Is there anything I can do about noisy neighbours?

[lizzlebizzle33]

We have 2 DC, aged 3 and 1 so we're not exactly the quietest of households but we are quiet between 7pm and 8am.

Our neighbours however, 3 DC aged between 9 and 12 (1 younger boy and 2 older boys are twins)

The noise starts at 6 am, shouting, stamping, crying, screaming, banging, swearing at each other, for 2 hours while they get ready for school.

This noise continues when they get home and until around 10pm.

I've been round several times in the past to ask them to be quiet as our DC are trying to sleep. It works for about a day.

It's causing friction in our house as myself and DP are so tired/pissed off. We end up taking it out on each other .

I just don't know what to do anymore other than move?! The walls are so thin that when they stamp about upstairs and jump and bang it's like they are actually in our house.

Can we do anything about it? Complaining to the mother doesn't work. AIBU even to be annoyed at the noise 3 kids are making when we make noise too?

Unfortunately, i don't think there is anything that you can do. It probably constitutes as normal household noise, given what you have said about the family dynamics.
You say that they quieten down at around 22.00, which according the law is a reasonable time i believe.
It's not nice i agree, but i think in this case you will find that the law isn't onside sadly.

I should probably add that it's not just noise from them, they have mates round too til after 10pm sometimes.

And it's not just the noise that makes them a nightmare. I've caught the youngest throwing dog poo over the fence into out garden before. Also countless dog toys, balls, and stones cone over.

They have a trampoline which they use to stand on and look into our house over the fence. They shout at us when we are sat at the dining table, we have to shut the curtains.

Yup, pretty much what I thought. We have to live with it or move. Its so sad

Is there any point at all do you think in putting a complaint into their landlord? Or will that just serve to make our relationship with them even worse?

Look up your local council noise nuisance policy. If it includes the sort of noise you're talking about then you can report it. If not, its tough and moving might be your only option

Oh god, OP that sounds horrible. Not so much the noise but the throwing of things into your garden and staring and shouting. They sound like they don’t really care if you’ve spoken to them and nothing changes, so whether they would listen to LL and whether LL would do anything if they don’t is hard to tell. Do you own or rent? Could you move? (I know it wouldbe a shame for you to have to move but from experience I was so glad to move away from anti social neighbours)

Oh god that’s awful, noise wise I think they can make it until a bit later without being actioned upon as such but I would be inclined to do something about the other things! Can you put some kind of bushes up the side of your wall to block their view in if they are being nosy? If they are throwing dog poo over I would be out in my marigolds throwing it straight back. They would be lucky to not get it in their letter box.😂 the dog toys are not so big a deal, annoying but not the end of the world. You could always make them wait on getting them back assuming it’s being done on purpose and not by accident playing with the dog, as in, if the door bell rings for them looking for it “don’t hear it” or simply don’t even be aware the toys were in in the first place. Again, if it’s accidental this is mean to do but if it’s just to be a pain then it might put them off doing it if they are used to getting them thrown straight back over! You have my sympathies though, they sound like hard neighbours to live beside!

Op, I could have written this. Although it's the mother not the kids making noise nextdoor - having loud conversations at all hours of the night (last night it was between 3 and 4am). Her kids are noisy but generally go to sleep by 10-11pm - not great but I could live with it if we didn't have the middle of the night screaming, swearing, crying sessions

I banged on the wall last week and was met with a load of abuse - apparently we are 'f**king rude' for banging on the wall at 2am.

The next step for us is reporting them to the council. I have already started a record of the number of times we have woken up in the middle of the night in the last week.

We are also looking at sound proofing options. I have a friend that sound proofed their party wall because of their neighbours. Although I'm reluctant to spend a fortune just because this woman can't have a quiet conversation.

Good luck

So it's all just come to a head, I went round to speak to the mum. I wasn't aggressive or confrontational but told her how fed up we were of the 6am stamping and screaming and that it was taking it's toll on our lives.

The kids were there too, I spoke to them and they smiled and nodded.

Fast forward 15 mins and her mate is banging on out door, asking me have I any fucking idea what I have just done to her best friend. She's shouting at me in front of my babies, swearing her head off. I try to close the door and she put her foot in it and her hand in the door frame. Dp was behind the door and I told hermove your foot or this will hurt and we closed the door together.

She then started trying to kick it down but gave up.

We left the house to take our eldest to nursery and she followed us in her car shouting at us in the street.

What the fuck do I do now! I don't even want to be alone in my own home.

What a nightmare, I really feel for you.

Don't engage with them from now on.
Move house.

Collect your child and then go to the local police station for their advice. You should not be having to put up with this type of behaviour in your own home.

Police - I would.

best mate is batshit, i'd get advice from neighbourhood police too, and keep a diary of the antisocial behaviour.

moving house is easy to say but not always easy to do, it involves a lot of money for a start, and if you are mortgaged there isn't always money to spare, why should op have to move because someone's mate is a loon and a mother [?] can't keep her kids under control ? they are the problem, they need dealing with.

It would be worth the hassle of moving because any neighbours would be a problem with thin walls. Plus, when you've had this kind of experience in a house it never feels like home again in my experience. Very bad for your mental health.

Call the police, this has escalated to aggressive and threatening behaviour and is not acceptable. Feel bad for the children though, its hardly suprising they are pains with their mum and friend as role models.

Be careful with making official complaints. Look into how that might affect you first.

I'd call the police about the friend, and I would talk to their landlord.

I just don't know what to expect now, I don't feel safe in my house or even on the street after she followed us.

DP leaves for work soon and it's just me and the kids in tonight. Next door are out Right now but who knows who they will bring back with them I'm prepared for them to be extra noisy tonight though just to rub it in that we can't do anything about it.

Her horrible friend even shouted at us "If you don't fucking like it then fucking move" (not that it matters but we were here first)

I'm just so taken back by it all. I'm not naturally a confrontational person so this has me a little shaken.

Move. Karma will get them in the end, it’s not worth the stress of trying to fix this because some people are just despicable beings unfortunately :(

If you are in position to move, honestly move.

Even a complain realistically won't make them be expelled, the law is very much on the side of the anti-social twats. Everything will take time and be rather painful, so the very first option is moving.

When you are being threatened, call the police. That's not a noise disturbance, that has escalated too much!