Neighbour

[NicolaKing]

Long story! We brought our house April 2022. From around 5 weeks since we moved in our neighbour complained she could hear us. We said oh sorry sort of thing we’d just moved in putting things up and to be more mindful. Fast forward a year, throughout the year she’s complained multiple times to the housing association( we have shared owernship so only own half) they’ve looked into it we’ve done a sound test that’s passed, they’ve even come to our property to check the doors ect and they are satisfied that it is just normal household noise so they’ve now closed the case. Now since the neighbour has received the letter confirming nothing can be done due to everything being completed she’s now started to bang on the walls slam her doors it’s just getting really petty. I’m so stuck what to do as I can’t live like this she’s scaring my 2yo and I’m just generally upset with having to even think about what I’m doing. My partner works Monday-Friday and I work Saturday and Sunday so there’s hardly anyone over loud music ect. She’s always said it’s been a loud banging noise. My other neighbour who we are more attached to has no problems and cannot hear us at all so I don’t know whether she just is jealous or just has it in for us. We are a young couple (25&27) I have now reported to 101 as harassment so they are now looking into this. I was just wondering if anyone had gone through anything similar and knows how to settle my mind? Thank you

Hello, architectural knowledge here.

The majority of Housing Association (rental) properties are built to a lesser standard than Shared Ownership properties.

Shared Ownership properties are built to a lesser standard than fully private properties on the same development.

In a HA (whether rent or Shared Ownership) you can expect the party walls to be thinner and boarded with cheaper materials. This causes echoes and impact noises from feet / knocks and bangs.

Kitchens for HA properties are also poorer quality (not poor quality though) and often have slammy doors and drawers.

I left my job in Housing Associations because I couldn't stand the build quality.

Your neighbour may share a floor joist with you and therefore your noise travels through to her.

Either that or she's unhinged and harassing you. 😊

@Bepis hi! They haven't said much just given them all the details and they said they would look into it! They don't even have a time frame on this so I'm not sure I will keep checking tho!

@ShakespearesBlister I'm on it!! Thank you!

@Scarfywarfy thank you! I know they are not the best are they. So we're in the middle and have 1 neighbour either side. The nice neighbour we are more connected to hers so the stairs and the kitchen and she doesn't hear anything at all? They sent someone to do a sound test and that passed too!

@CandlelightGlow Exactly the same as us! After dinner we all go to bed and that's about 8pm! Yeah exactly I hear her too but the odd walking or pulling blinds down doesn't bother me where as if I done that I'd get shouted at through the wall haha

I just want to add that when I lived in a shared ownership our neighbour was really unhinged. She would lean out her window and shout at our DC playing quietly in the garden! He was 1.5 at the time, singing quietly to himself..

The sight of a toddler drove her to despair. Thankfully though she sold up and moved. But we had to endure 2 years of her shouting the C word at us.

A quiet couple with a quiet child :/

She made numerous complaints about us too. It was horrible!

Few things worse than having all that kind of hassle with a neighbour. You should be able to relax in your home. I do feel for you. Some people are fucking pests

I honestly think all you can do is follow the normal official channels.
Something is annoying her badly, or she is unhinged.
You say there is hardly any loud noise. So is there some ? Or has there been ?
Suggesting her behaviour is due to jealousy will not show you in the best light. It could even be counterproductive. Officials might start to look at you more closely and wonder what on earth you are on about.

@Scarfywarfy oh my goodness! Bless you! I would go off the rails if she even dared do that to my child 🥺

@Tidsleytiddy exactly! I feel like I can't even bang something. For example the spoon when your doing mash potato and you bang on the side to get the excess off hahah it's too loud for her apparently! Lol

That’s how it makes you feel. Just remember it won’t last forever but it’s shit when you’re living it x

@Guis23 no that's understandable but even the housing association are calling her petty so they obvs know who's the one in wrong here! She basically complains of a loud banging noise so I don't know whether this is walking up stairs she's never elaborated on it

we found out they do the same to every neighbour and end up moving every 18 months or so!
😳

@Tidsleytiddy yeah for sure I don't want to either but she's in the back of my mind constantly which is so draining! Xx

My husband would make sure he stomped up the stairs even louder to piss her off even more 😶

Idiotic reply. Do you come on here to troll? Or actually offer your insight?

She may well have mental health issues OP. It sounds like you've done all you can, I would be thinking about where you want to move to next and keep your eye on the prize. You can't appease some people.

@Scarfywarfy oh wow how strange!! Can't be all there lol x

So draining. We had it all for years with a football. People move on and things change but I used to dread pulling up on my drive after work in case the pissing football was being kicked against my wall. I was on holiday in the Caribbean and was STILL thinking about how much I hated the football and how much it disturbed us

@Tidsleytiddy I really want to do this but mine says maybe not incase then she gets evidence of us doing it then I've just spent the last year wasting on proving we are innocent hahaha!

The stomping? I probs wouldn’t but my husband Deffo would 🤣

I would ask her to. And going forward I would not see it as one person being in the wrong although that may well be how you feel about it. To get it resolved as best you can it will help to find out the what is it exactly, when and why. Ask officials to intervene and ask if it is too difficult to do so yourself.

Some walls in houses are very flimsy. Lived in a flat for a short time and could hear people using the loo, certainly TV's, using saucepans, and an elderly lady who spoke loudly on the telephone. What might seem like a solid wall sometimes is not. It turned out the walls in the flat were little more than simple partition walls almost.

I wonder if she complained about the people before , or whether the house has been empty for a while and she hasn't heard anything etc.

It might need some sort of soundproofing etc.

This is how it makes you feel. I have found myself pussyfooting around the house being afraid to vacuum or put the TV or washing machine on, or even call the cats. I know she's crackers, but it still gets you, insidiously and subconsciously. Until I knew she was doing the same to the neighbours on the other side of her, I questioned myself as a person. I have to do some drilling at the weekend and wait to see what reaction I get.

@EmmaDilemma5 I have considered this and been compassionate as we never know what anyone's going through!

There sure are some nutters about. It’s so hard to relax isn’t it