To be so fucking sick of living according to my neighbours routine ?!

[MrsA2015]

End of Terrace Victorian Victorian property converted into two flats, I’m on ground floor. Upstairs has 3 children 1-11 the noise from that is a whole other thread.

What’s really getting to be at the moment is the constant praying/chanting/pastor sessions (online) at 11pm on the dot since Easter Sunday. Frigging sick and tired of listening to it and the 6:45am Sunday wake up and what I’m guessing is pre-church family LOUD prayer session, then 20min of shrieking kids In the shared hall way that’s backed into my bedroom.

It’s constant and relentless, droning monotone voices, deliverance from the depths of hell? They’ll need saving from the depths of my damn shredded nerves before that.

I’m so so tired.

Every Saturday night I’m kept awake by late night cooking and filled with dread as I count down the hours to following morning.

39+4 weeks pregnant and at my wits end.

Yes I’ve spoken to them.
Yes I’ve reported.
Yes I’ve BEGGED for some peace.
No can’t move out.
No have nowhere else to stay.

Yes I’m crying desperately as I’m petrified already of the sleep deprivation to come coupled with knowing I’ve got these inconsiderate arseholes upstairs.

Agree with finding out where they worship and contact the pastor/head and appeal to them. Being shamed by religious leader might bother them more than you and Council. We had this many years ago and neighbours asked us to report them to HA as they wanted a house with a garden !

Have you tried contacting your MP @MrsA2015 Under normal circumstances they would be my next point of call. I also live in a SE London borough and if your council is anything like mine then I feel your pain.

Are you waiting to be moved by the council?
I think id be tempted to actually make their life difficult with noise too. A proper tit for tat thing. At least you might get some fun and control back.

Do you use earplugs for sleeping and maybe radio on top for background noise to muffle theirs

Speak to their pastor. He can remind them about Love Thy Neighbour

They sound really annoying, you need to move if you can

Yanbu the noise would drive me potty. I'm not sure there's much you can do to stop them the way sound travels in those type of converted flats if the noise is throughout the day. The only positive is your newborn will disturb they're sleep too.
Moving is your only option it may not be a valid option but it's the only one.

I agree with @LEELULUMPKIN
I would (if I found out where they go) have a word with one of the leaders. It sounds like they have lost the plot a bit and definitely not in the spirit of 'Love thy neighbour!'

Sending sympathy . And I hate to say, I would move if you possibly can. Have you asked your GP to write to the council supporting your need for sleep?

I had horrific religious upstairs neighbours for years. They made my life hell. Strange how their devoutness doesn’t include the slightest concern for their fellow human beings.

Can you work out who their pastor is and approach them and ask them to mediate?

My sympathies!

Congratulations on your newborn.

I think you make as much noise as possible - 👶🏼 should help! Especially if you hear any of the children being called to nap in the late afternoon.

Saucepan drums are lots of fun.

Keep trying all the other official approaches but they need to understand what it’s like. It may make them think twice as would comments about how deeply unchristian their behaviour is.

Try the noise approach.
We had awful renters move in next door. Loud music all night and general noise and twatiness.
No joy from polite requests or from the landlord.
The parties usually wrapped up around 5am.
I was up with the kids from around 6am.

A solid week of the worst rock music I could find, played up against the bedroom wall from 6.15 am onwards actually worked.
They volume reduced and they actually moved out fairly soon afterwards. Worth a try?

Children's nap time at 5pm you say? Sounds like the ideal time for some very loud music and a bit of diy. You must surely have some urgent drilling and hammering to do. Not to mention hoovering up the mess afterwards.

Also wanting to give a bit of a Christian perspective (assuming they are Christian??) We are supposed to pray in private. So wailing etc is absolutely not what is supposed to happen. I think intervention from the pastor is key and if you can, have them listen to the racket.
They should absolutely not be making your life miserable.
I hope it is sorted soon OP.

