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?

Have you got hard floors?

IMO they should be banned in flats with anyone below - the noise can be horrendous. There’s often a clause in the lease to say carpet must be laid, but it’s often ignored because hard floors are more fashionable.

YANBU to be annoyed about the harassment, but you're leaving in 2 months so I'd just ignore her until then. Calling the Police would be a waste of time (yours and theirs) and more hassle, so YABU.

Our neighbour is like this, completely nuts, she called the police on half of the people in this building, she keeps claiming she hears heels (no one on this floor wears heels in the house). We're moving later this year, I swear to God, 2 weeks before moving I plan to live in stilettos, all day long! (Wish I could stick to the plan, I'm way too soft kind)

Hi all,
Thankyou for your responses.
My kids wont sleep any longer and I cant force them to go sleep early- they will have tantrums and start screaming and I dont want that. I try to read but they never seem interested- probably because they have short attention spans.
Our floors are all carpet.
I just realised that all the banging noises she heard occurs when my kids walk. The idea of my children not being able to walk in their own home just so that she can sleep at 9pm is ridiculous.
I know she hasnt done anything dangerous yet but I am alone with 2 kids. So I'm scared that she might do something alarming that could scare myself and my children- as a way for her to vent out her frustration.
All people are entitled to peace and quiet. But my point is that she tells me that my children should be fast asleep after 9pm. All children are different. They dont have switches or mute buttons. I cant guarantee that they wont make noise past 9pm because they are really young.
I have ended up blocking her number. She said that she has complained to my agency but they havent said anything to me, as I will be leaving anyway.

As someone who has lived under children in a flat, it is a constant nightmare of the parents just allow them to run around. It's louder being the downstairs neighbour, maybe you should reach a compromise with her instead of making up scenarios that seem ott in your head.

I dont want to call the police obviously but I dont want to be frightened in my own home

They were not running. They were walking. If they cant walk in their own home, what is the point of them living in there?

Why are you so frightened of her? What makes you think she will do something to put you at physical danger?

All you’ve posted is she’s a pain in the back side and intolerant of noise. Nothing to make you so frightened. Can you explain further?

Are there any conditions in lease about noise? Restrictions on operating washing machines, hoover etc? I suspect you have no idea as to the noise below and it is probably more resonant and echoing. There may be a neighbour mediation officer at the council,

No there are not any restrictions. It's just her rules

@Sienna7657

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

Why are you not logging this with the land lord?

You've been there for 2 years and she's never done anything scary - she's just told you to keep the noise down and banged on the ceiling. What has suddenly changed to make you scared of her and think she will do something violent? Now that you've only got 2 months to go?

(I'm not defending her, btw, I think she's unreasonable, but she doesn't come across as scary?)

@Sienna7657 we all live differently an it must be hard when you are in a building with someone that has different expectation to you. I sympathise that this has been your case for nearly 3 years and the fact you feel unsafe, that must be awful.
I do wonder why you're contemplating police involvement now though after such a long if you've felt unsafe. It can't be because you wont be living there soon as you'd still be in the building for another couple of months surely?
I hope the next two months pass quickly for you.

I would write her a letter saying you are moving due to her harassment and if there is any more banging you will report her to the council and the police. Copy your landlord, then they have evidence if she does the same things to the next tenant.

In terms of wasting the police time, it will be a phone call, they are unlikely to come put, but it will be logged if she’s a nightmare for future tenants.

If your children were charging around on wooden floors until midnight I could see her issue, but it sounds as though you’ve done everything you can to minimise noise.

I have lived in both downstairs and upstairs flats and neighbour noise is, unfortunately, part and parcel of flat life. There is a massive difference between everyday living noise and antisocial behaviour. Vacuuming and washing machines and children walking/playing are normal everyday noise.