Noisy young neighbour help?

[CannotTakeThisMuchLonger]

20 year uni student in downstairs flat constantly playing loud music and in particular a really repetitive drum/bassline. It reverberates up through the floor and the constant dull thumping is driving me insane. It overpowers all earplugs I have tried. Last year it was really bad and now it’s started again (his mother the owner is living abroad up tp 6 months year . When she is home we don't get these problems).

This is often all day from about 10am, often late into the night and often with no break at all seldom seems to go out as his mate come to him. Last night it was 12.30am when I cracked. Also problems with strong weed smell in my flat all day too. I am beside myself not getting enough sleep and feeling really wound and anxious up by it all.

I've tried

• asking politely and going down during the day time not at night when I am angry
• with the downstairs neighbour, trying to reason with him/appeal to his better nature (she has a young child)
• telling him firmly to turn the music OFF NOW not just down
• If he doesn’t answer the doorbell (often) banging on his window with the broom - it just reaches!
• threatening him I will contact mother (she's VERY religious and won't like the weed or girls in the flat)
• shouting like a crazy hysterical menopausal mad women (last night him telling him he's inconsiderate, entitled and selfish little sh*t.

Nothing seems to stop it for long if at all.

Last week I asked building management company to pass a complaint to his mother and to give her my email address. I've not heard directly from her yet. I gave him a copy of the email so he knows I've done it

I've reported the cannabis via 1010 today out accept it's not going to be a police matter. There is some drug dealing going on but it's pretty minor stuff.

These are not new builds with paper thin walls, solid concrete so it really is loud.

Thank you if you made it through all that and have any helpful comments..

You can report it to your local council and the environmental health come out to assess it. I did this with a pub once. They come inside your home and measure the levels and so on.

Check out the local councils advice and report. And chase up with building management company, keep going on about it until it stops. You've not got anywhere with approaching him so time to get official. Also

If you complain about noise to the council, an environmental health officer can investigate. They can assess the noise level.

If a noise nuisance exists, the council can serve an abatement notice on the person making the noise or the owner or occupier of the premises.

The notice requires either of the following:

the noise must stop
the noise is limited to certain hours
Using the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act, district councils can make all or part of a district an alarm notification area. This applies to security alarms in occupied and empty residential and commercial premises.

The owner or occupier must have a nominated keyholder and give the keyholder’s contact details to the district council.

To check if you live in an alarm notification area, contact your council.

Would your neighbour (with young child) consider also contacting the management company re: noise levels? It is usually more effective if more than one person complains.

I do understand how much it affects life when you have very noisy neighbours

Thank you all.

I don't think my Council will come inside flats at best of times less alone Covid. They aren't very helpful.It does need to be from inside as that's when you notice the thudding - it's really noticeable even when volume is turned down. So it's the TYPE of music that's an issue which is a bit tricky.

I've gone on to the Council website and it tells you to download an app and record the noise. I've tried that but it's not really working very well. Maybe it's my phone. l if I try from outside I mainly get sound of the wind crackling and inside it doesn't really pick up the reverberating, which is the main problem.

You can email a complaint and they get back to you in 3 days, or there is an emergency number. I suppose I can try that next tie it's really loud and late. I can feel floor quivering through my flip flops as I type and hear it over very loud radio of my own.

It's louder than usual today so I suspect that's deliberate after last night - I really shouted at him for first time. I try not to complain during the daytime unless it's gone on for hours and I'm losing will to live. Dreading tonight.

He's got to sleep at some point.

I'm petty, I would figure out when he's likely to be asleep and aim a speaker playing something annoying (the chicken dance or baby shark) through the floor.

Have you actually contacted his mother? I would have thought that was the first thing to do. Threaten legal action, tell her he's dealing drugs, you may find she's on the next flight home.

Maybe you need to make yourself as annoying to him as he is to you. I'd bang loudly on his door every single time. Or the window. As long as you keep your temper you're not doing anything wrong. Just repeat...over and over.

@CannotTakeThisMuchLonger

If it's the reverberation your phone doesn't pick up, have you tried holding your phone against the wall ?

Maybe if you put a glass of water on a table which is touching the wall, you'd be able to video the surface of the water vibrating ?

@sqirrelfriends

He's got to sleep at some point.

I'm petty, I would figure out when he's likely to be asleep and aim a speaker playing something annoying (the chicken dance or baby shark) through the floor.

He's got to sleep at some point.

Unless he's taking acid as well

Keep a record of every instance and share it with his mother. Take sound recordings and videos. If you can track her down (maybe on social media?) directly then try that as well as hoping the building management company contact her.

Thanks all, good to feel I'm not alone as I was really miserable last night. The good news it’s stopped as it appears he’s gone out. Miracles never cease.

I should have added, it's worse as for some reason at night they congregate in the bedroom, straight below mine, not the lounge. I've repeatedly asked him that they move to the lounge if they must keep playing music after a normal time e.g. 11pm. Him being in the bedroom in the daytime is actually better as it means I can at least WFH in my own lounge without the weed stinking me out.

@updownroundandround Ooh good idea will try that.

@sqirrelfriends My friend and a neighbour suggested this! It is enormously tempting. I thought Bubblegum Europop might be good given he appears to like rap/grime type music. However I thought it might escalate into music wars and end up making my life worse. At least he does seem to do something at the moment if I ask/shout even if not a lot and slowly. It went quiet about 12.45am last night after my meltdown I HAVE knocked on his door early in the morning before (well 8am !) for a polite chat, when I knew he's still be asleep, and kept hammering away until he answered.

@fortunesfave. yes I just have to keep moaning at him, maybe he'll finally get sick of a mad middle aged woman eventually. I do need a longer broom.....

@cindarellasbelly - Its the floor as he's below me, but I will give it a go. It’s thick concrete, I wonder if that makes the sound transfer worse? Yes I've contacted his mother through the Mgt company as they won't give me her email to go direct. She very religious (praying loudly for hours/talking in tongues stuff - I used to hear that in past if the windows were open) and quite strict so I hope that has some impact. I didn't mention the weed in my message to her so that will be next step if he keeps it up.

@ bakingdemon . I’d not thought of social media so thanks. I don’t know her surname but I shall see if a neighbour does. Useless MgtCo won’t tell me even though as far as I know I could get it from land registry which I may have to do. Or pinch some of their junk mail...... [joke!]

Thanks for all your replies. I feel a bit more in control now.