enjoyment we get out of this house Sad

OP posts:
Notcontent · 22/10/2016 22:23

I really feel for you. Noise during the day is annoying but you can put up with it - when it's stopping you from sleeping, it's a nightmare. Have you tried having a conversation with them about it?

My neighbours are not a nightmare but it is noisy when they have parties or even just a few friends over. I dream of living in a detatched house sorrunded by a large garden!

witchbitchface · 22/10/2016 22:23

I don't have any advice other than to keep recording dates times of excessive noise you may need it in the future.

Original poster
tiredandirritated · 22/10/2016 22:28

We have spoken to them about it yes, the woman seemed a bit rude but the man just said he would try and keep the house down.

It's almost half past 10 and they're still running around. I wish I could post a recording or something as it's like they're in the room with us jumping up and down.

We keep notes of everything but I just don't know what more environmental can do? Their kids are absolutely wild and they do nothing to calm them down except put them in the garden and shut the door. Confused

OP posts:
Original poster
tiredandirritated · 22/10/2016 22:28

Noise, not house.

I'm so tired!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
tiredandirritated · 22/10/2016 22:31

I actually feel like getting a mallet and knocking down the connecting wall just to shock them into fucking silence Angry

OP posts:
NavyandWhite · 22/10/2016 23:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

38cody · 23/10/2016 01:16

My 4 children are often up until 10 on a Saturday - I like it - means we get a long lie in on the Sunday morning. I know it irritates my neighbour downstairs - but I don't want them in bed earlier.The woman upstairs has kids who sleep earlier but are up at 6am making loads of noise which annoys me but that's just the way it is - we live in an old mansion block of 4 families - all different sleeping patterns - we are late night people - the are morning people, just have to get on with it if you live in close quarters. Just because you put your kids to bed early why do you think you have the right to dictate to others? Maybe she relishes the chance to have evening times with her kids at the weekends, holidays -mine will be up late (10pm ish) all half term.

QueenLizIII · 23/10/2016 01:21

Pay back?

If their dc are up that late they must sleep in.

Run up and down the house in the early hours.

Shrill ringing alarm clocks in every room upstairs after you're up.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 23/10/2016 01:24

Play opera at full blast in a bedroom at 8am for 5 minutes. They may not appreciate how noise travels unless you have bass notes vibrating against their bedroom walls.
Or put your bed against the adjoining wall and make it thud.

jayisforjessica · 23/10/2016 02:01

Keeping your kids up: your choice, your business.
Keeping other people's kids up: plain rude, selfish, and frankly cruel if you've been asked to keep the noise down.

You definitely have the right to keep yours up but so does she have the right to put hers down early. She's within her rights to ask for the screaming to stop. (A reasonable level of noise is one thing, screaming and stomping is another).

You have the right to your lie-in, too, just as she has the right to have hers up early. You'd be within your rights for her to ask for the early morning noise to be kept to a minimum.

A little consideration for others makes good neighbors!

QueenLizIII · 23/10/2016 02:13

Jay the OPs DC are in bed early Confused

MidniteScribbler · 23/10/2016 02:16

My 4 children are often up until 10 on a Saturday - I like it - means we get a long lie in on the Sunday morning.

Yes, but are they running around screaming? I often keep DS up if I want him to have a sleep in the next morning, but he's watching TV or colouring in, or playing with something. If he were screaming, then I'd tell him to stop. You can let them stay up late without upsetting the neighbours.

jayisforjessica · 23/10/2016 02:24

QueenLizll sorry, I was responding to the PP about two up from my comment. I should have made that clearer! Also upon rereading I notice that I have mixed together what should have been two responses - one to that PP, and one to the OP.

That will teach me to try and multitask while MNing!!!

jayisforjessica · 23/10/2016 02:24

**three up from my comment, now that I count. Sorry again!

ohtheholidays · 23/10/2016 02:27

Enviromental health can set equipment up in your house that can record the noise if it registers on the equipment above a certain level then the enviromental health can give them a warning,if it then carrys on for long enough or gets worse they can be threatened with the loss of they're home if they're council tenants or they can be served with an order where they have to uphold certain behaviour.

I know it's bloody awful and can lead to depression when you have really noisy neighbours,we've had to deal with it in the past and they were all adults,where as there is 7 of us,me,my DH and our 5DC and 2 of our DC are autistic but we manage to live without disturbing anyone else.

QueenLizIII · 23/10/2016 02:36

hehe Jay. I wondered if I had read the OP wrong!

Original poster
tiredandirritated · 23/10/2016 05:50

I sometimes let my DD stay up til 9pm as well when she's feeling up to it but she's never ever running around screaming!! She's either watching TV with us or cuddling/reading a book. I don't know how you have the time to relish your kids being up late when they're running around screeching.

They know that generally after 8pm my DD is in bed because we have told them several times.

It's not the staying up late I have an issue with it's the fact they let theirs kids run just as riot as they do through the day.

I don't like moaning, I've never had trouble with neighbours before but the house to the other side of these neighbours have also commented on how loud they are.

OP posts:
MissMargie · 23/10/2016 05:57

I would have thought that very soon (surprised it hasn't already happened) the neighbour's DCs will discover youtube/games and there will then be forever silence, unless they have the volume turned up.
I would think they will grow out of it soon. You need to use ear plugs.

Parents who allow this behaviour are useless and if they don't care about their DCs wellbeing they will care even less about their neighbour's.

Cucumber5 · 23/10/2016 06:00

What time do they wake up? Get up?

I would be hoovering at 7 on the dot and singing to the radio

Cucumber5 · 23/10/2016 06:01

Soundproofing? Is it your house?

Cucumber5 · 23/10/2016 06:04

It's very rude to disrupt other people's sleep

DoYouRememberJustinBobby · 23/10/2016 06:21

How rude of them. I suggest a nice burst of either church bells or metal music depending on which they would like least, at about 8am.
And the person above who said their children make noise at night and their neighbours just have to like it or lump it is equally as rude.

Mummyoflittledragon · 23/10/2016 06:54

I agree with MissMargie. If they don't care about their dcs wellbeing, they'll never care about your dd or you.

You could as pps said make noise early in the morning and see their reaction. But it may escalate the situation so I'm not sure I'd do this. Perhaps general house noises and hoovering the skirting boards especially on their side and such like?

cherryplumbanana · 23/10/2016 07:26

This sounds awful, I hate noisy neighbours who make your life hell. I too would not keep the noise down first thing in the morning, and record every instance. That said, unless you have a council home, you have no help with horrible neighbours: "some neighbour noises, such as from children, raised voices, footsteps, doors being closed etc., cannot normally be dealt with under the Environmental Protection Act".

However, I fail to see how letting your kids up later means you don't care about their wellbeing. It's a cultural thing, English children seem to have diner and go to bed amazingly early, but wake up at dawn. Others sleep later and are just as healthy!

HaveNoSocks · 23/10/2016 07:47

I have a lot of sympathy. we lived below a boy once who seemed to never sleep (he'd still be up at 11 then get up again at 6am the next morning) and spent all his time running around on the hard wood floor with his boots on.

It didn't help that we were both stay at home mums and his mum never seemed to take him out anywhere (even on sunny days with plenty of parks and free kids entertainment nearby) so I never got to spend a quiet moment in my house.

In the end we moved to a quieter place just around the corner. It was a hassle and an expense but well worth it.

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