Will my neighbours know I reported them?

[Noisyneighbourhelp12]

Name change as I’ve been vocal about this on social media.

I live in a city centre apartment and my neighbours are very very loud. They have always been loud with music throughout the day and occasionally into the night with loud noises however they have gotten progressively worse.

Over the past six weeks I have made two formal noise complaints about them and rang night timesecurity to place noise complaints more times than you can count. They have played music well into the morning, banged, screamed and shouted. I am writing this thread after having no sleep as they have been up banging and screaming all night (and are still currently going!!). I have rang the security three times tonight and they haven’t stopped. I have invested in earplugs but they aren’t even beginning to block out the noise.

I feel like they are now reacting aggressively to each complaint I make and are beginning to bang on the walls (the layout of our flats means their living room backs onto my bedroom), so whilst they don’t know it’s me who’s been complaining as we have a lot of neighbours, think 10 flats per floor and 25 floors, they probably have a good idea who it is.

They have now taken to chatting in the corridors in the middle of the night very loudly and I think they’re just doing it on purpose. I’m so tired, anxious and stressed. I don’t know who lives there but I think at least two very big men and one female. I am disabled and quite frail so I don’t feel comfortable knocking on and I think they’d probably tell me to fuck off anyway. I have been making a noise log and I want to log it with the council however I’m worried they’ll reveal which flat made the complaint to them and it will make their behaviour worse. Does anyone know if they’ll tell them?

OP you can be more proactive.

Firstly, get on the land registry website and download the deeds for the flat where the noisy people live. Make sure you are on the .gov site; it's around £3. This will give you the name of the landlord. Write (pen, paper, envelope) to your letting agents requesting the name and contact information of your landlord. By law they have to give you this, but be aware that the address may be c/o letting agent. Are they the same person?

Download an app on your phone that measures noise. During the worst bouts, use it and screenshot the results. Keep a noise diary.

In my area the police don't deal with noise, it's the council's responsibility. To be fair, they have been good when I have complained but they are never open when the noise is actually happening. Be polite and reasonable but firm. Make it your local councillors' problem too. They are quick enough to take their expenses and demand your vote, so make them work for you.

Although this is a bit blunt, it's how I work. I am sympathetic to your plight. Hopefully by being proactive, you will regain some sense of control over the situation. Good luck

Just an update! Been a bit more proactive today.

So I messaged the girl on the Facebook page who had also complained. She got back and said that as her flat is the same layout and directly above theirs she can mainly hear noise when in the living room. She has made complaints to the night time security a few times but once she goes in the bedroom it’s not too bad so she isn’t prepared to lodge a formal complaint.

Interestingly she did say that she thinks they have received a few misplaced noise complaints about that flat. Apparently on a few occasions where she can hear that flat being noisy she has had a loud knock on the door in the middle of the night. Understandably they haven’t answered but she presumed it is concierge with a noise complaint. It is hard to pin point where noise is coming from if it isn’t in the flat directly next door. I thought the flat directly upstairs from me was banging the other week.. turns out it was the police breaking up a party 4 floors above which was kindly videoed and posted on the group!

I have been down and spoken to building management face to face today who said he would send another letter. When I pushed for something better as I pointed out this hasn’t worked he said he would directly ask their letting agents to involve the landlord and will copy me in to their response. He also said police in our area aren’t coming for noise complaints only parties. Sometimes it’s hard to know if there is only the three of them or if it is a party. They just make a lot of noise with music and what I presume to be drinking games as they do a lot of clapping and stamping of their feet whilst cheering.

I have also lodged a complaint with the council who said it will be anonymous unless legal action is taken. If it gets to that point I’m hoping either me or them will have moved out by then. I have also decided to switch my bedroom for the time being as it is just causing me so much anxiety. As soon as I hear any noise it’s making me have panic attacks as I’m stressed that this is it for the night. I don’t think it helps that due to my health I’m not able to work a proper contract right now so I’m supporting myself via freelance work so my whole life is in the apartment. I feel kinda under attack 😂

Thank you for all of the advice so far. Does anyone have any recommendations for a noise measuring ap?

Why the fuck should the OP get ear defenders/earplugs, or move into another room? Or get soundproofing?

