For putting on a wash that finished at 20 past 8pm

[GettingThereEveryDay]

Just got a complaint from my neighbour for putting on a wash that finished 5 minutes ago.

AIBU to think that 9pm is a reasonable cut off point?

9 pm is usually regarded as a reasonable deadline for making unexpected calls, phone calls or doing noisy jobs. I once gave a neighbour a right earful for knocking at my door at 9.30 when it was not an emergency.

It’s fine. I live in a flat and our noise rules are quiet hours between 11pm and 7am
I often have a wash on at 9-10pm (although our flats are pretty well insulated and you can barely hear anything TBF)

I have to work away from, get allocated accommodation where everyone seems to do their washing at 3am. It’s probably only a couple but the noise travels and I bloody hate it. Up to 10pm, fine. After that, nope. I guess a lot of people are doing shift work but it sucks.

What is this "Celtic" that you speak of?
@GettingThereEveryDay I would have none of it. Wash away it's your home,
They could always move.

Reasonable times for noise are 7am to 11pm (e.g. music, DIY, appliances etc).

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/noise-nuisances-how-councils-deal-with-complaints

However, to be a considerate neighbour (especially in flats) you should be aware of your neighbours’ circumstances, e.g. young kids, older people, shift work, illness etc.

It’s your house fuck them.

As an aside, please be aware that you should try not to have appliances like washing machines and dishwashers running overnight due to the risk of fires. You are far less likely to detect one in time if you are asleep.

What type of home you are in does matter for context here. We lived in a terraced house as kids and couldn't hear our neighbour's washing machine. As you live in a flat then yes it does matter as they can hear you. You either get some sort of insulation where the washing machine is, use it during set times of the day, ignore your neighbour or speak to them about it.

I think for context the cut-offs should be 10ish, many people head for bed between 10-11 and washing machines can be really noisy.
between 7am to 9pm is fine in my book

I don’t think you are being unreasonable but in a flat you should also be aware how how your noise impacts others. Can you consider buying one of those shock absorbing mats for under the machine? They’re about £10-15 but may be a good compromise

We're in a flat and have a neighbour who does the washing in the evening and the drying up to midnight. We can hear the dryer but it doesn't bother us, they're only in the flat for a few weeks a year.

Of course its fine to do washing at that time. Otherwise how are people with jobs supposed to get it done? Washers and dryers shouldn't be run unattended, so it's early morning or evening.

Not a language

Yeah, I understand that before 11 it's before 11 and after 11 it's after 11 and that these things are conceptually different.

Neighbour is a twat.
Ive just finished a load at 18.30.
In the heat wave we had I did a load at 4am on the line at 5 dried by 9am.

My neighbours used to do theirs at 4am. They don't work, so no need to do it that early, but as they don't have gas, I think they might have done it then to take advantage of cheap rate electricity.

I couldn't hear the machine, as it's in the garage on the far side of their house, but their water tanks are on the party wall and it was like trying to sleep by Niagara when the water was gushing in and out.

I gave the neighbour my phone number, and asked her to text me when she was planning to put a load on so that I could put ear plugs in and sleep through the noise.

She's never texted me, but the washing doesn't start till 6 am now, which I can live with.

So your washing finished at 8.20, neighbour came upstairs, complained, you typed out a post and posted at 8.25?

Aye right!

A previous neighbour of mine used to bang on our shared wall and/or shout "shut up" when my clock radio would come on a 5:45 am. I had to be up, showered, breakfasted and out of the house before 7 am. Apparently I should have been able to wake up without the radio or any other form of alarm. I could barely hear the radio a foot from me I had it so quiet but he could hear it several feet away and through a solid brick wall.

Appalling construction soundproofing (assuming it’s modern day).

I would kindly buy you rubber feet for the machine. How otherwise were you to know ?

but I don’t think it’s unreasonable before 9pm (hard for shift workers). After that DH would be the one to complain the house was shaking.

I’d definitely be putting another load on 🤣

What are you insinuating? That I made it up?

my neighbour texted me. You know, that thing most people do these days to communicate

It all depends on the acoustics of your (and their) home.

If you live in a detached house and have the windows closed, then maybe. If your washing machine is next to a common wall and they can clearly hear it, then perhaps less so.

Most lease contracts I've seen say 11pm for noise so I think you're good!

YANBU, but for the sake of a quiet life, in both senses, why not get one of those washing machine anti-vibration mats, about £10-20 on Amazon? I had quite a thick one and it made a real difference.

I generally do washing after 9pm because I thought electric was cheaper.