I'd love to know where the poster who thinks SS have the time to intervene because children are up at 11pm lives.

I'd also try your MP if all else has failed OP. Don't retort to any of the silliness recommended or your neighbours would have equal recourse about you. I lived next to the head of the regional Buddhists for a few years and from 9pm onwards people would arrive and chant. I did say "oh what is that you're all singing every night" and she did seem to get the message but it sounds as if your situation is beyond that.

Hope they don't complain about your baby! That would be taking the p!

But WHY can't you move?? It's all very well saying Why should I?" and I do understand where you are coming from with this, but it has apparently been affecting your mental and physical (sleep) health for a long time. You have tried to resolve it through numerous ways. They haven't worked- you have even damaged your own ceiling banging on it!!
So, either move or accept this is how things are. I say this as someone who was once in a very similar situation with neighbours, and who also reported, kept noise logs etc. Eventually, I realised the only way to stop it was to move. It was the best decision I made.
Move, and it won't be your problem any more. What else can anyone on here say? You have done all the talking to them/ reporting/logging... so either accept the situation (which it seems you can't, and neither could I) or move.

Yes, I would start a punishment regime. Hear the kids being called to nap? Press speakers up against the ceiling and blast a youtube video of very loud drilling on repeat for the next 2 hours. If they wake you with praying, play loud swearing rap music through the floor until they stop. For every time they disturb you, punish them. Again and again until they get it

@Handsoffisback

I wouldn’t be surprised if the council don’t want to get involved in case they’re accused of religious prejudice (you can be prejudice in this country to catholic/church of England/Anglican etc just no one else 🙄). Every time their children are called to nap, start with the loud music or DIY. Play music over the noise they make on Saturday nights at a ridiculously loud volume. I’m so sorry this is happening to you OP, how bloody stressful.

The OP hasn't said the neighbours aren't Christian.

Have you spoken to Environmental Health? They can offer you noise recording equipment to capture evidence and they have powers to make enforcements over noise.

Good luck OP

If your bedroom is under their lounge, could you not swap your rooms around?

After reading through, your annoyance does sound a tad ott tbh.

Umbrella holes in the ceiling? Really?

If children are 1-11,surely this means that daytime m-f at least 1 is at school and possibly another too?

You sound as though you're verging on having an issue due to their cultural/religious following. I mean even them cooking ahead of Sunday is an issue to you!

You sound obsessive.

This sounds absolutely hellish. I do think the only answer is to be one disruptive to them. When they start their nonsense just play the very loud music, even if you can't bear it. They may stop and wait and start again later but then so do you. They surely wouldn't dare complain to you? If they did just explain how ill their selfishness and lack of consideration has made you and you are literally at the end of your tether with it all. You could throw in an, "I'm sure Jesus wouldn't approve" type comment aswell. They are selfish, hypocrites who literally don't practice what they preach. Good luck

Sounds absolutely horrendous. I too would be talking to the pastor and asking for help. This is not in the spirit of Christianity and love thy neighbour - far too selfish/self-centred. I would be asking if God would want them to worship him in a way that makes the lives of others around them miserable.

Fingers crossed that will work. The pastor won’t want word to get around the community that the church encourages antisocial behaviour. But failing that I’d definitely be as loud as poss at kids’ nap time. And also, every time they start up worship, I would go and hammer loudly on their front door until they answer. Keep disrupting them. If their aim is to worship, make sure they can’t if they’re being antisocial. But if they’re quiet and/or do it at a more social time, don’t disrupt. Train them like a dog.

If it is a flat, there will be a Lease which will dictate what times noise should not be heard outside of the flat.

Do you know the management company of the building? As they are responsible for enforcing the terms of the Lease.

You can get copies of the Leases for your building online.

Assuming they are Christian from what you said....

Ask them what Jesus said about loving your neighbour etc. Ask them about what they would consider to be Christian behaviour and as practicing Christians, if they think they should seek to emulate that behaviour and if not, why not?