Bought a flat from hell. What now?

[LeonieLondon]

I changed name and posting here to get more advice. Sorry long post
I recently bought what I thought was my dream flat in Kensington. For the past 14 years i have worked hard and saved most of my money. finally got on a property ladder with my dp (soon to be dh). We were renting a very similar type of place for the past 3 years (a flat in a mansion block) and had a very good experience- no noise from neighbours, no disasters in the flat, no leaks, generally no problems.
Turns out my new dream flat in a ‘sought after and prestigious mansion block’ has got zero sound insulation, there are not only every day neighbour noises (tv, chatter, laughing) coming from right, left and below (we are top floor, i insisted on a top floor flat because i thought i wouldn’t hear the neighbours…)

• I can hear my neighbours boilers from every direction, imagine constant very loud amplified humming in your ear
• below neighbours are fans what seems to be drum and bass and i hear bass noise coming from their place every day
• said neighbours make my floor and walls shake when they walk- is this a structural fault? I can be sitting in my bed or on a sofa and it literally shakes
• i am pretty sure they can also hear us stomp even though we are quiet

-there is a gas meter in a cupboard of one of the bedrooms which makes a very loud ticking/clicking sound every 2 seconds, again so loud and amplified. It would be impossible to sleep there or work while heating is on or someone turns hot water on (never even noticed this when viewing, but having lived in a bedroom with a boiler cupboard in it i wouldn’t even suspect that would be a problem) I am not even THAT sensitive to noise but i feel i am spiralling into paranoia.

• the fucking helicopters?!?! There is a heliport in battersea over the other side of the river…

We are meant to be putting new floor with sound proofing but given that neighbours play drum and bass i think the sound will travel through walls and chimneys anyway?
I don’t want to be here, it’s a complete disaster. I am now paranoid about every sound and movement
Any advice please? Move? Wait? Do i even bother changing the floors, spending £15k+ on new floors only to discover no noise change?
I feel like this mansion block compared with the one i lived is so flimsy.
I feel no joy from buying anything new for the house- it shouldn’t be like this :(

I agree with the folk saying give it 6 months. I was extremely bothered by the new noises (working dogs, horses, thee we off tractor, bastard rooster) when we moved to our new house. We’d lived next to a Tube line in London and I was fine with that, but the new sounds were unsettling for a couple of months and I slept in earplugs. I don’t even notice them now.

But if it is unbearable, I also agree that you good mental health isn’t worth sacrificing, even in the shortish term. That’s a real sunk cost. There are lovely quiet spots you could move to nearby. DBIL is in a garden square behind HTB and it’s very peaceful.

FIL was just off Berkeley Square for years and I never slept there. Once The lift stopped clanking, it was chucking out time at Annabel’s, then the delivery trucks turned up. Worst posh place to live in the world, I reckon but he loved it ( and I swear the move to leafy Hampstead hastened his demise).

For the neighbours below with the sound bar , ask them to get a rubber mat/ base bar mat to put it on. We had trouble at one point with a neighbour (terraced houses) where they regularly watched films and it felt like the house was shaking and had the loud humming and noise going through the whole house. They liked it loud! They got a rubber mat and never hear them now. Thank good, sent me up the wall.

Sounds awful. I'd move. Who pays that much money to have a miserable home?!

Hopefully the neighbours will move?

In your shoes I would move.

@Westfacing

Queen's Gate? That's nowhere near the river!

Didnt say they were near the river- did they?

They said There is a heliport in battersea over the other side of the river…

Battersea is on the other side of the river and it does have a heliport.
The helicopters do giant figures of 8 over several miles.

Why people don't wear wireless headphones to watch TV and listen to headphones is beyond me. I'm very noise sensitive but if you love the flat itself I'd suggest soundproofing, if you get it done properly it can work and will increase the value when you sell. You'd lose money moving anyway. Get a proper consultant and do everything, sound is like water and will find a way if everything isn't proofed.
Don't worry about talking to neighbours re noise, it's only official complaints, like to the council you need to declare.

