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Been reported by neighbour for Noise...

26 replies

Oncebitten · 24/05/2007 13:08

I live in a upstairs flat with DP & DD who is two. Last week my down stairs neighbour (who is about 50 and also a distant cousin of my mother) came outside when I was leaving to go out and said, she really didn't want to say anything but she just had to because she just couldn't bare it any longer. She said that the noise from upstairs is just so loud. Constant banging and thudding. Which must be us walking around and my DD playing with her toys in the living room. Where we have wood floor (with an underlay.) I said that I wasn't sure what we could do about it because we are only doing day to day things and my DD is two. She is really good natured but of course, shes a baby so she jumps, drops toys and closes doors loudly. I asked if it was any time in particular because sometimes DD doesn't go to bed till 10 or so(she isn't into a routine as yet.) But neighbour said that it was just ALL the time.She then proceeded to ask about whether I was still waiting for a house (as I am) and suggested that if she put in a complaint then they might move me sooner. To which I said I would prefer she didnt but if she wanted she could leave me a note and I might be able to take it to the council and it might help my case, that I need to be on the ground floor. She agreed to this and that is how it was left. At first I was a bit upset and felt uncomfortable moving round my own home. But then I felt a bit annoyed becos what she was ultimately complaining about was us moving around our own home and my DD playing with her toys. But I did try to be a little more concious(sp).

The next thing I know, I've recieved a letter from the council saying they have recieved a complaint about noise and are coming out to investigate. I am now worried that this will infact go against my housing application and can't believe that the neighbour would do this when we agreed she wouldnt.

I would also like to add that, we are a young couple but we don't act like it! We are in bed by 11pm most nights. We dont have parties. We have very few guests. So there is no coming and going. We never listen to loud music and I am very concious (sp) of not having the TV too loud. I personally think that the neighbour has it very easy! because they do usually give these flats to young people and I am sure other people might not be as considerate. I now feel like confronting my neighbour but not really sure what this will achieve because I will be investigated anyway. I have done nothing wrong at all and feel that the neighbour is being completely unreasonable. She may not like the fact that flats are built this way and that there is a child upstairs but surely there is no need to purposefully cause us problems?

Sorry, didn't know where to post this but needed to rant. Did phone my mother but she was just 'oh it'll be alright, just ignore neighbour from now on'. Which may be true but the situation doesn't feel nice right now.

OP posts:
littlemissbossy · 24/05/2007 13:11

Presumably she's kept a record of the noise for the council to investigate- is she/are you in all day? Also, is this a private rented flat?

charliecat · 24/05/2007 13:12

Nightmare My mum lives in a ground floor flat and can hear her neighbour weeing, so crap in the soundproofing.
There not much you can do, possibly put those soft guards on the doors to stop any door slamming, also stops little ones getting fingers trapped in doors, but apart from that you cant stop living can you?
Is she really old? Could she turn her hearing aid down?

MamaG · 24/05/2007 13:14

How about chucking a big rug down? Its very difficult, you can't tiptoe aroudn your own home, shushing a 2 year old, but I can see where your neighbour is coming from too (a bit) although complaining to the council is below the belt imo at htis stage.

My first home with DH was a 2nd floor flat, but nobody above us and we though it was great, really quiet, until i went for a coffee undern eath us, hearing DH take a pee

bran · 24/05/2007 13:15

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just be nice and polite to the person doing the investigation and explain that it's just noise from moving around and playing. Does your downstairs neighbour own her flat or is it council/housing association? If it's council or housing association then they might add some soundproofing material to her ceiling. It's not against the law or anti-social to make noise associated with everyday living.

Is there any chance that you could put a large rug in your sitting room for your dd to play on? That ought to muffle the sound of banging a bit.

Twiglett · 24/05/2007 13:18

think it should be carpeted to reduce noise .. wood floors are a bad idea when you have downstairs neighbours unless you pay a fortune on professional soundproofing

I'd take the council coming out as a good sign ... really its just your general living and neighbour will back you up .. so it might help in rehousing

Oncebitten · 24/05/2007 13:25

hi thanks for the replies, yes it is council and i think neighbour rents hers too.

We have a rug down but it obviously doesn't do the trick!!! Yes i can only imagine it is noisy down there but like you say, I cant stop living! Short of attaching monkey bars to the ceiling, we cant help the footsteps!

We do have a good base under the wood floor. Neighbour actually hinted we should take it up, didnt go down well with dp who put it down!

Lets hope something positive does come out of it but i won't be taking neighbours wheelie bin in the future!

OP posts:
MamaG · 24/05/2007 13:25

get a bigger rug!

