Very noisy family - driving me mad.

[Rosiecidar]

I live in a flat. Above me is a two bedroom flat which is occupied by a family of four. A couple with an 8 year old and a child just over one. They are noisy, the 8 year old sounds as though she is shouting when she talks. The parents speak loudly and call across the room. When the youngest child had just been born it wasn't bad as the older child often went out so the mother and baby could rest. Now they play inside, ball games, tag generally squealing games. There's always visitors staying often family members from abroad who stay for months...2 months or more so the flat often has 4 adults and the children . It's very noisy most days from 3.30pm to about 8 pm and sometimes most of the day, not sure but I think the children go to a club during holidays but not every day. I have asked them to be a little quieter if possible and they had started to close their windows but it's still so noisy and the ceiling still shakes because of the running around. They're really lovely and very friendly but I am now at the stage where I would rather have quiet neighbours who aren't particularly friendly. Obviously they are entitled to have a family life and their daughter can't help being loud it doesn't help though with 4 adults in a small space playing with the children. I end up having the TV on, moving to other rooms just to drown out the noise and I can't open my windows. I own my flat so moving isn't an option they rent. Any ideas?

Nothing unfortunately. Sounds like normal family noise

I think that’s just flats for you. The only solution is to move.

There's been other families there and never so noisy. The difference with the other families was they didn't have 6 people in a 2 bed flat ... nor speak really loudly, literally it's family members after family members, with the odd quiet month with no family members. And there's gardens around our building where other children play.

Your options are limited to complaining to their landlord, waiting until they move out, or selling up.

Sell

I think this is just part of having neighbours, particularly in a flat. They're just making normal family noise.

Buy some loop earplugs, it will make it much more bareable. My kids are constantly screaming, shouting, arguing (autism) and I'm grateful we have a detached house as neighbours would hate the noise they make.

@Rosiecidar have you tried using noise cancelling headphones or researched effectiveness of sound insulation? Or maybe try a white noise cancelling machine. I have a little box with different types noise (birdsong, waves, white noise etc.). Just having it on at the noisiest times might help ‘mute’ it a little in an acceptable way whilst allowing you to still study/read etc. Quite cheap about £25 or so.

This is miserable for you. I was partly raised in a flat and I was told to be considerate. Maybe speak to them once more. If it continues approach their landlord and tell them that you have a right to quiet enjoyment of your property and this is encroaching on it.

i had an overcrowded flat above me prior to moving here as well as constant "visitors" but when I mentioned it to the landlord and the letting agent they weren't interested. I assume as the rent was being paid that's all they cared about. Until the police raided and one of them was a drug dealer.

What exactly are you hoping to hear/read here? You don’t want to sell. You won’t accept this is what happens when you live in a flat - it’s a gamble and you could end up living below/next to a single person who is out at work all day and spends the evenings reading, or you could be neighbours with a family with noisy children but you won’t accept that. So what answers are you looking for?

Just a way of speaking to them. There's a family next to me with a small child who cries and screams and that's not a problem because his parents don't shout, take him out and it's not for four hours every single day. The flat above me has always been occupied by families and you hear a bit of noise, fine but not hours every day. This family seem oblivious.

Yep, costs of moving to a similar flat taking into account stamp duty and estate agents fees...around £45k, not really an option. Plus the purchase price obviously,!

This is just the reality of living in a flat. They don’t seem to be doing anything other than normal household noises or doing anything at anti-sociable hours. I hear my upstairs neighbour flush the toilet or their alarm going off or the muffled sounds of them speaking - so you bet when they have people round on a weekend I hear lots of noise. But that’s just people existing and living.

you can’t expect to live in a flat and not have people go about their life. You said they tried to accommodate you by shutting the windows when you asked them to keep it down so I think they’re being very respectful. You can’t expect them with children to sit there and whisper and tip toe

That's not what "quiet enjoyment" means. It means a tenant has the right to enjoy their property without unreasonable disturbance from their landlord. Nothing to do with anyone having a right to quiet neighbours.

Every time she shouts , I’d bang on the ceiling!

Id probably do the same when kids sleeping! She ll get the message

I have lived in flats for 30 years...I have never complained about noise. We are talking about 4 hours nearly every day of children running around screaming, playing games and adults shouting over each other. Yes of course in flats you hear people walking, phones ringing etc. This is way beyond this. I really don't think it's normal to have my ceiling rattling every evening...

@namechangeaaargh - I realise that however, if you report noise so the landlord is aware of it it still comes under that category and it might help the OP.

That level of noise really is NOT NORMAL at all. It is very inconsiderate of neighbours. Next door, the family scream and shout until 10pm and leave their front door open so that we all can hear it the better. They never just talk at a socially aware volume.
The parents shout at the children and they shout back.

Yep. All day today. They actually said they can't take the children out to places because they want to run around screaming everywhere..
In fact the dad said he doesn't know how to control them...

Talk to the flat management. My friend lived below neighbours like yours. It turned out they had gone against the rules and fitted laminate flooring without sound proofing.

I feel for you. It must feel like you’re living their life as you are privy to so much of it. You may just have to bide your time until they move out unfortunately.

o remember a neighbour talking about noise and how she likes her peace and quiet and I got paranoid. At the time we hsd two kids and my life became hell, shushing them, telling them to not play so heavily, sending them into watch tv when I couldn’t take it any more. I found out afterwards she was talking about her other neighbour 😅 It w was ok sounds impossible tbh, I wouldn’t want to wear noise cancelling headphones at home but then I wouldn’t wish the paranoia on anyone!