Been to a similar situation. We bought a nice apartment just to discover we could hear tv from upstairs almost constantly, loud parties on both sides were a regular thing at weekends and could hear talking and laughter from below. What saves my sanity was that our bedroom was reasonably quiet on most nights (apart from when a loud party was happening). I complained to the neighbors about the noise, which didn’t help. We considered also sound proofing but decided not to do it, as would have been expensive and - as you say - uncertain result. We simply put the flat for sale after less than a year and now live in a peaceful home. I am now permanently stressed about moving anywhere new again as I worry might end up in a noisy flat. I certainly had no idea how stressful it could be. You have my sympathies.

I’ve been in a similar position & it almost destroyed my mental health. We moved to a detached house & it’s bliss. Obviously further out, but we’re much happier jumping on the train into central London and living in a perfect, quiet house further out.

@TheHoptimist

- close to the river at 18.50

@Hunkydory99

Depending on when it was converted may have an effect on the sound insulation that was used - building regulations are constantly changing and being updated. Newer conversions will have better insulation. Honestly, I’d get rid. It’s very unlikely You’re going to be able to retro fit enough insulation be it wall or floor to make enough difference. Houses are a bit different as you can have a go at external walls as well as joists to improve the issue. If you do decide to try, look at building regs part E to see current minimum standards

OP sorry you're in a tricky situation. It really sucks when a big purchase isn't what you thought. I think people are lacking sympathy on here because of the cost of the property, which isn't fair really. So Here is what I'd do.

Tonight, I'd buy an expensive pair of wireless noise cancelling headphones. Spend a lot! Wear these all the time, with calming music playing or audiobook of your choice. You can even wear war plugs and noise cancelling headphones. That works really well! You might have to communicate by sign language with your OH but so be it!

You can also think about getting some white noise machines to mask sounds.

Tomorrow I'd go and try and make friends with your neighbours. Take over some wine and introduce yourselves. The nicer and more friendly you are the easier it is to go and speak to them about noise levels or any other issue.

This week I'd get in 3 soundproofing specialists. See what they say about work, price and likely noise reduction.

If the work will reduce noise significantly then get it done. It's an expensive property, so spending £15k really is reasonable. It's not like the flats worth £120k is it?

See if you can accept the noise levels after the work has been completed. I'd give it a couple of months.

If you can't accept the noise after the work is completed, rent the flat out. Aim to cover your costs.

Rent it out on 12 month contracts. At the end of each contract have it valued by 3 estate agents. When the value has increased to cover the £68,000 plus the costs of sound proofing, you could look to sell and buy elsewhere. Eventually it will increase in value and you can walk away and buy somewhere else.

The trouble is where to move to in the short and long term. You're always going to get noise in flats. And you'll get noise in London too. So that's a bit of a conundrum! Maybe renting is a better option for you? You can move more quickly and easily if a nightmare neighbour moves in. There are many good alternatives to invest- you may actually want to keep the flat as an investment long term. There so many other investment options for you, not just property.

Sorry for essay hahah

Move.
X

Op I agree with @Grida . You haven't been there long and you will get used to this flats noise eventually. I live in the same borough as you on a very touristy street. It's a third floor flat of a three story block. For the first few months I heard every sound in the corridor and became so anxious about the neighbours. Add to that the street noise especially at the weekend- I was a nervous wreck. But eventually just by getting to know the neighbours, getting used to the sounds of the street I became less worried about every little sound. It does sound like your boiler/meters could be improved. I would definitely get to know people in the block if you can. We get helicopters regularly too - the Nextdor app is full of people moaning about them.
I absolutely love living here . Congrats on your new home I hope you feel more settled soon

@Westfacing

I'm not really bothered where you live but just pointing out that if you're near the heliport you can't be in Kensington! If you're roughly southern end of the Kings Road you might be bothered by by the helicopters on the river, but it's not Kensington.

Me neither. It’s very odd - there is no part of the King’s Road that’s in Kensington, but particularly not the south end!

Nor can you buy airy mansion flats for 1.2 in Kensington with or without noise.

I reckon it’s somewhere around Worlds’s End.

Good luck , I feel for you as I was in a similar position once . Lovely elderly neighbour was deaf and had his TV at full volume.

OP - my advice, and I’ve done a lot of properties, don’t spend any more money on it. Soundproofing is will only cut some noise. See if you can get used to any of it, but if not, cut your losses and move.