These neighbours sound like utter cunts. We lived in a 2 bed semi in the late 1990s, and a lovely elderly couple lived there when we moved in, and were there for the first 3 or 4 years we were there. Then they left, and a couple moved in their mid 40s moved in.. (no kids.)

Basically, they forced us to move because they used to go out to the pub every Friday and Saturday night, and leave the music playing full blast from 7pm until midnight when they came back, (this was to 'deter burglars' apparently.)

We asked them several times to be more quiet please, because our DD (only 5 or 6 at the time) went to bed at 7.30pm and couldn't sleep with the music pounding until midnight. And we couldn't hear our TV properly!

We didn't complain to the council, because they were such horrible, rude, anti-social arseholes, (with noisy weekend BBQs every weekend of the Spring and Summer too, and loud music playing in the week sometimes too,) that we wanted to sell up and move. A neighbour dispute being officially registered would have had to have been declared.

Our house sold within a couple of months. A private landlord bought it. We had the last laugh too, because 2 couples moved in, who were in their 20s, and according to someone who lived in the street (who we bumped into a few months later,) the noise levels from these 2 couples was fierce, and the old neighbours who forced US out, put their house up for sale 4-5 months after we moved out!

My friend is currently having issues with a new neighbour who moved in, back in January. A couple in their late 30s... They work during the day, but have the TV on loud, with a sound bar on, thudding through the walls every evening for 4 or 5 hours. On a Friday night (and sometimes Saturday too,) they have loud music thump-thump-thumping through the wall until 2am. They even have a TV and a stereo in the bedroom, and sometimes go into the bedroom at midnight, and have the TV or stereo on til 3am, blasting through the wall. (They live in a small 2-bed, semi-detached house built in the late 1990s.)

When my friend has knocked to ask them to turn it down, they don't answer. She popped a note through 2 weeks ago, and since then, it's been even louder.

Utter cunts.

She is currently recording the noise, and keeping a diary, on the advice of a police officer friend.

I don't know why some people are such horrible bastards, and so inconsiderate and rude. Probably the same type who throw stuff out of the car window, and leave their rubbish at the park, let their dogs loose off the lead, and let their dogs shit everywhere and never pick it up. Horrible, self-serving, entitled, selfish cunts.

My friend's police officer friend, also said that around 20% of call-outs/jobs on his shifts are neighbour complaints/disputes, often caused by excessive noise. As I said, I don' know WHY some people are like this.

@Noisyneighbourhelp12 YANBU obvs! Not sure where you get a noise measuring app. Hope someone can advise you. My friend is just using a mic on her mobile phone, and an old fashioned tape recorder.

Re the second paragraph, I mean a lovely elderly couple lived next door to us (joined on!) Not in the house we moved into LOL!

Just received an email back from my letting agent that said thanks for letting them know but as they don’t manage the property next door there’s nothing they can do. Hoping the council pulls through with a resolution.

I'd ring the police and tell them you think they are having a party!

Sorry if it sounds stupid but if I did contact the police saying I think it’s a party would I do it on 111 or via the Covid complaints online?

Absolute bastards, OP. Noisy neighbours are the sum of the Earth.

I wish there was a way of identifying them or herding them all up to live in one block or street, so they could drive each other crazy and decent respectable people could live their lives undisturbed.

If I was Prime Minister,, anti noise legislation would be a top priority.

I’m really sorry to hear you are suffering. I’ve had this problem in the past and I had to move, it was making me so unwell, and you are already dealing with a disability.
It’s pathetic that the building management is being so useless.

Think seriously about moving at the end of your tenancy. Could you look for somewhere with fewer attached neighbours to improve your odds of not ending up next to tossers?

Great post littlepattilou 👏👏

Those sound bars are an abomination. Who needs cinema level surround sound in a domestic living room? These inventions are way over-engineered for the average house.

That’s an absolute disgrace. I hope you manage to get something sorted.

@ScienceSensibility

Great post littlepattilou 👏👏

Those sound bars are an abomination. Who needs cinema level surround sound in a domestic living room? These inventions are way over-engineered for the average house.