Twiglett · 24/05/2007 13:28

what do you mean by 'good base' under wooden floor?

bozza · 24/05/2007 13:31

Hmm I think it was probably a bad idea putting down the wood floor. Apart from in kitchen and bathroom I think you should be carpetted.

charliecat · 24/05/2007 13:33

Didnt read the wood floor bit. Yep bigger rug deffo.

joash · 24/05/2007 13:34

Check your tenancy agreement before the person from the council comes round - In the coucnil flat that my DD used to live in, it was actually written into the tenancy agreement that tenants could not have bare wooden floors as it was too noisy.
And I wouldn't worry too much about this affecting your application. We lived in flat with DD1 and were told we could be on the housing list for years. After one noise complaint from a neighbour, we were ofered the house that we wanted. So things might work out for you

Oncebitten · 24/05/2007 13:39

we left the carpet down under the wood floor, and the carpet was thick... Maybe we should get a bigger, thicker rug... Should we really have to take wood floor up?

may i also add that pre-baby and pre-wood floor. I used to do an exercise DVD a few times a week and neighbour asked me if i could stop doing that. Which i did, altho i was miffed cos it was only a hour every now and then!

Also when i first came to look round the place. Neighbour came out and said oh thank goodness its you (distant relative) the last girl who lived here was a nightmare, blokes back, (going at it!) parties, rows, and constant noise.

I dont do those things but now shes prob complaining about us in the same way!

OP posts:
Oncebitten · 24/05/2007 13:40

oh joash, so theres hope for us!!! going to search for tenancy agreement shortly!

OP posts:
Blu · 24/05/2007 13:41

The 2nd floor flat I lived in had a 'no wood floors' clause. I DID have a wooden floor - but never wore shoes in the flat, only soft thick socks, and was very quiet. I can't stand banging doors, anyway.

Get a length of that foam insulation tube ofr pipes from a DIY or plumber shop and cut it into short lengths to put on top of your doors - stops banging and trapped fingers. Don't wear shoes...and put down more rugs / runners?

Blu · 24/05/2007 13:43

An excercise dvd several times a week in a second floor flat is probably very noisy!

Oncebitten · 24/05/2007 13:44

well u learn something u knew everyday! I did not know that about wood floors... thinking about it now, it does make a lot of sense to have a clause about that sort of thing... I never imagined it would be so noisy.

We have a no shoe rule but i guess we are just heavy footed!

OP posts:
hatwoman · 24/05/2007 13:44

I think this is quite likley a good thing. if the noise is everyday living then surely the council will need to do something about it. your neighbour does sound like she was at pains not to annoy you. perhaps the complaint was more along the lines of the soundproofing/flats being inadequate, rather than you being noisy? This isn't your fault, or hers, it's a problem with the flats. I'm sure that's the conclusion they'll come to when they've investigated. I agree about rugs, and, although this might be stating the bleeding obvious - shoes.

Oncebitten · 24/05/2007 13:46

should have read... didnt know... doh... still havent recovered from pregnancy fog!!!

OP posts:
Celia2 · 25/05/2007 08:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FioFio · 25/05/2007 08:46

This reply has been deleted

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Oncebitten · 25/05/2007 23:21

Thanks u guys... i think general consensus is that wood floors above ground level are a No no!!!

An update is that the neighbour reported me to the council BEFORE having a word with me, so she had already done it when she suggested to me, that she report me to help with my housing application. So methinks that she had started feeling a tad guilty and so approached me before i had a letter. Wish she would have done so first, although, there is not much we can do about day to day noise.

I am hoping that the council will be able to see, that we are just moving around our home and certainly not being a nuisance! I am considering taking up the flooring, although, im convinced it will still be noisy up here, DD has weebles! (are they next to go?) Best case senario would be that they move me up the waiting list. Worst would be... the spare room at mums with DD in travel cot?!?

OP posts:
Tinkerbel5 · 26/05/2007 16:00

If you pull the flooring up and put carpet down it wont be noisy, I have been in a friends's flat and heared the neighbours above dining room chairs being moved backwards and forwards and its really noisty, wooden floors make everything sound louder, I live in a terraced house and can hear the neighbours clonk clonk clonk as they walk through the front door.

Desiderata · 26/05/2007 16:11

I had a similar problem with my neighbour, but we do live on the ground floor. Our tenancy agreement states that upper floors must be fully carpeted, but not the ground floor.

So, we though we were OK. At around the time that my ds was 18 months, our upstairs neighbour started banging on our ceiling, coming to the door asking us to keep it down, etc.

It was his little feet thumping (and she could here that upstairs). I was very sympathetic, but couldn't for the life of me work out how I could stop him walking they way he did.

In the end we had to gird our loins, and carpet the place throughout. Bit of a bummer because it's bloody filthy now, but it's done the trick with regard to noise.

The underlay cost almost as much as the carpet, but at least I'm not stressed all the time now.

kid · 26/05/2007 16:14

At my old flat, we were on the ground floor and the 2 flats above us both had wooden floor. A man lived above us alone and used to sweep the floor around midnight. It used to drive me insane with the broom hitting the skirting board.

We have wooden floor now but are in a house, it is very noisy, especially when the kids are upstairs playing.

I complained about a neighbour once for blaring music all day long. It wasn't even good music
Someone from the council came round and treatened to take her music system away if she couldn't keep it down to a certain volume. They can't do that with you though. They might make you remove the wooden floor though. You wouldn't be able to claim any money back from them either

Dogsby · 26/05/2007 16:18

you need a rug

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