A friend of mine bought a house on main road thinking she’d get used to the noise and she didn’t. She still sold at a profit.

I haven't rtft, I don't know the story of the flat, but it is worth checking whether the Building Regulations were complied with for any flat conversion work.

@Wauden

I haven't rtft, I don't know the story of the flat, but it is worth checking whether the Building Regulations were complied with for any flat conversion work.

conveyancer will have done that

Some years ago, I owned a flat in a block where the insulation was not good. The flat below was let out to some undesirable tenants who played loud music at odd times of the day and night. One night we heard the women in the house being beaten up and we called the police. This made the male tenant angry, and the noise got considerably worse. At the time we could not sell- if it really is that bad and you can afford it I would consider cutting your losses and selling. We invested in noise insulation from a specialist supplier. That was not perfect but worked well. I also used hypnotherapy and ear plugs to get me through this difficult period. Eventually the noisy neighbours left and shortly after we sold.

I'm so sorry OP. It must be hard to buy property in London and having to always live in flats. Personally I'd just move. No matter what you do, you'll never feel happy there.
£15k to get what you should have anyway & potentially not even end up getting? Or a few thousand to move to somewhere just right? I don't know how hard the London property market as I'm in North Yorkshire and never been to London(!) but I'd still be moving

@GrannytoaUnicorn

I'm so sorry OP. It must be hard to buy property in London and having to always live in flats. Personally I'd just move. No matter what you do, you'll never feel happy there. £15k to get what you should have anyway & potentially not even end up getting? Or a few thousand to move to somewhere just right? I don't know how hard the London property market as I'm in North Yorkshire and never been to London(!) but I'd still be moving

Its not a few thousand to move somewhere right -its £68k in stamp duty plus another £15k in selling fees, conveyancing, moving etc

You clearly have utterly millions so what's the problem? Buy soundproofing or just sell it and buy another flat.

Rich people problems, honestly.

@GrannytoaUnicorn

I'm so sorry OP. It must be hard to buy property in London and having to always live in flats. Personally I'd just move. No matter what you do, you'll never feel happy there. £15k to get what you should have anyway & potentially not even end up getting? Or a few thousand to move to somewhere just right? I don't know how hard the London property market as I'm in North Yorkshire and never been to London(!) but I'd still be moving

She's paid millions for a flat in Kensington, she's not 'oh poor dear stuck in a flat'. She could probably buy your entire street for the cost of one of her parking spaces.

@MrsAntonioConte

We sold our last house within 6 months of buying. People were telling us that the buyers mortgage company would have an issue.

They didn’t so just sell up if you want to!

So did we- never even realised it was an issue! Our buyers got a mortgage fine!

It might be that you are above-averagely noise sensitive or it might be that this flat is a noisy hellhole.

If I were you I'd "do it up" (cheaply) so that when it goes on the market again you can see in the photos that "work has been done" ie it looks different eg dark to light walls, feature wall with wallpaper, change some of the furniture or window dressings, and then put it on the market again ASAP. I wouldn't sound proof it myself.

Then it'll look like you made it your own but then decided to sell it on. It's best if your estate agent just knows "we had a change of plan, we didn't like living in a flat, etc." not anything about noise at all. Tell the estate agent to put it on at a slightly higher price than it would otherwise be (because you have "done it up") but be prepared to take the going rate and suck up the few-Ks (or less) you've spent on it.

In the meantime, you probably need to get used to wearing noise-cancelling headphones to stop yourself going crazy, and find other places to socialise, do yoga, WFH or whatever else you need peace for. You can get ones that are designed for nighttime wear. DO NOT leave them in the flat when it's being shown, take them in your bag!

Another option is to rent it out for a bit and rent somewhere else (cheaper) which should be doable given it is a Kensington flat so you'll get good rent for it, before selling it on in a year or two. People do this all the time so it won't raise eyebrows. Encourage your letting agent to find some people who quite like having parties, play music instruments, or similar, not a person or couple who like to read quietly and go to bed at 9pm! (Or do it yourselves, you can find out a lot from a friendly chat while showing them round.) Still be very cautious what you tell the letting agent, and use different estate agents when you sell.

You have my commiserations.