AIBU to get the police involved? (Neighbour dispute)

[Sienna7657]

Hi All,
I need serious advice.
I have been living in this property (upstairs converted flat) for almost 3 years and my tenancy comes to an end in 2 months time so I will be leaving.
Throughout my entire stay here, my neighbour has been harassing us every couple of months, now even more than before.
I have 2 kids a 2 year old and 1 year old. When my 2 year old initially started to walk, she wrote a letter, stating that her ceiling feels like it's going to come off.
She then stated that I cannot Hoover after a certain time, no washing to be done after the evenings and no banging doors.
A couple of months after that she started complaining that my kids were making too much playing banging noises during the day- stating that it was disrupting her work.
2 months after that she made a formal complaint to my agency. She stated that after 9pm, no noises should be made from the kids as they should be sleeping. My kids sleep before 10pm. This lady has no children, in her 40s and lives alone.
Recently my second child leant how to walk. As soon as he starts walking past 9pm she started banging on our floors for a few mins to get us to be quiet and not walk.
She also banged on our floors in the past during the day as well when my kids were too noisy and playing.
She also bangs her doors multiple times a day- particularly when the kids have been playing noisily during the day.
I'm genuinely scared. AIBU to get the police involved for harassment?

When she bangs on her ceiling, what do you do?

How about saying to her “please stop banging on the ceiling. The children are settling down for the night and it frightens and disturbs them. They sleep at 10pm, wear slippers / not outdoor footwear, and we don’t play noisy games past 7pm (or whatever else). We can’t help the poor insulation between your ceiling and us”.

I'm genuinely scared

Of what?

She sounds like a pain in the arse but you're leaving in two months anyway. Just ride it out. If it makes you feel better, tell her how she has made you feel once you go.

It doesn't sound as if she is being very realistic but upstairs noise (and children, sorry MN) can be really irritating.

And what has her age or marital status got to do with anything?

So you’re really noisy, your kids stay up late and you want to call the police about your pissed off neighbour?

Why is a 1 year old going to bed at 10 pm? It does sound quite annoying to have lots of noise all evening. Can't you put him to bed at 7 and let her at least have quiet evenings? Also have you got thick carpets etc?
I think avoiding hoovering and using the washing machine Inthe evening is also fair enough.
I doubt the police would be interested, it sounds like she's just stressed about the noise rather than being threatening.

I dont do anything when she bangs on our floors. I'm too frightened that she might make our lives more miserable so I just leave it

YNBU for wanting to call police, but would it just add to the problem? Just count your days and look forward to your new home where you can relax and let kids play etc... I know how you feel, neighbours here used to do similar if kids fell and cried.. or bumped themselves.. thank God they moved. I felt forever on bloody edge.. but relief is ahead so .. look forward to freedom..

No I wouldn’t call the police if moving in 2 months, I would grin and bare it for the sake of 2 months tbh

Kids don't play with toys after 7pm.
Floors are all carpet.
They need a nap during the day otherwise they will become extremely cranky.
My point is that she doesnt have any kids but she thinks she can tell me when my kids should be in bed. They were only walking past 9pm and she has a problem with that

Get a rug? Carpet? Put the kids to bed earlier?

I'm a single mum to 2 kids. I'm worried that she might do crazy things to vent out her frustration on us that's why I feel like getting the police involved

Why are they up so late?

Kids are already awake from 7am. I dont think I should wake them any earlier

Your kids are up way too late

10pm is the latest that they would sleep. Usually they sleep anytime from 9pm to 10pm.
They have an hour and half nap during the day

This is exactly what happened to me exact same circumstances..mine even started saying i was weeing too loudly during the night lol at this point i was scared and going to leave...but guess what..the police charged HER with harrasment and the agency asked her to either leave asap or she would be chucked out..so please dont be scared just start writing everything down..dates and things she has said and done..you are being harrassed and its not on!! Good luck x

I’d probably be bloody minded enough to stick some boots on, next time she started banging, and jump up and down as hard as I could! What’s she actually going to do about it?

But the sensible option, as PP have said, is to just suck it up for the remaining two months. I can’t see the Police getting involved in this unless she started verbally harassing or physically threatening you.

9-10pm is way too late for this age. Put them down between 6:30 and 7pm

I dont mind not complaining but I hope that she wont do anything dangerous to vent out her frustration

My kids will not fall asleep at 7pm no chance

They wake up at 7am, nap from 12-1:30pm and are awake until 9 something pm

Why are people passing judgement on the OP regarding her kids bed time.
That is neither here nor there.

Also children walking around or even running around is reasonable noise.

OP, your neighbour may well be one of those people that actively look for things to moan about.

Like PPs have said, ride it out.

Hopefully a budding heavy metal band will move in after you leave

I would just ride it out, although I would log it with the agency so that If she is the same with the next tenants it strengthens their case. However it is she contacts you, Face to face or letter through your door, do the same when you leave and say all the best and from the bottom of my heart I hope you get the worlds noisiest neighbours you moany cow people have the right to wash their clothes, hoover and walk across their own floor, and people so sensitive to noise like that simply shouldn’t live in a ground floor flat.

Extraordinary that on a parenting website people should assume that it's so easy to make children sleep like clockwork at 7 pm. I had three non-sleepers, at this age there was absolutely no point in putting them to bed at that sort of time.

Why not focus instead on the fact that the reality is that noise a 2 year old makes walking around is minimal, especially on a carpeted floor. So the neighbour's complaints are ridiculous.

What is about nighttime that brings out so many of MN's arseholes?

If she speaks to you in person, advise her to contact environmental health. They can do checks (with a sound meter etc) and calm her down (or tell her she's wrong).
If she becomes aggressive or threatening, call the police.
Otherwise, be glad you're going soon and ride it out. I know neighbours can be a nightmare, but that is probably your best option right now unless it gets worse for you.
As PP said, maybe she'll get a really loud neighbour next!

I can't help with the neighbor issue but wanted to come on to say that my almost 2 year old goes to bed at a similar time (sometimes later) despite having tried hard to make it earlier. Some kids just don't need the sleep. It's hard enough to live through with no grown up time in the evening without ppl getting all judgy as they are here!