To get police advice about my neighbours?

[WhatsWineGotToDoWithIt]

Lived in my mid terrace house for a year now. One side is an elderly couple who make no noise but the other side is family which consists of Mum and dad in their 50s and son who I estimate to be around 20. They have always been noisy, they appear to be the “go to” house for friends and family for bbqs and parties etc. Always have lots of screaming kids in the garden etc,

I don’t mind day time noise as we all have noise/families/kids etc. The thing is my bedroom is directly next the son’s bedroom and the walls aren’t that thick. He has always been a bit noisy but lately it’s been awful. One night a few weeks ago I was kept awake until around 2am with him and a mate talking/laughing loudly in his room. His voice is so deep and loud. I complained to the Mum the next day who didn’t seem that bothered but said she would have a world.

It quietened down for a few days then on the Saturday night I was woken at 1am by them shouting and being noisy etc. I wrote a note and put it in their door saying they had woken me and to keep it down after 11pm please etc. They know full well I can hear them and since I have complained it’s like the lad doesn’t care and invites his mates round to talk loudly in his room.

It’s causing me such anxiety and stress. I’m not a confrontational person and they are chavs not the nicest of people so it’s s no win situation.

This evening I was spying looking out dd’s window and could see 6 lads in the road who all went into the house next door. I have gone to bed but can hear them all in there talking loudly etc.

I am now thinking after I complained twice and been ignored i might call 101 and get police advice. They smoke weed in his room too because I can smell it and have seen one of the lads holding a massive bong as I’ve up to my front door before. His bedroom windows are left open all day I assume to air out the smell of weed.

I don’t want to go down the council route as it could prove tricky when I eventually get the chance to sell up and move. I think their house is either council rented or council bought I’m sure.

What would you do?

Some people seem to delight in being as rotten as possible, and they all seem to congregate together too...

Bee, I think next door have lived here for years, I imagine if they got the house when their dc were kids it must be 20 years or so (they have a dd who I think looks around 22/23 but doesn’t live there.) The problem is finding which neighbours they are pally with and which one hate them because I have noticed them talking to neighbours etc.

The Police won't do anything. The Council are responsible for noise. Best call the environmental department for advice on how to move forwards with this.

Good luck.

You do have a legal obligation (not that anyone follows it) to report any marajuana use that you may be aware of. But if they are not nice people what do you really think you will achieve by sending their son to jail? My advice would be to sell up

I know it doesn't really solve the problem but I would try ear plugs. I work nights some of the time and I also have neighbours that sometimes make noise until 2-3am on weekends (I work a lot of weekends).

I buy earplugs from the power tools section of B&Q, they are soft foam ones and cost about £1.99 for 5 pairs. I still hear my alarm but they block out any noise from neighbours/outside enough for me to be able to sleep.

What 'legal obligation' is that Ttbb

And who goes to jail for smoking dope in their own home? No-one!

There is no evidence of him growing or dealing so the police are never going to get a warrant to enter the premises.

Whilst in an ideal world they would realise they were a problem and nicely curtail their behaviour, it's not going to happen. Even if everyone in the road complains, their landlord isn't going to evict them in a very short timeframe, it could be several months, more if they make the council take them to court for eviction.

As you own your property, you have a few choices. Of course moving is the ideal but in the meantime could you research soundproofing for the walls in your house that adjoin the noisy household.

Of course, because the lad has his window open 24/7 you'll need yours closed and double or triple glazed as well as soundproofing on the walls to make sure there's a considerable reduction in his noise.

Once a certain noise bothers you, you can become hyper-sensitive to it and because your nervous system is on a red-alert mode because of it, you'll hear it at a much more intrusive level than say a first time visitor to your house would.

That's why ultimately moving house will make you feel better. Even if they stopped the noise overnight, you'd be on edge waiting for it to start again.
So sorry you have to go through this, but you can make it bearable by installing soundproofing whilst you are waiting to move.