Thanks SS. I agree too. Sound bars and big 'surround sound speaker systems' should be banned in semi detached homes, and flats!!! (And even detached homes unless they're more than 30 feet away from the next house!)

I don't know who invented them, and thought it would be a good idea to have them in domestic living rooms in semi detached homes and flats, but I bet THEY live in a bloody huge detached house in 15 acres of land, where they don't have to tolerate neighbour noise. ARGH!

They definitely use a sound bar, the music vibrates my bedroom walls!!

That’s my bedroom all swapped around now. Only took three hours, a lot of furniture dismantling and some help. My old bedroom is a tip but at least I have a bed for tonight and hopefully I am shielded from some noise. I’m so tired, my illness causes exhaustion and I do not react well to not sleeping so I’m in a lot of pain today. I keep looking at my tiny bedroom and fuming. I pay above the odds to be here specifically for the concierge and my en-suite and both have ended up being useless!

This is bloody awful. When I got to the bit about the police raiding a flat I just thought you got to get out of there. It sounds like your surrounded by problem people. If you're freelancing and spending all your time in the flat then maybe start looking into moving elsewhere. I just sounds awful and I wouldn't even want to battle it.

I do hope you’ve got some sleep now, OP?

As a chronic pain sufferer myself I know how lack of sleep means the next day is a write off.
Do you know anyone who could advocate for you with the shitty neighbours? (Preferably a heavy weight boxer! 😀)

I hope you keep posting here so we can try and support you.

I work in antisocial behaviour so your issue is right up my street.

The reason the council say it cant be kept anonymous if it goes legal is because their court bundle of evidence has to be provided to the defendant to give them a chance to defend themselves against it. Occasionally I have been able to get a court to accept anonymised evidence but only when the Police have supported my claim that it places the complainant at significant risk of harm.

You do need to follow it up with the council though. They will ask you to keep diary sheets for 2-3 weeks and some councils provide access to The Noise App so you can record what you're hearing. Evidence is so vital, but also draining and time consuming for the complainant.

You can also call environmental health out of hours service, see if they will attend. If they get enough evidence the EH (council) can issue a noise abatement notice. If that is breached ultimately the EH has the power to go to court for a warrant, break into their home and remove any equipment capable of making noise. That's pretty extreme though so lots of evidence is needed

I think you need to be persistent with your complaints. I'd ask my MP to contact the council on your behalf as well. As you can't see how many people are in the flat and they are noisy why not report a party to the police? Tell the police it sounds like a party from the noise. You've had good advice from @SpnBaby1967.

Good luck, I'd be looking for another flat.

Hi all- just an update really.

Moved my bedrooms around and as exhausting as it was I’ve finally been able to get a good nights sleep. I can still hear the noise coming from their flat in my old bedroom but at least my bed isn’t pressed up against the adjoining wall anymore.

Around 7pm yesterday they started with horrific music so loud that it vibrated throughout my whole flat. Could hear it in every single room. I made a noise complaint to our nighttime security guard at 1130pm who after speaking to them told me to place a covid breach complaint online as they were clearly having a party. Police came at 3am ish which shocked me considering it’s bank holiday weekend and will have been very busy. I heard them say they’d had multiple complaints though. I could hear them out in the corridor being quite aggressive with the police but they all eventually left and went somewhere else after they told them each of them would be fined.

I’m exhausted, tired and stressed. Went online to update my complaint with the council and was told I couldn’t as they’d closed it last week?? No idea what that means as I haven’t been contacted so I’ve had to place a new one. I haven’t heard an update from our building management company to say what the response from their letting agent is either.

Can still hear them screaming and shouting now 😭😭

Music has been back on for the last two hours. I think they must have bought a new speaker because I can literally feel it vibrating every room in my flat and in the door handles. Jesus wept.

I filed a new council complaint online yesterday and will add new noise diaries detailing this today. I really hope they don’t carry on into the night because I’m back at work tomorrow 😭

I know nobody is interested lol but it’s cathartic to write it down here

Selfish, scummy bastards. So sorry this is happening to you, OP.

Loads of sympathy (no useful help, sorry) I thought my neighbours were gits but are really sweet reason in comparison to yours

Are they students? If so contact their university to complain

Phone the police.