To think I shouldn't have to pay for this?

[Pollyxplummer]

I have been complaining to the council about my noisy neighbours for THREE YEARS and they have done absolutely nothing until last Tuesday when they finally wrote them a letter. A bloody letter after three years of complaints. Thanks
Anyway, the noise has of course not stopped and in the email where they informed me they were going to send a letter, they also said that if the noise doesn't stop, I shpuld record it using an app and send them the recordings. They put a link in the email.
I went to download it tonight ready to use for tomorrow mornings inevitable 4am start, and it is a paid-for app!
They haven't sent me a discount code or anything. Are they actually expecting me to pay??
Should I??

But how do you know if the neighbours are quiet?

Do you want the noise to stop or not? 🤷🏼‍♀️

If the app is, say, £2.99 [HOW MUCH IS THE APP??], is that a worthwhile price to pay to help this along?

Either pay it or don't pay it, but if you don't then they can't help you any further.

It’s up to you if you want to try to build up a case that might help achieve some action. Why should they pay for it, you say it’s a noise problem but the fact that it actually IS a problem is yet to be determined. Think how many noise complaints they must get all the time. Some serious and some a waste of time.
I’d get the app and collect as much evidence as possible, follow their procedures to the tee and hopefully get some action against the neighbours.

Is it social housing?
Virtually nothing can be done if it isn’t.

Look at your house insurance - sometimes will cover action under s82 Environmental Protection Act 1990 (google it)

Are you saying she should claim the app cost on her house insurance?

@Pollyxplummerhow much was the app??

Why should they pay for it? Because they have a legal responsibility to deal with noise complaints and I pay my council tax.

And I will continue to, because prices are entirely subjective and open to opinion so whether I say it's 1p or £1k, someone is going to say its expensive or cheap.
The point is, it shouldn't matter how cheap or expensive it is, I shouldn't have to pay anything, because I already pay my council tax, so I expect them to do their jobs in return. It's been three years, I have already put in all of the effort.

The app obviously isn’t close to 1k though, clearly it is cheap even by your own opinion.

I don’t see why anyone should have to pay, no matter how much it costs.

Are you sure it's paid for? Most councils seem to use the Noise app, which is free.

I don't know how you're getting my opinion on the apps pricing from what I said.
My point was - it's irrelevant and I'm not going to let the thread become derailed from the actual point while everyone debates if the app is a bargain or not.
My own finaicial situation and whether or not I can afford it is also irrelvant and i will not be sharing that either, before anyone starts.

I already pay the council to deliver various services, one of which they are already doing an extremely poor job in delivering. I shouldn't have to pay them a penny more.

Edited for typos

Maybe something has redirected the link..it happens.

OP what is the app called that they've told you to download? Can you post a link please?

Our EHO have spent hours monitoring noise (external business rather than domestic).
I'd rather they'd not wasted hours watching a machine although I get why they do to prepare for court.

I don't understand your moan about having to wake up fully to use the app. If the noise isn't waking you up, why are you complaining?

I've just browsed the various options and the most expensive I can see is £10 !!

OP, I pay assorted taxes for our roads to be resurfaced yet I've had to pay £400 in the last year for replacement coil springs on my car, because the last ones were damaged by pot holes.

Annoying but grumbling about it won't make any difference. This govt and previous govts have cut funding to local councils who now do not have the budget to cover any but the most pressing issues.

We are all in the same situation, whether it's a noise app or car repairs or the cost of books and computers in state schools, where education is supposed to be free.

The one that appears to be used by councils is The Noise App, which looks to be free? Just download the bloody app, log the noise and crack on with your life ✌

Of course you shouldn't have to pay, I wonder if it used to be free and they haven't noticed.

Of course you should just pay but also complain that they're requiring you to spend money AND do all the work for them.

Do as PP said and go see your MP. Take your evidence, set out a time line, tell them about the impact its had on your life and top it off with the ridiculous requirement to pay for an app and sit up night on night recording your neighbours.

The real problem is they will need the evidence but it sounds like they should have asked you to do this years ago. Neighbours will ultimately get evicted but new ones could be just as bad and old ones will just start the cycle elsewhere. We need a way to get people to actually change their behaviour but that never seems to happen.

Normally they use the Noise app which to my knowledge is free
If it's taken 3 years just for a letter why not just try and be noisy and a terrible neighbour back 😅
Of course if you want to do it properly then check with local council it's the right app, pay for it and use it and complain to your local MP if you want re the antisocial noise and cost of app. You're not wrong to be annoyed to pay for it but literally all services and councils are broke and content to rip people off. It is what it is
If you're in social housing can't you do a homeswap to get away from neighbours ?

OP you appear to be self sabotaging here, just pay for the app which is probably less than a fiver and will give you the evidence you need. What else do you expect the council to do? They can't blindly believe every neighbour complaint, they need evidence and can't realistically collect it any other way.

You keep saying that you shouldn't have to pay as you pay your council tax. But council tax is there for waste collection, police and fire, services like libraries and leisure etc. Not investigating neighbour complaints.

Have you spoken to your neighbour about the noise, and what kind of noise is it?

If you want to piss on your own chips for the sake of a principle, go right ahead.

Or just get the app and move forward.

I understand your frustration but the country has gone to sh*t and, frankly, paying for an app is the least of our problems. I’d rather the NHS worked quite honestly but, no, we are left getting increasingly ill and fobbed off to save money. So, yeah, I do think you need to pay a tenner or whatever to download an app to jump through council hoops.

Stamps are so expensive now that only a couple of letters would add up to the price of an app. It’s not really any different.

Well I just downloaded the councils noise app for free so I think OP might be telling porkies hence why she won't say how much it is..

You forgot the unspoken rule on MN OP. Don't be working class or struggling to make ends meet.