Whether you report to police or council (council would be the ones, he's a selfish twat which is unfortunately not illegal) you would have to declare it when selling. I believe the letter of the law is once anything has gone official but I'm not sure if you'd be on shaky ground not declaring the noise if you were selling.

We've just sold and had to declare sone vile neighbours, I was shitting myself but thankfully it hasn't affected the sale.

I feel your pain!

The weed smoking is them hanging out the window smoking it so if my window is open I smell it. I shut the window of course but it’s still not nice. Plus it’s not nice as the bedroom is in the front so my visitors have to endure a load of lads smoking dope out the window as they walk up my path.

I’ve also seen s couple of the lads smoking from a big bong at the window then driving off shortly after.

Weed smoking is not treated as a crime by the police/ social services etc. I waited years for a property adapted for the disabled and the family from hell moved in next door after being evicted (there are eight of them)
I was told to make a note of offences- housing association said they couldn’t get involved as they were involved with the police (man there is regularly arrested for dv and not given bail conditions)
Social services said they didn’t mind if he smoked it in the shed.
Police said they had to ‘see’ him offending to get bail conditions.
What I am getting at is it’s always someone else’s problem. It’s horrible to live next too. And no one cares. I would move.

I will be making a lot of effort to try and move!

I think part of the problem is that so many houses have no noise sound insulation properties.

My first house was an Edwardian terrace, and the only room where you could hear the neighbours making "normal" noise was the bathroom. One side had a toddler and a baby, the other side had 3 teens, but because we had solid walls only loud music or DIY noise really travelled.

My current house is a 1930's semi and while it's not as good as the previous one, you can only hear talking if the neighbours get a bit raucous or their dog is playing.

When I visit clients in more modern properties, I'm horrified by how much you can hear. I've been in houses where you can hear if the neighbours fart, if their kettles boil and even quiet conversation is clearly audible. One of my clients reckons he can hear the teenager next door having a wank! How can you have any privacy in those conditions?

I've never checked the price, but you can get sound-deadening board that's only a couple of mm thick and goes straight on the existing wall. My builder BIL says it's dead easy to fit.

I don't see how you can expect the neighbours to stop talking to each other after 11pm, so it might be worth looking into.

I did look into the soundboard stuff but from talking to a few friends in the trade it doesn’t make a lot of difference. One friend had put up soundboard with insulation in between the wall and the board because her neighbours were moaning about her twins noise, She said it didn’t make a lot of difference.

I never understand why terraced houses are built with bedrooms touching each other. It should be built so the stairs/hallway/bathroom always sit in between the rooms used for bedrooms.

My house is maybe 1960s/1970s so not as bad as some of the new builds where the walls are even thinner. I’ve stayed in a few terraced houses over the years with boyfriends/friends etc and haven’t really ever heard neighbours like I do mine. Mine are particularly loud people where it goes beyond normal noise level. He doesn’t have to have 6 mates over later in the evening all shouting/swearing/talking loud when he knows the neighbours are disturbed by it. They have a conservatory which is where I would be telling my kids and their mates to hang out when it’s getting late.

I would be banging on their door or wall when they are noisy rather than putting a note under the door to be honest. They might quiet down a bit then if they are being interrupted

I have banged on the wall but then you just hear laughing. He’s an obnoxious 20 year old lad who is clearly loving it all and banging on the wall just goads them more to be loud. The last time I banged he turned the tv up loud so I could hear watch he was watching

Some people have no consideration for others Teenagers are hard to control though, and the boys especially have a default setting of loud. I'd be tempted to be noisy early in the morning, but only next to the offending teen's room.

My neighbour is a DIY nut, he's obsessed with drilling and hammering. Even Sunday morning isn't sacred.... 8am it starts, hammering in the garden, waking up my daughter who needs a lie in after an exhausting week of teaching. If it isn't DIY, it's playing loud music... I might not mind, except it's country and western or reggae . This couple have a young child, and complain if we take the Wheely bin out when she's in bed! What are we supposed to do? We work, unlike them, so it has to be either evening or early in the morning!